Choosing a Custom Medal Maker: What to Check Before You Order
Most custom medal suppliers can produce a decent medal. Where they differ is in the parts you only discover after you have paid: whether the price you were quoted is the price you pay, whether you see a proof before tooling is cut, and what happens if the finished medals do not match what you approved. This guide sets out the questions worth asking any supplier — including this one — and the answers that should make you keep looking.
Quick Answer
- Ask about
- Minimum order, setup fees, proof policy, artwork help, what happens if it's wrong
- Biggest red flag
- No digital proof before production starts
- Second biggest
- A price that only appears after you send an enquiry
- "No minimum" claims
- Usually mean the setup cost moved somewhere else
- Artwork
- Ask whether redrawing your logo costs extra
- Written terms
- Refund and remake policy should be published, not promised in email
- Two models
- Online configurator or quote-by-email — each suits different orders
- Here
- Configure online, 25 pieces per design, no setup fee, free proof
The five questions that actually matter
Everything else is detail. These five determine whether you get what you expected at the price you planned.
1. What is the minimum, and is it per design or per order?
A supplier quoting a 100-piece minimum and one quoting 20 are aimed at different customers. More importantly, ask whether the minimum applies per design or per order — because if you need gold, silver and copper versions, that distinction decides whether a small placement set is even possible.
2. Is there a mould, die or setup fee?
Tooling has to be cut whatever you pay, so the cost exists. The question is whether it is inside the per-piece price or added as a separate line. A low unit price with a separate setup fee can end up higher than a slightly higher unit price with none, particularly on smaller runs.
3. Do I see a proof before production, and can I revise it?
This is the one worth being firm about. A digital proof shows how your artwork sits on the medal at your chosen size and finish, before any tooling is cut. Ask two things: whether you get one, and whether revisions are limited. "One free revision, then charges apply" is a different proposition from unlimited revisions until you approve.
4. What happens if my artwork is not print-ready?
Many organisations only have a logo as a small web image. Ask whether redrawing it as vector is included or billed. It is routine work, but not every supplier absorbs it.
5. What are the written terms if something goes wrong?
Look for a published refund and remake policy rather than reassurance in an email. Specifically: when can you still cancel, what is covered if the finished item differs from the approved proof, and what is not covered.
Where this supplier stands on those five: 25 pieces per design and the minimum applies per design, so a three-finish placement set counts once. No mould or setup fees. A free digital proof with revisions until you approve. Artwork redrawing included. Terms published in the Return & Refund Policy rather than described in an email. Apply the same five questions to anyone else you are considering.
Signals worth paying attention to
Reassuring
- Price visible before you commit to an enquiry
- Options and their cost impact shown, not hidden
- A published minimum, stated plainly
- Proof stage described as part of the standard process
- Refund and remake terms on a policy page
- Real product photographs rather than renders only
Worth a second look
- No price anywhere until you submit contact details
- "No minimum" with the setup cost unmentioned
- Production described as starting before proof approval
- Delivery dates promised as certainties rather than estimates
- Refund terms available only on request
- Stock imagery you can find on several other sites
On "no minimum" in particular: tooling is a real cost. A supplier offering one piece has either priced the tooling into that piece, or is not cutting custom tooling at all — in which case you are choosing from stock designs rather than getting a custom medal. Both are legitimate ways to sell, but they are different products, and it is worth knowing which one you are buying.
Online configurator or quote by email?
These are two genuinely different buying experiences, and neither is universally better.
| Online configurator | Quote by email | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Price in seconds, any time of day | Hours to days, and again for each change |
| Comparing options | Change size or quantity and watch the price move | Each comparison is another email |
| Budget approval | Screenshot the configured price for your committee | Wait for a written quote first |
| Unusual requirements | Limited to what the page offers | Better — a person can assess it |
| Very large volumes | Usually caps out at a set quantity | Better — volume pricing gets negotiated |
A practical rule: if your order fits the standard options, configuring online saves days. If you need something the page does not offer — a larger size, an unusual shape, a very high volume — email is the right route and worth using early rather than after you have configured something that cannot be made.
What to have ready before you contact anyone
Having these to hand makes every conversation shorter, whoever you end up ordering from:
- Quantity, and whether that is per design or across several designs
- Your logo or artwork in the best format you have — vector if it exists
- The date you need them in hand, not the event date
- Whether you need one design or a placement set
- Any text that must appear: event name, year, distance, division
- A budget range per piece, even a rough one
- One named person who can approve the proof without a committee
How ordering works here
- Configure on the product page. Style, size, ribbon loop and width, finish and packaging. The price updates as you change each one, including quantity.
- Upload your artwork and add notes. Colour references, placement instructions, or the date you need delivery — anything the options do not cover.
- Place the order. No quote wait and no separate setup charge.
- Review your digital proof. It arrives by email and shows your artwork on the medal at your chosen configuration.
- Revise until it is right. Revisions are unlimited and nothing is produced until you approve.
- Production and delivery. Tooling is cut after approval, then the medals are made, checked and shipped.
For quantities beyond the online range, or a requirement the configurator does not cover, email is the right starting point.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know a custom medal maker is any good before I order?
Check the five things that are hard to fix later: the minimum and whether it is per design, any setup fee, whether you get a revisable proof before production, whether artwork help is included, and whether refund terms are published rather than promised. A supplier who answers all five plainly is usually straightforward to work with.
Is a supplier with no minimum order a better deal?
Not necessarily. Custom tooling has to be paid for somehow, so a one-piece minimum usually means either the tooling cost sits inside that piece or the design is coming from stock rather than being custom made. Both are legitimate — just check which you are buying.
Can I order custom medals online without getting a quote first?
Yes. Configuring on the product page shows the price as you select each option, so you can compare sizes and quantities and take that figure to your budget holder without waiting on an email.
What if my logo is only a small image from our website?
Send it anyway and say so in the order notes. Redrawing it as vector is part of preparing your proof and is not billed separately. The artwork guide covers what helps and what to expect.
When can I still cancel?
Before you approve the final proof, provided production has not started — that is set out in the Return & Refund Policy. After approval, cover applies to factory errors and items that materially differ from the proof you signed off.
Do I need to order all three placement finishes separately?
No. One artwork in gold, silver and copper is a single design, so the 25-piece minimum applies once rather than three times.
Once you have chosen who to order from, the medal design guide covers the configuration choices in order, and what medals are made of explains why some artwork needs adjusting. Ordering for a race or a league? See the race medal guide or the team and tournament guide. Buying badges or coins as well? The same checks apply — where to get custom badges made covers those.
See your price before you commit
Configure size, ribbon, finish and quantity on the product page and watch the total update as you go. Upload your artwork, order from 25 pieces per design, and approve a free digital proof before anything is produced.
Start Customizing