I didn't look at price at all at first. I started asking around and found two shops that had better than decent reputations and repeat customers. Then I looked at a third and they are several steps up in quality and reputation but the price was more than I could handle, like three times the other two. Frankly, my build didn't need that much precision. So I went with one of my two choices and so far the work has met my needs.

I'd say reputation, machine tool quality, willingness to listen to the customer, timeliness, and price, in that order.

R.