The jobs tend to be small, the margins are often thin, and standing in the RFQ queue with other competitive bidders is always tedious. Thus perceiving just how low the bar could be set, the printer is then free either to opt out of the auction or to weigh in with a better offer.
Bidders remain anonymous, as does the buyer, who contacts the printer with the winning bid.
To his delight, the buyer said yes. But he thinks it will represent a potentially valuable piece of the action nonetheless, owing to the nature and the location of Marathon's manufacturing operation. He also observes that in Norfolk, two and a half hours west of Omaha in the heart of the Great Plains, it's nice to have an Internet-enabled sales channel to the rest of the world. Single orders came in on the fax and then we had to fax back proofs. The constant barrage was overwhelming.