For coaches
How Cheerbows.com works.
You browse the catalog, post an order for your team, review sealed bids from certified bow makers, and decide which one you want to work with. Payment stays in escrow & is released at pre-defined progress gates. No chasing, no worries. We report progress transparently so you can stay on top of it all.
Four steps, start to finish.
- 1
Post your team order
Pick a design, tell us your team name, athlete count, colors, and competition date. Takes 2 minutes. No payment yet.
- 2
Receive sealed bids
Verified bow makers see your opportunity and submit their price + lead time. Makers can't see each other's bids — you get fair quotes, not a race to the bottom.
- 3
Pick a bow maker, pay through escrow
Review bids, bow maker profiles, and ratings. Award the one you want. Payment goes into escrow — held by us, not the bow maker — until you confirm the bows arrived.
- 4
Confirm delivery, release payment
When the bows arrive and you're happy, one click releases escrow to the bow maker. If something's wrong, we step in before any money moves. Then leave a review for the next coach.
What you'll pay.
Three line items. No subscription, no per-month commitment. You pay only when you award a bid.
| Line item | Example | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
Bow production The maker's bid — what they quoted to produce your bows | $300.00 | Held in escrow · released to the maker when you confirm delivery |
Design license Flat fee per order · non-refundable | $15.00 | Goes to the bow designer |
Service fee 5% of the bid · non-refundable | $15.00 | Cheerbows.com — covers escrow, payment processing, dispute support, and keeping the lights on |
| You pay | $330.00 | Charged once when you award the bid |
Example assumes a $300.00 winning bid. Your actual bid amount depends on your team size, design complexity, and what the market quotes.
Questions coaches ask.
- What if the bows don't arrive, or they're wrong?
- Escrow doesn't release until you confirm delivery. If the bows are missing, late, or off-spec, you can flag the order before confirming. We hold the funds and work with you and the bow maker to resolve. If we can't, the bid amount refunds to you. (The design license and service fee aren't refundable.)
- Can I see who's bidding before I award?
- Yes. Each bid shows the bow maker's business name, location, capacity, past reviews, and pitch. You'll also see their lead time. Bids are sealed across bow makers (they can't see each other's prices), but you see all of them.
- How long does delivery take?
- Each bow maker quotes their own lead time when bidding. Most run 2–6 weeks. We require you to post your opportunity at least 14 days before your competition date so bow makers have a real shot at hitting it. Lead time is one of the things you'll weigh when picking a bid.
- How are bow makers vetted?
- Every bow maker applies to the network. Each application is personally reviewed — experience, portfolio, capacity, references. The marketplace partners with California Bows, the studio behind a 367-member professional bow-maker community. Approved bow makers connect a verified bank account via Stripe before they can receive any money.
- Do you take a cut of what the bow maker earns?
- Yes — the 5% service fee comes out of the bow maker's bid before they're paid. So when you see a $300 bid, the bow maker takes home $285 and we keep $15. We're transparent about that so everyone's on the same page.
- What if I need to cancel?
- Before you award a bid: free, no obligation. After you've awarded and paid: the bid amount stays refundable until the bow maker starts production. The design license and service fee don't refund — they cover work that's already been done. Once production starts, cancellation gets handled case-by-case.
Still have a question? Email hello@cheerbows.com — we reply personally.
Ready to post your first order?
Browse the catalog of top designs from the California Bows library. Pick one and you'll be guided through the rest.