Yeah, it's kinda tricky -- costs could be much higher. Wire bonders aren't exactly hot ticket items; very few people are using manual machines. A cheap Chinese made one from Taobao/Alibaba costs around $250, but add in shipping, and you're close to $500 already. Something made in the USA from eBay will be of similar price, just two decades older.
If you're lucky enough to already be in China, I can't imagine it would be to difficult to get a small run made for a much lower cost, although I've never done so. Lots of factories making high volume, low end products use wire bonders to attach bare die to a PCB -- think calculators, gift cards, etc.
The simple fact is there's no comparable level of electronics manufacturing in the US, making it hard to get the parts and machinery necessary.
If you're lucky enough to already be in China, I can't imagine it would be to difficult to get a small run made for a much lower cost, although I've never done so. Lots of factories making high volume, low end products use wire bonders to attach bare die to a PCB -- think calculators, gift cards, etc.
The simple fact is there's no comparable level of electronics manufacturing in the US, making it hard to get the parts and machinery necessary.