I was just approved to be a maker this morning and am very excited to get started with this.
As I was looking through the open builds to claim, I wanted to ask if there’s any rhyme or reason to why you all pick the ones you do? Do you just pick the first one you have the right color spools for? Just the closest one to you? Duration the request has been out?
My instinct was to tackle some of the ones with the longest time waiting because I hate the idea of someone needing this having to wait even longer (and most of them are ~200 miles or so away), but with it being my first one I thought maybe it would be better just to pick the closest?
Also in general, do you wait to have all of the spools in hand before claiming the job? I have purple spools on order but it would be a few days before they arrive and I also don’t love the idea of claiming one of the open listings and then having a delay in starting.
Congrats on being approved, and thanks for joining us
For my first one I picked the closest one to me, and then while I was building that one, another request came in that was a little closer so I did that one next.
There aren’t any more requests in my area right now but i am working one that is 3-4 hours away. (looking forward to the road trip). There is another one that is 8 hours away with no makers in their area, that has been waiting 180 days, so I’m determined to do that one next, and we’ll try to make a 3 day weekend out of it so we can do some sightseeing too
I would not wait to hit claim if you’ve already ordered filament. I do that before ordering, that way the family knows their request is going to be fulfilled. And you can even message them if you want input on colors, etc., and you can let them know that you’ll be waiting on filament.
I would start with the oldest one close to you. Also I would claim the build before I ordered any filament. Some family’s will be happy to get whatever you have, others will have more opinions on the colors. Also you don’t want to order specific filament for a build and have someone else end up grabbing it before it comes in.
Also be sure to ask any questions you have along the way! Several of us have made plenty of these now and have learned a lot. So we can all help you as much as possible!
Hi! I’m very close to you, I’m pretty sure (Wolfe Books on the map). I noticed you were newly in the area.
For me, I claimed one off the bat that was around 30 minutes away. In the next few days more requests popped up and it leveled at 7 in the 30 minute radius. So I’m very glad you’re around!
I claimed a second one because it was very nearby, but I messaged them to say I was doing another one ahead of them that had been waiting longer.
There is another one very near me and I didn’t claim it yet because it felt like overpromising.
So since we’re in the same area: If you are able to drive there, maybe consider selecting one of the two that are around 30-45 minutes away because they have a longer wait time. I have issues driving sometimes, so I really want to do the one that is near me, but I absolutely will not hoard it and you are more than welcome to accept it if you would like.
Edit: I also just noticed that you already ordered the purple so that’s more reason for you to do the one by me.
Also if you ever want to message me to coordinate feel free. It’s Wolfe Books on the dashboard and I always enjoy some good communication about plans!
I did notice one person close! Good to know we can work together on tackling these.
I actually drive quite a bit for work so I could potentially be a delivery mechanism for one of the farther off ones if at any point you want to claim one that is a little bit farther out of the area.
And yep, after those first two responses I grabbed that close one. If I had seen your response in time I would have left that one to you though, sorry about that! I have no problems driving a bit further out for the other ones after this though. I’m in those areas for work anyway fairly often.
Thanks for reaching out, I will definitely let you know if I have any questions! And same to you of course if there’s anything I can do to help out let me know.
Edit: And thank you to everyone for the advice here, was exactly what I was looking for.
I was approved not quite a month ago. I opted to do an independent build, not matching to a family. I wanted to make sure both my printer and myself were capable of completing the project. No problem!! After I completed it, I submitted it for approval. Once it was approved, I chose a family close by from the map and reached out with pics and a description asking if they were interested. Also told them they were more than welcome to decline, since they asked for blue and mine only had a little blue. They were thrilled and I delivered the chair the next day!
Welcome! I love the idea of claiming ones that are waiting for a while, but honestly, I would pick the one that “speaks” to you (reasons not important) and do it! There is no right or wrong approach.
Nonny same here - So I’m wrapping up my second build and claimed a third. These are the challenges I’ve had. I claim the build and send a message to the family. Nothing.. now I don’t know if it ends up in spam folder or what. I wait 2-3 days, if nothing I message Admin and let them which build I can’t get in touch with. They will reach out with an email or a call. The current one I just found out their phone isn’t working. So I have been trying to contact them for 5 days. I’m going to try sending them a letter, I think their drop off is their home. So I now try to claim a build two weeks before I plan on starting. Gives me time to contact them and order filament if needed (I have stocked up though) lol. Welcome to the group, these people here are a wealth of info, happy to help, and really good Makers.
Yes, that would be frustrating! I’ve been fortunate in that the last two responded almost immediately. Actually, my 2nd build I just happened to see that the family said how much he liked Bluey. I had already started printing Bluey wheels, just to see if I could. So I quickly claimed the build and they were VERY fast to respond!
