Minimum order value: A minimum order value is the lowest total a shop will accept for an order, set so that the fixed handling cost of every job is covered even when the parts are tiny or cheap.
Every order carries costs that do not depend on what is in it: checking the file, setting up the job, packing, invoicing, payment fees and answering the buyer’s questions. On a large order these disappear into the price. On a single small part they can be bigger than the part itself.
A minimum order value (MOV) puts a floor under the order total. If the parts come to less, the price is lifted to the minimum, usually with a line that says so.
Example: a shop’s fixed handling cost per order is about €18. A buyer orders one small bracket that costs €4 in machine time and material. With a €25 minimum order value, the buyer pays €25 and the shop at least covers its costs. Without it, the shop loses money on every such order.
A minimum order value is not the same as a setup cost. Setup is a cost per job or per batch that you add to the price; a minimum is a floor on the total. Some shops use both. It also differs from a minimum quantity, which limits the number of parts rather than the money.
The best practice is to show the minimum openly, so the buyer can add parts to use it up. The Quotometry insight post why minimum order values are arithmetic works through the sums.
Go deeper: Quantity pricing: how set-up and batching shape the price curve