Talk to us

Barter: an agent that gets supplier quotes and negotiates.

Sunan Designs is a marketing agency in Catonsville, Maryland. Its founder, Sajjad Husain, needs 500 catalogs printed by the 14th, without spending his week emailing print shops and chasing quotes. This case study shows how Barter, the agent we built, does that for him.

The shops are real. Their replies are simulated, and four days are sped up. See what’s real and what’s simulated

Talk to us
Sajjad Husain

Sajjad Husain
Founder and CEO, Sunan Designs

Marketing agency, Catonsville, Maryland

Without help, a print job is a week of chasing.

Sajjad emails five print shops and answers the same questions five times. Then he waits, chases, and compares quotes that don’t line up: one includes delivery, one doesn’t, one comes with a deadline. By the end, he takes whatever works.

Printing has its own vocabulary too. Most of us don’t know the right words for a job like this. Saddle stitch? 80 lb gloss? Sajjad shouldn’t have to learn them.

How Barter ran the job, over four days.

  1. Day 1: Sajjad types it the way he’d say it.

    No form needed. Barter turns it into a clear brief: quantity, binding, paper, date and target price.

    barter.Simulated runDay 1, 8:56 AM

    What do you need?

    need 500 catalogs printed, 16 pages, stapled, glossy, to our office in catonsville by the 14th. trying to stay around 3.20 each. get me a few quotes

    Brief written by Barter

    • 500 catalogs
    • 16 pages, saddle stitch
    • 80 lb gloss
    • Catonsville, Nov 14
    • Target $1,600
    • 3+ quotes
    Find printers

  2. Day 1: it checks who can actually do the job.

    Barter finds five Maryland print shops and checks each one against its own website: what it prints, how it binds, how far it is from Catonsville. Three get a request. Two can’t do this job well, and Barter says why.

    barter.ShortlistDay 1, 8:58 AM
    Kase Indigo Ink Mount Royal Accent Gem Sunan Designs © OpenStreetMap contributors
    • KPKase PrintingBaltimore, 12 miQuoting
    • IIIndigo Ink DigitalColumbia, 12 miQuoting
    • MRMount Royal PrintingBaltimore, 11 miQuoting
    • APAccent PrintersWhite Marsh, 21 miBindery outsourced, adds daysNot a fit
    • GGGem GraphicsRockville, 44 miFreight on every boxNot a fit

  3. Day 1: every shop gets its own email.

    Each one sounds like Sajjad wrote it. The questions are the same, so the answers are easy to compare.

    barter.RequestsDay 1, 9:02 AM
    bBarter for Sajjad HusainTo Kase Printing: Quote request, 500 catalogs for Nov 14

    Hi Kase team,

    Saw on your site that you do saddle stitching in house, so you seemed like a good fit.

    Personalized for Kase

    Could you tell me:

    • Price for 500, and for 1,000
    • Paper upgrade if the 80 lb is out of stock
    • Two rounds of proofs, delivery included

    Same questions for all three

    • Kase PrintingSent 9:02 AM
    • Indigo Ink DigitalSent 9:02 AM
    • Mount Royal PrintingSent 9:02 AM

  4. Day 2: a deadline, flagged.

    Kase quotes $1,700 for 500 ($3.40 each), but only if Sajjad confirms by Friday. Barter can’t accept that on its own, so it flags it. Indigo comes in at $1,825 ($3.65 each) and Mount Royal at $2,050 ($4.10 each).

    barter.RepliesDay 2, 10:41 AM
    KPKase PrintingTo Barter, Day 2, 10:41 AM

    Barter summary. Kase can do 500 for $1,700, but only if Sajjad confirms by Friday.

    For 500 copies, 16 pages, saddle stitched on 80 lb gloss, we’re at $3.40 a piece, $1,700 total, delivered to Catonsville in eight business days. Payment is net 15. I can hold this price if you confirm by Friday. Paper moves after that.

    Approval needed. Barter flags the Friday deadline. It does not accept the offer.

    First quotes for 500 catalogs, against a target of $1,600
    ShopTotalPer unitNotes
    Kase Printing$1,700$3.40Needs a Friday yes
    Indigo Ink Digital$1,825$3.65Delivered, net 30
    Mount Royal Printing$2,050$4.10Highest so far
    Target $1,600 for 500 ($3.20 a catalog)

  5. Day 2: Barter pushes back.

    Indigo’s quote is clean: delivered, net 30. Barter asks for Sajjad’s target, $1,600 for 500 ($3.20 each), and makes clear nothing is confirmed yet.

    barter.Indigo Ink DigitalDay 2, 1:40 PM

    1. IIIndigo Ink DigitalDay 2, 11:18 AM

      We can do 500 for $1,825, delivered. That’s $3.65 each, net 30.

    2. bBarter for SajjadDay 2, 1:40 PM

      Thanks for the quick quote. Could you get closer to $1,600 for 500 ($3.20 each), with delivery and two proof rounds included? We’re comparing quotes, not confirming an order.

  6. Day 3: it holds at 500.

    Indigo drops to $1,650 ($3.30 each), then offers a thousand copies. Barter keeps it at 500, because the extra copies would go over what Sajjad wants to spend. It also asks for the second proof round.

    barter.Indigo Ink DigitalDay 3, 10:22 AM

    1. IIIndigo Ink DigitalDay 3, 9:06 AM

      We checked with production and can get to $1,650 for 500 ($3.30 each), with delivery and one proof round. If you go to 1,000 copies, it’s $2,850 ($2.85 each).

    2. bBarter for SajjadDay 3, 10:22 AM

      Let’s keep it at 500. The extra copies would take the total above what Sajjad wants to spend. Could you include the second proof and take another look at the price?

  7. Day 4: it follows up, so nobody has to remember.

    Barter sends a short follow-up first thing. By 10:14, Indigo puts $1,560 in writing ($3.12 each): delivered, two proof rounds, net 30.

    barter.Indigo Ink DigitalDay 4, 10:14 AM

    1. bBarter for SajjadDay 4, 8:45 AM

      Morning, just following up on yesterday’s note. Can you confirm the all-in price for 500, two proof rounds, delivery by November 14, and net 30?

    2. IIIndigo Ink DigitalDay 4, 10:14 AM

      Yes, I checked with production. We can do $1,560 total, $3.12 each, including delivery and two PDF proof rounds. Net 30.

  8. Day 4: one overview, one recommendation.

    Barter puts all three in one table and recommends Indigo. Sajjad can read every thread before he decides.

    barter.Offers, 3 of 3 repliedDay 4, 10:20 AM
    Final offers for 500 catalogs
    PrinterTotalPer unitDeliveryPayment
    Indigo Ink DigitalRecommended$1,560$3.126 daysNet 30
    Kase PrintingNeeds a Friday yes$1,700$3.408 business daysNet 15
    Mount Royal Printing$2,050$4.1011 daysNet 30

    Indigo: lowest price, delivered, in writing. $40 under Sajjad’s target.

  9. Day 4: Sajjad makes the call.

    Barter waits for his yes. Then it tells Indigo, asks for the final invoice, and politely closes out the other two. From here, Sajjad deals with one printer from his own inbox.

    barter.ApprovalDay 4, 10:31 AM

    Approve Indigo Ink at $1,560?

    500 catalogs at $3.12 each, delivered in 6 days, net 30

    What happens next

    • Accept quote sent to Indigo Ink
    • Final invoice and artwork link requested
    • Kase and Mount Royal thanked, threads closed
    • Thread moved to Sajjad’s inbox

    Barter doesn’t pay or sign anything.

    CancelApprove

Anyone can google.
Our agent negotiates for you.

Indigo Ink’s quote for 500 catalogs delivered

  1. Day 2. Indigo quotes $1,825 ($3.65 each). Kase offers $1,700, but only if Sajjad says yes by Friday. Barter flags the deadline and doesn’t accept it.

  2. Day 2. Barter pushes back and asks Indigo for $1,600 ($3.20 each), with delivery and two proof rounds included.

  3. Day 3. Indigo drops to $1,650 ($3.30 each), then offers 1,000 copies. Barter keeps it at 500.

  4. Day 4. Barter follows up in the morning. Indigo puts $1,560 in writing ($3.12 each): delivered, two proof rounds, net 30.

$1,825$1,560

Save 15% on Indigo’s first quote for 500 catalogs, in our simulated run.

Sajjad never chased anyone, and he made the final call.

Barter follows Sajjad’s rules.

Every agent we build starts with rules like these, written down with you. It works inside them and checks with you before it goes beyond them.

  • Target $1,600 for 500That’s $3.20 a catalog. It negotiates toward the target and reports how close each offer gets.
  • At least three quotesNo decision until three shops have answered.
  • Delivered, not picked upEvery price is compared delivered to Catonsville.
  • Nothing committed without SajjadDeadlines get flagged. Orders, payments and signatures stay with him.

What’s real, and what’s simulated.

Real

  • The five print shops and where they are
  • What each one prints and binds, checked against its own website
  • The distances from Catonsville
  • The rules Barter follows, and the way it works

Simulated

  • The replies from the shops
  • Every price, deadline and term in this run
  • The timing: four days of email, sped up

Real replies take days, so this run is scripted.

What if you had your own Barter?

Swap the printers for prospects, suppliers, subcontractors, or whoever your team spends the week chasing. It finds the right people, asks the right questions, follows up, and checks with you.

Prospects, Suppliers, Subcontractors, Candidates, Venues, Freelancers, Landlords, Distributors, Sponsors, Referrals, Inspectors, Caterers, Insurance quotes, Permits, Contract renewals, Shipping quotes, Late payments, Bids, Signed contracts, Purchase orders, Warranty claims, Timesheets, Estimates, Customer reviews.