Sale Format Feedback

[Michael]

After today, I wanted to get your thoughts on future sale models. Did you like this format (GB-esque-style) versus the static number raffle-style?


Or do you like first come, first served flash sales?

[joey]

I think it's hard to tell without having any statistics behind it, but it seemed like nearly in this sale everyone that wanted one is getting one? (aside from the Stripe/site issues)

So I'd say for "getting people da caps", this format worked better. For "having an annoyingly fun, less caps, more hype" the raffle works better.

[nubbinator]

I like all three.  I've never won a raffle, but raffle and first come first serve are both great for smaller runs.  If you're willing to do more, GB is great.  I can't really say I prefer one over the other since I think each has its own charm.

Edit:  I do have to say I hate the limits on the raffle.  They're always far higher than first come first serve mail sales and always seem to end up with a smaller group of people.  That's just an outside view though and it could be completely wrong.

[raymogi]

GB style just like this one please. Sometimes it's not fair to us in the other side of the world as the timing of raffle style will be totally off.

I had been anticipating this sale since yesterday and turning on my alarm for 2am, 4am and 6am, and by doing that, has angered my pregnant wife.

I woke up too late for the Cherokey sale today, but am so glad to found out that it is a GB sale instead.

Looking forward to the caps. Thanks Bro!

[Fire Brand]

I would say raffle/groupbuy style today was nice since its a good way to guarantee you get one, which I honestly would love to see for the reapers anyway but I do think for most others the raffle is the best way to go, I do not like FCFS type as most outside the US are (No matter what anyone says) at a disadvantage due to connection :X

But its whatever you think is best, this was really nice though, and would love to see it done for some of your more unique designs or even some of the ones (mainly gamer sets) that seem like they might not take a much time to actually make? (I don't know though maybe they are the most time consuming? o.o)

Anyway this was you today in regards to key cap availability now no-one can say you don't make enough because it looks like everyone that wanted one got something O>O

[temporal]

I agree that it comes down to the quantity available. Larger quantities GB and smaller raffle.

Maybe bring the limit down to 1-2 caps?

I'm a big fan of the GB format, though! 

[iamtootallforthis]

I really like GB sales as I am able to get what I want but I enjoy raffle and flash sales as the caps are already completed and I receive them relatively quickly.

[joey]

I think what FireBrand said also kind of makes sense. I feel like the gamer sets and "simpler" (from our perspective?) designs work well in a GB-ish format. Or having a GB for 1-2 single colour Brobot v3s, and then raffle sales for the more exotic designs?

[jerue]

I like the raffle style sales the best - you get time to participate and luck of the draw brings the hype.

Group Buys would be awesome on a limited time basis; i.e. since Cherokey GB is a thing, maybe wait a few more sales for the next GB, or even longer.

First come first served would be OK if it weren't strictly email sales - maybe if they were run like Krytone (google forms), or Binge (hate the gator), it'd be more fun since there's a mystery element standing in your way ready to dash your hopes and dreams. Since you can become skilled at timing your emails, it takes the fun away from it a bit.

[tokidokijake]

I think a combination of group buys and raffle would be optimal. It's really cool to be able to get a cap that you really want through a group buy but at the same time the limited nature of certain caps creates very cool and fun hype around them. I feel that part of what making a cap highly valuable is the limited nature of it. Making very many of them, in my opinion may hurt the draw of the brand, regardless of how awesome the caps are. Plus, I know that when I received my first bro after waiting for so long, the feeling was truly incredible, like I had won the lottery. Thus some combination would be cool.

[mixenmatch]

I think I find myself agreeing with the people saying a mix of group buys and raffles. That way, some caps still have that air of exclusivity, while others can be open to everyone who wants one. Very few people left unhappy that way.

[ApocalypseMaow]

YO!!! MX Gamer GB... So legit!!!

[ImDaBaron]

I voted for group buy. Probably because my lack of luck in raffles.

[strict]

It was nice, I think I still like the raffles better. I don't think anything can compare to the rush and excitement of a classic email sale though. I live for that countdown

[digi]

Not sure if I got in yet or not. If I got in, I prefer Group Buy, if I didn't, I prefer first come first served.  )

[Michael]

YO!!! MX Gamer GB... So legit!!!

MX Gamer sets will be a regularly stocked store item on CTRL ALT 

[ImpendingxDoom]

I appreciate fast turn around, so not sure how much I will enjoy the groupbuy method. Probably less salt to be had overall, so I completely understand it. That being said I love the flash sales even though they may be mentally/socially debilitating.

[raymogi]

YO!!! MX Gamer GB... So legit!!!

MX Gamer sets will be a regularly stocked store item on CTRL ALT 

Oh my... Thanks for this!

[Booper]

YO!!! MX Gamer GB... So legit!!!

MX Gamer sets will be a regularly stocked store item on CTRL ALT 

[BunnyLake]

im not speaking for bro, but i think the best way to approach these sales is a healthy mix of the 3 options, as each one suits sales of different sizes etc, i think the real benefit of this thread is to give us a better understanding of how to weight the various sale types, rather than to pick one sale to rule them all

[Michael]

Show Image

I have to admit, I don't know how to feel when a girl uses that gif

 ^-^

[iamtootallforthis]

YO!!! MX Gamer GB... So legit!!!

MX Gamer sets will be a regularly stocked store item on CTRL ALT 

Praise be to Bro! (Well there be green though? )

[nubbinator]

im not speaking for bro, but i think the best way to approach these sales is a healthy mix of the 3 options, as each one suits sales of different sizes etc, i think the real benefit of this thread is to give us a better understanding of how to weight the various sale types, rather than to pick one sale to rule them all

Pretty much how I feel about it.  Don't cause more stress for yourself just because people are whining about not getting in and how "it's not fair".

Show Image

I have to admit, I don't know how to feel when a girl uses that gif

 ^-^

Is this better?

[nathanrosspowell]

im not speaking for bro, but i think the best way to approach these sales is a healthy mix of the 3 options, as each one suits sales of different sizes etc, i think the real benefit of this thread is to give us a better understanding of how to weight the various sale types, rather than to pick one sale to rule them all

I agree with what bunny. Variety is the spice of life!

I really like the idea of more big GB style sales, knowing that I can give my cash straight to the maker instead of being tempted by the aftermarket.

While I personally don't care too much that my caps are 'rare', I think there is still value in having the flash sales for smaller batches. This would keep a lot of the more hardcore Bro collectors very happy

The raffle style seems to be the best compromise between the other two styles. There are a lot of good times had on the forums when people discuss their 'dream tickets', letting people others know if they got in, post-sale bragging and trading... I think we'd lose some of this if there were only GB sales


I don't want bro to become a factory line cranking out 100s of caps just because salty people demand them. At the same time I really admire his hard work to get his prized caps into the hands of his fans, giving a giant middle finger to the losers who try and profit from the demand for said caps. Fvck yes bro-san FVCK YES!

[Binge]

im not speaking for bro, but i think the best way to approach these sales is a healthy mix of the 3 options, as each one suits sales of different sizes etc, i think the real benefit of this thread is to give us a better understanding of how to weight the various sale types, rather than to pick one sale to rule them all

I like mixing them up as it's not always possible to present each sale the same way.  Good on you Bro for doing the GB style.

[BunnyLake]

Show Image

I have to admit, I don't know how to feel when a girl uses that gif

 ^-^

tingly

[digi]

Show Image

I have to admit, I don't know how to feel when a girl uses that gif

 ^-^

tingly

HEY! I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO SLEEP =)

[Booper]

Show Image

I have to admit, I don't know how to feel when a girl uses that gif

 ^-^

tingly

^ +1

[petrock]

Ok, So I am super new here but I thought I would share my view on the sales so far.

I've been trying to get a Bro for nearly a year. Now I haven't submitted tickets for every sale, nor have I been constantly refreshing the sale thread. I think that I regularly check at least once a week to see when sales are happening.

With the Cherokey sale, this will be my first Brocap. I'm currently 0/7 but I think there is something special about the chance at getting a cap through a raffle rather than buying it '2nd hand'. I agree with Bunny that having a combination of Flash Sales, Raffles, and Group Buys(?) are the way to go.

Either way, I'm excited.

[Sed8op8]

I have mixed feelings on it as well because I'm an avid trader of caps. If everyone has the same caps the trading market will go down hill but I also like the fact that people will get the caps they want. It's really kind of catch22 because its going to totally change the landscape of the Bro Caps product which might be a good thing....it might not .....

Before someone says its easy for you to say because you have caps sedate. Well as anyone here that's been around lately can probably attest to I hustle my little behind off for these caps I have. I have bought very few caps on the second hand market (although I am guilty of a few) however the hunt for a rare cap is half hell probably more then Half of the fun for me and the few rare caps I have I worked my way up with trades (red paper clip style) to get.

All that being said I guess my point of view is going to be the minority here so I'm not sure how much weight it's going to hold. If a cap had a run of 5 or 500 if I want it I'm going to get it wether it takes me a day or 3 months. Long story short I guess I want whatever works best for you Bro if the current model is not broke my opinion is dont fix it. However it may be more financially lucrative to go the way of HKP and run pre orders. Either way I love your work and If I have the money there's a good chance ill buy it  greater size runs will eventually equate to lower hype which MIGHT lead to a lower demand or at least the perception of it. I'm actually scared of the long term repercussions it will have but again I'm the minority and I want what works for everyone but most of all YOU BroCaps

Love ya

Sed8

[Belfong]

I actually like this GB sale because I know that I will win what I chose. In raffles, while we can put our order in terms of priority, sometimes we get the keys at the bottom of our list, which will mostly end up in trade.

This GB style does not encourage us to put maximum keys. We know how much we have to pay and not get a shock by the bill (re: raffles style where people put maximum and cannot pay when the win).

I also think this GB will discourage after market sales which is a plus! Reason being the one who wants the caps will get what they want and has no reason to look for them in classifieds.

[malaik0]

in the game set or next sales will be possible pay with paypal?

[nathanrosspowell]

I have mixed feelings on it as well because I'm an avid trader of caps. If everyone has the same caps the trading market will go down hill but I also like the fact that people will get the caps they want. It's really kind of catch22 because its going to totally change the landscape of the Bro Caps product which might be a good thing....it might not .....

Before someone says its easy for you to say because you have caps sedate. Well as anyone here that's been around lately can probably attest to I hustle my little behind off for these caps I have. I have bought very few caps on the second hand market (although I am guilty of a few) however the hunt for a rare cap is half hell probably more then Half of the fun for me and the few rare caps I have I worked my way up with trades (red paper clip style) to get.

All that being said I guess my point of view is going to be the minority here so I'm not sure how much weight it's going to hold. If a cap had a run of 5 or 500 if I want it I'm going to get it wether it takes me a day or 3 months. Long story short I guess I want whatever works best for you Bro if the current model is not broke my opinion is dont fix it. However it may be more financially lucrative to go the way of HKP and run pre orders. Either way I love your work and If I have the money there's a good chance ill buy it  greater size runs will eventually equate to lower hype which MIGHT lead to a lower demand or at least the perception of it. I'm actually scared of the long term repercussions it will have but again I'm the minority and I want what works for everyone but most of all YOU BroCaps

Love ya

Sed8

Sed, all of your points make sense to me and I get your stance on it. Even if you think it's a minority Bro is going to be listening

I think we might have a little period of 'lower exclusivity' in the brocap market, but I think it's needed and deserved. Hearing the gamer sets will be regular stock makes me think bro could have a shot at breaking through to a wider market and making some nice $$$. I'd be behind that. When someone asks me why I have some weird looking keys on my keyboard I say it's because they are the best sh*t that money can buy 

Even if that is the case, bro is an artist, so I'm sure he'd be doing flash sales for his GH OG's, just for kicks

[Glissant]

You can never please everyone, so whatever is better for you in the long run is the way to go. A mix of all three is most likely going to benefit the users most.

[mbrown559]

Seeing as how I'm never lucky, the idea of raffles always makes me cry. I'm 0/6 so far.  I honestly think making the caps as accessible for everyone that wants them is best.  Demand is created by producing a quality product and you do. I don't think there is a need to make them "exclusive". That just promotes third-party resell and copy cats.  Supply may still be limited, but the option that gives the people the most opportunity I think is best.

[bocahgundul]

wish it will be a group buy and ****k yeah that cherokeyy gonna got my first brocaps yayaa 

[heedpantsnow]

I haven't read the comments so I don't know if I'm repeating everyone.

I like the rush and the game of it all. And then the fun of trading. You get to know folks along the way.  I like the camaraderie of us all wondering together "did I get in" and congratulating each other and commiserating with each other.

So I guess IMHO raffles and email sales build community.

[beehatch]

Frankly, I prefer all methods even though I have terrible luck in all three.

I guess to a lot of people it all comes down to what is fair (aka, what makes me the least salty/butthurt?)

Raffles are the most fair, in the sense they are drawings at random. However, I didn't like how the limit was set at 5 on the last sale, for example. Lower limits will allow for more ticket winners. People who enter your drawings will be more apt to choose what they truly want, instead of what they could resell/trade immediately upon arrival. Raffles are also great because you keep them open for 24 hours, easily giving everyone a shot.

I pretty much can't stand flash email sales, however a lot of people enjoy them. These are exclusive to basically anyone who is actively looking/has a notification on the Official Sale Thread at GH. Users essentially have a low amount of time to prepare or to even know there is a sale going on. A lot of users are basically at the mercy of their network when it comes down to properly timing these emails as well. Then you have some users might have an app or something that sends out an email at a specific time, which increases their chances (heard that at one point, no idea if people actually use this method). It seems like a lot of variables/factors can determine a winner here. I don't want to say the most skilled/apt mostly benefit, but there is some luck as well.

You could have an email sale that lasted 24 hours. You could establish a time where winners could be chosen over the course of X times a day. No one could win more than once. However, this would be more fair since it gave more people reasonable time frames to participate and you didn't leave a large chunk of users with nothing because they are in another part of the world. Basically just giving people more time and chances.

Group buys are obviously good. A lot of people got in, and there was a reasonable limit to what you could purchase. The problems arise when you have to deal with user inquiries at the beginning because of Stripe or a site problem. Overall, I think GBs are more than fair.

As I said, Raffles/GBs = super fair. However I think you could work on something that allows email sales to become a viable option for more users.
A lot of the complaints/concerns I mentioned throughout my post, are not exclusively my own, just what I might have seen as well from others.

TL;DR Basically, I would keep doing a mixture of all 3 - but with some tweaks.

[calvinhousecat]

My personal favorite are emails because of all the hype that comes when the timer is winding down.

However I think the most practical one are group buys, because almost everyone gets a piece of Bro's work.

[dustinhxc]

GB FOSHO! Raffle I never get picked and Flash Im always working lol

[Belfong]

I haven't read the comments so I don't know if I'm repeating everyone.

I like the rush and the game of it all. And then the fun of trading. You get to know folks along the way.  I like the camaraderie of us all wondering together "did I get in" and congratulating each other and commiserating with each other.

So I guess IMHO raffles and email sales build community.

That's true too. We gotta keep the Therapy thread active, else what's the whole point?

[CommonCurt]

Classic email sales all the way.

If I had to choose a second option I would choose GB over raffle.

[dustinhxc]

Yeah I'd say email sale if it was up there. Unless that is the same as flash sale? I imagine flash sale the ones with no date. They just go up. I like the email sales with a date. Then gb. Then raffle. Then flash with no warning.

[TastaturenAuslese]

I think the GB style is nice every now and then to alleviate the stress of not getting a cap, but the raffle style sales give us the hype and "exclusiveness" of feeling like we earned that cap. Like what others are saying, you could stick to doing the raffles for more exclusive and limited caps

[unipsykal]

Yeah I'd say email sale if it was up there. Unless that is the same as flash sale? I imagine flash sale the ones with no date. They just go up. I like the email sales with a date. Then gb. Then raffle. Then flash with no warning.

Agreed

[clacktalk]

i want whateva u want

real talk

[DanielT]

I like this GB like system, even if again it didn't work for me ) I thought, oh man this time I get one, well NOT, after 3-4 tries with an error at the end I gave up. Grats for the people who made it 

And a big  to Bro for his amazing designs and CtrlAlt team for organizing these cool events (even if I never manage to get something ) )


Bottom line all 3 systems seem to be a matter of luck, so for me all of them are the same

[danielucf]

I think any style is good as long as there is some notice so people can plan to at least attempt to enter. Not much sucks more than checking out the forums to discover there was a sale that you missed out on.

[baldgye]

I prefer the raffle system because it's the 'most fair' and gives the best chance for people without Bro's to get in on the action. The other two sale types require monitoring gh too avidly for some of the newer chaps

[Belfong]

I like this GB like system, even if again it didn't work for me ) I thought, oh man this time I get one, well NOT, after 3-4 tries with an error at the end I gave up. Grats for the people who made it 

And a big  to Bro for his amazing designs and CtrlAlt team for organizing these cool events (even if I never manage to get something ) )


Bottom line all 3 systems seem to be a matter of luck, so for me all of them are the same

Is the error due to credit card system or what? I mean, if it's some technical issue, that's really a different thing, once sorted out, future GB sale would be a breeze. I don't think there's a limited stock at this moment, seeing that I was 5 hours late into the game and got in too.

[filphil]

What about having a mixture of both?

We do group buy style for single solid colors but everyone who participates gets a raffle chance for "special cap" like the traditional with limited numbers for the specials?  You can do this for translucent, multi color, different materials, etc.

I've always like the idea of exclusives so this would be a good mixture imo

[asdfjkl36]

I feel like a mix (if possible) is always the best. They all have their benefits.

First come: Rush + hype
Raffle: equal opportunity + hype
Group buy: everyone gets something (for the most part) + hype

But then all have flaws
First come: different time zones + conflicting schedules/access to the site
Raffle: cap limits (they seem a bit high and less people get in but win more [but I'm sure plenty get in and it's hard to limit people to a low amount and have so many options to choose from])
GB style: none really. Aside from this one being at such short notice, seems to be nice.

But
It all depends

As mentioned, it seems like a good way is to do the more uncommon or specialty things as raffles or FCFS

That way we can have some fun with it.

Then GB style for whatever you feel like

The only thing is that I don't want to say "only do" for your GBs or Raffles or whatever. It's just hard because in the end, someone will always be unhappy about X reason and that they should have done the sale a different way.



In the end, I say keep all 3. Just flip a coin and see what kind of sale it should be.

If it's something you feel should be a specific type of sale, then do it that way.
But I do agree that GB is better then raffle, but I also should feel like within the GB, there should be a raffle to keep things interesting.

[LechnerDE]

I voted for raffle because there are the same chances for everyone.

The GB format is nice too, because it guarantees you a cap, but I feel it might be too much of a good thing. If everybody ends up with the same awesome caps, they are not that special anymore.

Having said that please don't do flash sales anymore, because they feel kinda unfair to users from other timezones 

[nubbinator]

The GB format is nice too, because it guarantees you a cap, but I feel it might be too much of a good thing. If everybody ends up with the same awesome caps, they are not that special anymore.

If you're buying for the exclusivity instead of the artistry, you're doing it wrong.

[beehatch]

The GB format is nice too, because it guarantees you a cap, but I feel it might be too much of a good thing. If everybody ends up with the same awesome caps, they are not that special anymore.

If you're buying for the exclusivity instead of the artistry, you're doing it wrong.

+1

[rowdy]

Group Buy Style - not sure I know how this applies to artisan keycaps.  A GB everyone gets what they want (provided MOQ is met), and the price is generally lower the more that are sold.  Has Bro Caps ever done a sale like this?

Raffle Style - great, even if it is a flash raffle, say 24 hours to enter, or even just 1 hour to enter if it is a strictly limited sale.

First Come, First Served Flash Sale - these almost always put someone at a disadvantage, usually those geographically furthest from where the sale coordinator happens to be.  Although they are fun, waiting for the countdown, getting the email ready, checking it, double checking it, triple checking it, trying to gauge exactly how many seconds early or late to send it, panicking that you've still made a mistake in the email, but nevertheless this type of sale is heavily biased.

I would agree primarily with BunnyLake's proposal - a mix of all three, with perhaps a slightly greater weighting towards raffles

[LechnerDE]

The GB format is nice too, because it guarantees you a cap, but I feel it might be too much of a good thing. If everybody ends up with the same awesome caps, they are not that special anymore.

If you're buying for the exclusivity instead of the artistry, you're doing it wrong.

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the artistry, but what's the artistic difference between a blue, a yellow and a purple Brobot? Colors are personal preference and everybody wants artisan caps in his/her favorite color for their special board.

My comment was more of an acknowlegement of  Sed8op8 concerns about trading.

[captvizcenzo]

Since I did not win any raffle and email sales yet, GB sales once in a while is a good move.

[thefebruaryman]

I am all in favour of the group buy method. The caps will still keep their rarity as there will be people that don't buy at the time of sale and the amount of members on this site and in the keycap buying world is on the increase. It should also increase the amount of trades that occur. Plus people should like the caps they own because of there how awesome they are not because others don't have them.

[flabbergast]

For me personally it is much less irksome not getting lucky in a raffle than missing a flash sale.

[pr0ximity]

As long as quality stays as high as it's been, I have no preference. Though I always like the idea of having better chances to get the specific cap I want

[suicidal_orange]

I like all of the sale formats for different reasons but to me the fairest and thus best system is probably the 24 hour raffle on ctrl alt.  This gives nearly everyone the chance to enter (accounting for sleep and work in different timezones and other real life commitments - off-grid holidays are tough luck) and you can see what's available to make an informed choice.  They don't raise my heart rate though - it's a fair system, the result is out of my hands so just wait and see.

Second would be an FCFS sale announced 24 hours in advance - not so long that loads of casual fans get in and disappear with caps without taking pics for the rest of us to enjoy, but long enough for the active (but not obsessed) members worldwide to find out and for some hype to build.  Then you get the maximum adrenaline rush come sale time without ruining your life watching out for it - if it's a bad time you can set an alarm or plan a toilet break.  People get in on phones and international so I don't buy the "it's my network's fault" excuse - it's 50% luck and 50% skill, which is a great balance.

If you have/want to make lots of the same caps making it a GB compared to e-mail doesn't seem to make much difference to me, but I guess forcing all the boxes to be filled out correctly and automating payment saves a lot of work invoicing, and it was good to have pics.  But pics takes away the surprise which is part of the fun of e-mail sales where you guess what the name will look like...  A blind GB would restore this?

Flash sales are weird - I was 40 minutes late yesterday despite the fact I was actively browsing the forum as the thread was filling up with comments, and didn't see the announcement at all!  There's no worse feeling than not even trying to win without having a good reason, it's depressing in the worst possible way (the only person to blame really is yourself )

Well that was much longer than I thought it would be, but hopefully it explains my thoughts.  I'd have voted for "Announced FCFS" but that wasn't an option so I felt the need to explain )

I'll still be trying whenever something I like is available whatever hoops I have to jump through!

[Sed8op8]

The GB format is nice too, because it guarantees you a cap, but I feel it might be too much of a good thing. If everybody ends up with the same awesome caps, they are not that special anymore.

If you're buying for the exclusivity instead of the artistry, you're doing it wrong.

I agree with you and Beehatch to a point Nubbz. However unlimited (or much larger)runs of and with anything as I said are going to change things some foreseeable some not. Are these changes going to be bad most of them probably not....I for one would think it would eventually smash the the overpriced second hand market (very good thing) however if every one had one of your milk blue ogres/OG Reapers or other rare caps everyone would have (probably including you) have been like oh well that's nice but 125 people just got the same cap in my mind the caps wouldn't have been AS special or desireable as they are/were. I'm just following some corridors of thought in having and really not trying to start any drama guys and gals as always my opinions are nothing more then that opinions feel free to disregard. We can say getting something because its rare is dong it wrong but in the end isn't that ONE of the reasons they are special

I think if we are really honest with ourselves exclusivity is what makes getting a special cap feel special. I can't believe I'm going to do this but I'm going to make a WoW (world of warcraft reference or comparison) when blizzard ushered in the age of free welfare epics for everyone it felt cool at first but what made the game great IMO was that there was "exclusive"content for those who wanted and were willing to put in the effort and hard work. I spent many nights wiping in raids but when we downed something we worked on for awhile it was a real feeling of accomplishment and there were rewards. I don't want to Put in the casual versus hardcore argument but I feel the "every kid deserves a trophy because everyone is special" mindset is dangerous and it makes me sick (no little Timmy you don't deserve a trophy you suck and you sat on the sidelines spoon feeding fluff into your face the entire game)   If  we travel deep enough down that hole some really radical crazy **** starts coming out of the woodworks.

I'm rambling at this point but im here because I love keyboards and key caps and I will be here regardless of the changes being made (most likely) i just feel with anything proceed with caution. I for one can't tell anyone what to think or feel again I'm just throwing some ideas around so please don't take this to seriously  again ill say I hope Whatever is decided upon (even if nothing) is best for Bro and the community. Sorry for my rambling its early   )

In the end if I like something I am going to try and get it regardless of how its being sold so for me I'm kind of ambivalent as long as they are available somehow that being said I think all 3 have there merits so maybe a mixture of all 3 types of sales ....

[absyrd]

Just do all methods.

Flash or email sale fun rush.
Raffle spreads out winners and causes anticipation.
Group buy minimizes whining and allows everyone to get something and feel good.

Also, for those who like "trading" or "collecting", remember that the group buy will end eventually, and, as always, there will be tons of new people flocking into this growing hobby who will eventually want to trade for old group buy ****.

[DanielT]

For me rarity has no meaning, I don't give a **** if other 100 have the same thing, for me important is the artistic/craftmanship that it's important. I have seen some artisans that are expensive like hell and rare and I don't like them, they're ugly as ****.
I like artisan caps for design and fun, I don't see them like an investment, also I like to use them even if I risk to break one and not hoard them and keep them for photo thingy's .
But I don't have to worry about this too much, I rarely get something )

[Dongulator]

All three sale formats are great, I prefer the Raffle Style. That way everyone has a chance to enter but not everyone wins.
Group buys are good too I just don't like being patient, but this way most people should be getting the cap they like in the color they want, which is good too.
The first come first serve style is hard. I'm usually there on time, but am to slow in filling out the necessaries. This is still an okay style of sale, just some people have slight advantages.

As far as the "exclusive" comment goes.As long as I don't see Nubs/Clacks/Bros in Wal-Mart or Target, they are exclusive enough. This community is still small, If 500 people have the exact same keycap that's okay with me.

Personally I am all about making my keyboard look the way I want it to look and if I can support someone's small business I'm happy. If this market ever does blow up and caps are sold in Wal-Mart, I would still buy them if I like the way they looked and worked with my board.

[64rky]

I logged on to GH yesterday whilst out,  and saw that there was a sale in 15 minutes,  my heart skipped a beat,  and I found somewhere sensible that I could go and focus on whatever I needed to do to get into the sale,  the timer hit and I jumped on and made my choice.  What was weird is that my payment was taken immediately, and I read that this would be up for a month. I then remembered that this was a GB style sale...  In all honesty,  I was a little deflated,  I like the excitement of not knowing whether or not I will "win"... I like the exclusivity of it all...  I really don't mind not winning because it makes actually winning that much more fun.

From a consumer's perspective,  my vote is on raffles and small email sales, if something is easy to get,  my collector nature doesn't really want to collect it.  This might sound weird,  but it's how I feel, I like rare items.

Edit: not sure where I came up with a month,  the sale ends today 

[billiob]

I do prefer this kind of sale since it is the first I got a "Bro" cap.
I tried to get caps from all the raffles sales (since they're on ctrlalt.io) and never got one.
With GroupBuy-like sales, I can be much more specific and probably won't enter every sale but only try to get caps I'd truly enjoy and not just "try to get one, whatever".
I don't care about rarity, I just want some awesome caps for my keyboards.

[Sed8op8]

I logged on to GH yesterday whilst out,  and saw that there was a sale in 15 minutes,  my heart skipped a beat,  and I found somewhere sensible that I could go and focus on whatever I needed to do to get into the sale,  the timer hit and I jumped on and made my choice.  What was weird is that my payment was taken immediately, and I read that this would be up for a month. I then remembered that this was a GB style sale...  In all honesty,  I was a little deflated,  I like the excitement of not knowing whether or not I will "win"... I like the exclusivity of it all...  I really don't mind not winning because it makes actually winning that much more fun.

From a consumer's perspective,  my vote is on raffles and small email sales, if something is easy to get,  my collector nature doesn't really want to collect it.  This might sound weird,  but it's how I feel, I like rare items.

Edit: not sure where I came up with a month,  the sale ends today 

@64 it was originally listed as a month so you weren't hallucinating haha and I'm like you as in the hunt for something hard to get really appeals to me. Of course I love the caps but as a collector obtaining and hunting them is half the fun glad to see im not alone 

[TastaturenAuslese]

I logged on to GH yesterday whilst out,  and saw that there was a sale in 15 minutes,  my heart skipped a beat,  and I found somewhere sensible that I could go and focus on whatever I needed to do to get into the sale,  the timer hit and I jumped on and made my choice.  What was weird is that my payment was taken immediately, and I read that this would be up for a month. I then remembered that this was a GB style sale...  In all honesty,  I was a little deflated,  I like the excitement of not knowing whether or not I will "win"... I like the exclusivity of it all...  I really don't mind not winning because it makes actually winning that much more fun.

From a consumer's perspective,  my vote is on raffles and small email sales, if something is easy to get,  my collector nature doesn't really want to collect it.  This might sound weird,  but it's how I feel, I like rare items.

Edit: not sure where I came up with a month,  the sale ends today 

@64 it was originally listed as a month so you weren't hallucinating haha and I'm like you as in the hunt for something hard to get really appeals to me. Of course I love the caps but as a collector obtaining and hunting them is half the fun glad to see im not alone 

I agree with the both of you. Primarily, we're pretty much all cap collectors, and a portion (I think a somewhat big one) of the joy in collecting keycaps it the thrill of the hunt. Too many GB style sales ruin that hunt, and it won't be as fun getting the caps.

[Invaderevan]

While I do like the thought of keys being rarer, I really just enjoy collecting these awesome little pieces of plastic, so I think gb style is my favorite, although, a well announced first come sale is alright too.  I just hate when fcfs sales are announced like half an hour before they go live :/

[Sinanju]

As some who is 0/7 on CTRL Alt for BroCaps, 0/4 on emails, and 0/3 on giveaways I'm going to say Group Buy for sure.

By far my favorite cap design is the V2 and would have been awesome to have had a group buy chance on them.



If people really want to keep their rare caps then maybe something like group buys for single color caps/ more standard caps.  The raffle/emails could be left for the more special caps (such as the Cosmos ones).

My $0.02.

[beehatch]

I'm just going to say this and leave it at that.

This community is not based off of "hunting" artisan keycaps. There is a community (GH) and we're about more than artisans. Period.

You shouldn't be making decisions based on what gets you the most rare keycaps or what keeps your collection at the most value. That's what makes this place so toxic and undesirable.

As I said before, this should be about what is fair to everyone - equal opportunity to at least try to make it in a given sale. I'm not saying everyone should have a keycap, just that everyone should have a chance. The fact that is, owning a single Bro Cap, or any artisan, for that matter, should be a special thing within itself - it's a crafted piece of art and lots of time and passion went into it. It's amazing how people are worried about a keycap not being "rare" when there is a lot more to it.

[nubbinator]

You shouldn't be making decisions based on what gets you the most rare keycaps or what keeps your collection at the most value. That's what makes this place so toxic and undesirable.

As I said before, this should be about what is fair to everyone - equal opportunity to at least try to make it in a given sale. I'm not saying everyone should have a keycap, just that everyone should have a chance. The fact that is, owning a single Bro Cap, or any artisan, for that matter, should be a special thing within itself - it's a crafted piece of art and lots of time and passion went into it. It's amazing how people are worried about a keycap not being "rare" when there is a lot more to it.

+eleventy billion

I have one of the most rare Bros out there and I hated the process of getting it.  Even with all the awesome people coming out and helping out with it (which was an amazing experience and reinforced how amazing the community can be), I hated it because it just felt like some people trying to take advantage of others.  If Bro decided to remake it and make it open to tons of people, yes, I'd be sad that I gave up more than others to get it, but I'd be thrilled to see so many people getting an awesome piece of handcrafted artwork that they could love and enjoy.

In the end, it's really up to Bro to decide what's best for himself.  I love the mix of all three styles of sales, especially the first come first serve and group buy.  There's something about the adrenaline rush of the FCFS that's fun and the group buys gets more of his work out there for people to enjoy.  At the same time, I don't want Bro becoming overly stressed or having a breakdown due to increased work and insanity.

I could talk myself blue on the issue, so I think I'm going to stop and leave it with this.  Bro, thanks for crafting some awesome work, keeping it pretty affordable, and being willing to consider making it more available to more people.  Keep up the awesome work and keep your own mental health and family health in mind whatever way you decide to go.

[kingslenkds]

Give more people a chance to have bro keycaps.

[dohbot]

Raffle Style - great, even if it is a flash raffle, say 24 hours to enter, or even just 1 hour to enter if it is a strictly limited sale.

I would agree primarily with BunnyLake's proposal - a mix of all three, with perhaps a slightly greater weighting towards raffles

Do you mean a Flaffle?

Well I voted for raffle because (while I never won one) it feels like we all have the same chances, every single first come first serve email sale I either didn't know about it until it was over or I was just unable to get to my computer or get service in that time, so they feel less fair. As for group buys, I really like it. It may take more time and only work as a pre-order sale and could limit the designs, but it is really fair and fun for everyone to get a cap! Just gotta wait the 12 weeks it will take until it comes to me, but otherwise I totally like this more, but I still voted for raffle because a big sale like this may limit (I honestly have no idea) the different colors and styles of caps made by Bro, so in short, limited number of caps, raffle, unlimited, group buy.

[ImpendingxDoom]

Raffle Style - great, even if it is a flash raffle, say 24 hours to enter, or even just 1 hour to enter if it is a strictly limited sale.

I would agree primarily with BunnyLake's proposal - a mix of all three, with perhaps a slightly greater weighting towards raffles

Do you mean a Flaffle?

Well I voted for raffle because (while I never won one) it feels like we all have the same chances, every single first come first serve email sale I either didn't know about it until it was over or I was just unable to get to my computer or get service in that time, so they feel less fair. As for group buys, I really like it. It may take more time and only work as a pre-order sale and could limit the designs, but it is really fair and fun for everyone to get a cap! Just gotta wait the 12 weeks it will take until it comes to me, but otherwise I totally like this more, but I still voted for raffle because a big sale like this may limit (I honestly have no idea) the different colors and styles of caps made by Bro, so in short, limited number of caps, raffle, unlimited, group buy.

I'm always up for falafel.

[skycrimes]

I think GBs and raffles are best in terms of fairness.

I think raffles can be fun and maybe done alongside a GB would be cool. For example, have the more generic 1-2 color way GB and then a raffle with special versions.
I also like beehatchs idea of limiting the amount you can win from a raffle to possibly control for people who just try to get as many as possible for a turn around and to allow more people to enter.

whether or not people want these for rarity/art doesn't really matter as long as there's no toxicity 

[Sed8op8]

I'm just going to say this and leave it at that.

This community is not based off of "hunting" artisan keycaps. There is a community (GH) and we're about more than artisans. Period.

You shouldn't be making decisions based on what gets you the most rare keycaps or what keeps your collection at the most value. That's what makes this place so toxic and undesirable.

As I said before, this should be about what is fair to everyone - equal opportunity to at least try to make it in a given sale. I'm not saying everyone should have a keycap, just that everyone should have a chance. The fact that is, owning a single Bro Cap, or any artisan, for that matter, should be a special thing within itself - it's a crafted piece of art and lots of time and passion went into it. It's amazing how people are worried about a keycap not being "rare" when there is a lot more to it.

forgive me folks and Beehatch I have had a long night ....8-/

[Lokomotivet]

Raffle style is best IMO but the problem is the amount of salt that is comes with. I'd suggest letting people with long 'losing' streaks to get some kind of one cap guarantee, but we already have these extra sales for those kinds. Perhaps if we had some statistics/numbers on how many entries there are per sale then people would be more understanding instead of leaving them guessing and coming up with all kinds of theories which in the end will leave them disappointed.

[baldgye]

Though one thing I hope you guys do when [ctrl]alt v2 launches is make sure all these various sales are filed under 'BroCaps'

[Sent]

Combination of all three.

[absyrd]

I'm just going to say this and leave it at that.

This community is not based off of "hunting" artisan keycaps. There is a community (GH) and we're about more than artisans. Period.

You shouldn't be making decisions based on what gets you the most rare keycaps or what keeps your collection at the most value. That's what makes this place so toxic and undesirable.

As I said before, this should be about what is fair to everyone - equal opportunity to at least try to make it in a given sale. I'm not saying everyone should have a keycap, just that everyone should have a chance. The fact that is, owning a single Bro Cap, or any artisan, for that matter, should be a special thing within itself - it's a crafted piece of art and lots of time and passion went into it. It's amazing how people are worried about a keycap not being "rare" when there is a lot more to it.

forgive me folks and Beehatch I have had a long night ....8-/

No apologies.

[Sed8op8]

I'm just going to say this and leave it at that.

This community is not based off of "hunting" artisan keycaps. There is a community (GH) and we're about more than artisans. Period.

You shouldn't be making decisions based on what gets you the most rare keycaps or what keeps your collection at the most value. That's what makes this place so toxic and undesirable.

As I said before, this should be about what is fair to everyone - equal opportunity to at least try to make it in a given sale. I'm not saying everyone should have a keycap, just that everyone should have a chance. The fact that is, owning a single Bro Cap, or any artisan, for that matter, should be a special thing within itself - it's a crafted piece of art and lots of time and passion went into it. It's amazing how people are worried about a keycap not being "rare" when there is a lot more to it.

forgive me folks and Beehatch I have had a long night ....8-/

No apologies.

Show Image

haha I'm apologizing  and i redacted because I didn't feel like my post belonged anywhere in a serious non off-topic thread. Bee knows I love her 8) people opinions on sales run deep i guess  :p I thought I was being accused of bringing toxicity to the community and I as I love this forum, most of the people here and obviously love bro caps I let my skirt get a bit knotted up. It's been dealt with as it should have In the beginning through a PM  :thumb:


Sorry absyrd no girl on girl here  :)) well...cough...bee is quite beautiful....


Back to sales and stuff

[baldgye]

Actually I've changed my mind, on the whole 'more fair' concept I was kicking around... hmmm I should think more before posting

[Sed8op8]

Actually I've changed my mind, on the whole 'more fair' concept I was kicking around... hmmm I should think more before posting

^^^^^^

[64rky]

I'm just going to say this and leave it at that.

This community is not based off of "hunting" artisan keycaps. There is a community (GH) and we're about more than artisans. Period.

You shouldn't be making decisions based on what gets you the most rare keycaps or what keeps your collection at the most value. That's what makes this place so toxic and undesirable.

As I said before, this should be about what is fair to everyone - equal opportunity to at least try to make it in a given sale. I'm not saying everyone should have a keycap, just that everyone should have a chance. The fact that is, owning a single Bro Cap, or any artisan, for that matter, should be a special thing within itself - it's a crafted piece of art and lots of time and passion went into it. It's amazing how people are worried about a keycap not being "rare" when there is a lot more to it.

I hope my comments weren't taken as me trying to introduce toxicity into this community,  because that is not my intent. 

I personally have a collectors nature,  I like to collect rare things,  that is my nature.  Many people don't care about rarity, and that is their nature.

I don't only collect keyboard stuff,  I have a pretty decent collection of MTG cards,  comic books,  fine art,  etc...  The key cap collecting combines my love of art and computers.

I totally agree that everyone who wants one should be able to have a bro,  or clack,  or any cap,  and you're right,  maybe we should have sales that cater for that,  like this GB,  or more 'sorry you missed out sales',  or static based sales...  I am not trying to sway the decision either way,  I am just one person in this community.

But I was merely expressing myself,  I do make decisions on rarity,  I love the "hunt",  so do many others,  this our nature,  everyone is entitled to their own joys in this wonderful life.

That's all, no salt, just happiness.

[Pdub]

After today, I wanted to get your thoughts on future sale models. Did you like this format (GB-esque-style) versus the static number raffle-style?


Or do you like first come, first served flash sales?

Really like the Flash sales. I sadly have few bro caps from it, however I like that you would be getting something limited.

[tokidokijake]

I'm just going to say this and leave it at that.

This community is not based off of "hunting" artisan keycaps. There is a community (GH) and we're about more than artisans. Period.

You shouldn't be making decisions based on what gets you the most rare keycaps or what keeps your collection at the most value. That's what makes this place so toxic and undesirable.

As I said before, this should be about what is fair to everyone - equal opportunity to at least try to make it in a given sale. I'm not saying everyone should have a keycap, just that everyone should have a chance. The fact that is, owning a single Bro Cap, or any artisan, for that matter, should be a special thing within itself - it's a crafted piece of art and lots of time and passion went into it. It's amazing how people are worried about a keycap not being "rare" when there is a lot more to it.

I hope my comments weren't taken as me trying to introduce toxicity into this community,  because that is not my intent. 

I personally have a collectors nature,  I like to collect rare things,  that is my nature.  Many people don't care about rarity, and that is their nature.

I don't only collect keyboard stuff,  I have a pretty decent collection of MTG cards,  comic books,  fine art,  etc...  The key cap collecting combines my love of art and computers.

I totally agree that everyone who wants one should be able to have a bro,  or clack,  or any cap,  and you're right,  maybe we should have sales that cater for that,  like this GB,  or more 'sorry you missed out sales',  or static based sales...  I am not trying to sway the decision either way,  I am just one person in this community.

But I was merely expressing myself,  I do make decisions on rarity,  I love the "hunt",  so do many others,  this our nature,  everyone is entitled to their own joys in this wonderful life.

That's all, no salt, just happiness.

Nice post! I feel the same way about many of the things you wrote.

[Synjin]

I'm just going to say this and leave it at that.

This community is not based off of "hunting" artisan keycaps. There is a community (GH) and we're about more than artisans. Period.

You shouldn't be making decisions based on what gets you the most rare keycaps or what keeps your collection at the most value. That's what makes this place so toxic and undesirable.

As I said before, this should be about what is fair to everyone - equal opportunity to at least try to make it in a given sale. I'm not saying everyone should have a keycap, just that everyone should have a chance. The fact that is, owning a single Bro Cap, or any artisan, for that matter, should be a special thing within itself - it's a crafted piece of art and lots of time and passion went into it. It's amazing how people are worried about a keycap not being "rare" when there is a lot more to it.

I hope my comments weren't taken as me trying to introduce toxicity into this community,  because that is not my intent. 

I personally have a collectors nature,  I like to collect rare things,  that is my nature.  Many people don't care about rarity, and that is their nature.

I don't only collect keyboard stuff,  I have a pretty decent collection of MTG cards,  comic books,  fine art,  etc...  The key cap collecting combines my love of art and computers.

I totally agree that everyone who wants one should be able to have a bro,  or clack,  or any cap,  and you're right,  maybe we should have sales that cater for that,  like this GB,  or more 'sorry you missed out sales',  or static based sales...  I am not trying to sway the decision either way,  I am just one person in this community.

But I was merely expressing myself,  I do make decisions on rarity,  I love the "hunt",  so do many others,  this our nature,  everyone is entitled to their own joys in this wonderful life.

That's all, no salt, just happiness.

I can understand what you mean here. People collect things for different reasons. I happen to collect caps because I appreciate the artistry in the caps so the rarity of artisans is just a bonus to me. I have a pretty large collections of items such as several thousands of books as well as records and movies and i collect hem for differnt reasons. https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=71391.msg1729593#msg1729593 so I can definitely    understand why people would have varying opinions. I feel that a mix of three might be best but I think it might be  very time consuming and physically demanding for bro to Mae every sale a GB style.

[eyesmiles]

I voted for raffle since I dislike reading the constant posts of "I sent my email at 0.001 seconds prior to ensure that it got to XXXX's inbox at XX:XX PM which according to my sent mail folder blah blah blah ..."  when it comes to first come first serve format. But to be honest, I'm for the whatever is less stressful for the individual who will be conducting the sale.

[baldgye]

demik, ever the insiteful...

[demik]

For me rarity has no meaning, I don't give a **** if other 100 have the same thing, for me important is the artistic/craftmanship that it's important. I have seen some artisans that are expensive like hell and rare and I don't like them, they're ugly as ****.
I like artisan caps for design and fun, I don't see them like an investment, also I like to use them even if I risk to break one and not hoard them and keep them for photo thingy's .
But I don't have to worry about this too much, I rarely get something )

I agree with you 100%.

I think limiting caps to 1-2  in any style of sale would be best. Less work for bro to be making a ton to please everybody, and more chance for people to get something.

[baldgye]

Thats a cool trick, you managed to remove your **** post and then after my reply to it, post again with an actual reply, cutting out the #toxic bull**** that was most of its contents.

[demik]

Please stay on topic.

Please send any questions or complaints to my inbox to be fully ignored.

[Michael]

[Fire Brand]

For me rarity has no meaning, I don't give a **** if other 100 have the same thing, for me important is the artistic/craftmanship that it's important. I have seen some artisans that are expensive like hell and rare and I don't like them, they're ugly as ****.
I like artisan caps for design and fun, I don't see them like an investment, also I like to use them even if I risk to break one and not hoard them and keep them for photo thingy's .
But I don't have to worry about this too much, I rarely get something )

I agree with you 100%.

I think limiting caps to 1-2  in any style of sale would be best. Less work for bro to be making a ton to please everybody, and more chance for people to get something.

Ohh ohh thats a good one actually, maybe have it where 3 is the max incase of trio sets, but thats pretty good making the max 3 that way shipping is still worth it and more broless get their first!

[BlueNalgene]

Adding 2¢

I felt a bit jilted when I found out the Cherokey sale was GB style.  I'm not trying to increase the value of my collection - because I don't have much of one.  The rarity feels like IRL loot.  I just really enjoy the challenge of getting something unique.  What is the point of doing a mass buy of something made individually?  Isn't the purpose of a GB to reduce cost for the consumer?  I feel like if you want to mass market stuff where everyone can have access to it, you need to move to cheaper production methods for those runs.  This is really just over-saturating the market, and leading to a collapse of the artisan cap fad.

Sure, rarity isn't everything either.  There are some caps which are highly sought after, and they don't pique my interest either.

But if GB is the direction, I suddenly don't really care as much about possessing Bros.  And that bums me out.

These are just personal opinions.  No saltiness intended.

[suicidal_orange]

For me rarity has no meaning, I don't give a **** if other 100 have the same thing, for me important is the artistic/craftmanship that it's important. I have seen some artisans that are expensive like hell and rare and I don't like them, they're ugly as ****.
I like artisan caps for design and fun, I don't see them like an investment, also I like to use them even if I risk to break one and not hoard them and keep them for photo thingy's .
But I don't have to worry about this too much, I rarely get something )

I agree with you 100%.

I think limiting caps to 1-2  in any style of sale would be best. Less work for bro to be making a ton to please everybody, and more chance for people to get something.

Ohh ohh thats a good one actually, maybe have it where 3 is the max incase of trio sets, but thats pretty good making the max 3 that way shipping is still worth it and more broless get their first!

Don't forget giving 100 caps to 20 people at 5 each is only 20 shipping labels/boxes for Bro to pack, giving 3 each to 33 people is a lot more work!  Perhaps a lower limit for people who've already won some while the Broless can have 5?  Probably a lot of work to do that too...

[Michael]

Adding 2¢

I felt a bit jilted when I found out the Cherokey sale was GB style.  I'm not trying to increase the value of my collection - because I don't have much of one.  The rarity feels like IRL loot.  I just really enjoy the challenge of getting something unique.  What is the point of doing a mass buy of something made individually?  Isn't the purpose of a GB to reduce cost for the consumer?  I feel like if you want to mass market stuff where everyone can have access to it, you need to move to cheaper production methods for those runs.  This is really just over-saturating the market, and leading to a collapse of the artisan cap fad.

Sure, rarity isn't everything either.  There are some caps which are highly sought after, and they don't pique my interest either.

But if GB is the direction, I suddenly don't really care as much about possessing Bros.  And that bums me out.

These are just personal opinions.  No saltiness intended.

I can understand your position on this, but the group buy was more of a way to gauge the interest in this particular design, and try to accommodate that demand. It's not something that would happen often.
I feel like on one hand, I want to try to please everyone, but that's going to be impossible. On the other hand, people are going to complain that I don't produce enough, etc.


This sale was still limited, and none of those styles will be made again, so if you were hoping for rarity, it still exists, if you consider the amount of demand versus actual supply.


And again, if I make enough to meet demand, people are going to complain about exclusivity issues. Catch 22 -_-


Bunny and I always listen to feedback, and experiment with different things. We are definitely listening to the feedback from this last sale, and will be making adjustments where needed.

[tjcaustin]

> people hate secondhand prices and complain about how it's unfair because they never get picked
> people hate when artisans make more caps to sate demand because...less rare?

So yeah, hooray for not being able to win there, bro.

[inanis]

As other people have said, I like all of them for different reasons. I don't think one size fits all and that is part of the fun.

[BlueNalgene]

Adding 2¢

I felt a bit jilted when I found out the Cherokey sale was GB style.  I'm not trying to increase the value of my collection - because I don't have much of one.  The rarity feels like IRL loot.  I just really enjoy the challenge of getting something unique.  What is the point of doing a mass buy of something made individually?  Isn't the purpose of a GB to reduce cost for the consumer?  I feel like if you want to mass market stuff where everyone can have access to it, you need to move to cheaper production methods for those runs.  This is really just over-saturating the market, and leading to a collapse of the artisan cap fad.

Sure, rarity isn't everything either.  There are some caps which are highly sought after, and they don't pique my interest either.

But if GB is the direction, I suddenly don't really care as much about possessing Bros.  And that bums me out.

These are just personal opinions.  No saltiness intended.

I can understand your position on this, but the group buy was more of a way to gauge the interest in this particular design, and try to accommodate that demand. It's not something that would happen often.
I feel like on one hand, I want to try to please everyone, but that's going to be impossible. On the other hand, people are going to complain that I don't produce enough, etc.


This sale was still limited, and none of those styles will be made again, so if you were hoping for rarity, it still exists, if you consider the amount of demand versus actual supply.


And again, if I make enough to meet demand, people are going to complain about exclusivity issues. Catch 22 -_-


Bunny and I always listen to feedback, and experiment with different things. We are definitely listening to the feedback from this last sale, and will be making adjustments where needed.

Catch 22 indeed.  People would complain about the lack of complainers if they could.

[mbrown559]

Different Strokes for Different Folks.  aka This thread in a nutshell.  Do it how you like it Bro  !

[skycrimes]

In regards to the GB itself that we just had, I think it went fine. People were forewarned about it and it was pretty straight forward - one cap of each style.

I do find it weird that it was in the group buys vs bro caps but I mean it was a gb so I guess not that weird? maybe keeping all bro sales regardless of raffle or gb on the bro side of ctrl alt. As far as the issues people were having, I'm not sure about that I didn't have a single issue getting in so as far as I can say it went well. 

[baldgye]

Please stay on topic.

Please send any questions or complaints to my inbox to be fully ignored.

Lmao are you for real?
I made a post here about the rarity debate nonsense and then moved it to the therapy thread because I didn't want to derail Bro's feedback thread, you then post some inane bull****, and are somehow able to get it removed and replaced with a proper post, then dare to call me out for being off topic?

Still though, guess it's better than calling me a victim blamer

[64rky]

> people hate secondhand prices and complain about how it's unfair because they never get picked
> people hate when artisans make more caps to sate demand because...less rare?

Are these the same people?

[demik]

Please stay on topic.

Please send any questions or complaints to my inbox to be fully ignored.

Lmao are you for real?
I made a post here about the rarity debate nonsense and then moved it to the therapy thread because I didn't want to derail Bro's feedback thread, you then post some inane bull****, and are somehow able to get it removed and replaced with a proper post, then dare to call me out for being off topic?

Still though, guess it's better than calling me a victim blamer

Ayy lmao ಠ_ಠ

I left my feedback bro. I don't know what you're going on about.

[Fire Brand]

Please stay on topic.

Please send any questions or complaints to my inbox to be fully ignored.

Lmao are you for real?
I made a post here about the rarity debate nonsense and then moved it to the therapy thread because I didn't want to derail Bro's feedback thread, you then post some inane bull****, and are somehow able to get it removed and replaced with a proper post, then dare to call me out for being off topic?

Still though, guess it's better than calling me a victim blamer

Baldgye your looking too deep into it and trying to find meaning in what he's currently saying when infact it is just a load of crap, bar that one thing about the max of 2

[jerue]

> people hate secondhand prices and complain about how it's unfair because they never get picked
> people hate when artisans make more caps to sate demand because...less rare?

So yeah, hooray for not being able to win there, bro.

Pretty much how things always turn out whenever you do something right...can never please everyone. I have complained a lot about missing sales, but looking back that's part of the fun, and honestly, I think my opinion is being swayed a bit by the group buy. But even if it were still a choice between raffle style and email, I'd still choose the raffle. Email/flash sales are just frustrating lol

[rowdy]

Adding 2¢

I felt a bit jilted when I found out the Cherokey sale was GB style.  I'm not trying to increase the value of my collection - because I don't have much of one.  The rarity feels like IRL loot.  I just really enjoy the challenge of getting something unique.  What is the point of doing a mass buy of something made individually?  Isn't the purpose of a GB to reduce cost for the consumer?  I feel like if you want to mass market stuff where everyone can have access to it, you need to move to cheaper production methods for those runs.  This is really just over-saturating the market, and leading to a collapse of the artisan cap fad.

Sure, rarity isn't everything either.  There are some caps which are highly sought after, and they don't pique my interest either.

But if GB is the direction, I suddenly don't really care as much about possessing Bros.  And that bums me out.

These are just personal opinions.  No saltiness intended.

I can understand your position on this, but the group buy was more of a way to gauge the interest in this particular design, and try to accommodate that demand. It's not something that would happen often.
I feel like on one hand, I want to try to please everyone, but that's going to be impossible. On the other hand, people are going to complain that I don't produce enough, etc.


This sale was still limited, and none of those styles will be made again, so if you were hoping for rarity, it still exists, if you consider the amount of demand versus actual supply.


And again, if I make enough to meet demand, people are going to complain about exclusivity issues. Catch 22 -_-


Bunny and I always listen to feedback, and experiment with different things. We are definitely listening to the feedback from this last sale, and will be making adjustments where needed.

But then if you made enough of a particular keycap to please everyone, everyone would probably have a few of them.  Even if it was only one design and one colour.

Exclusivity would be lost, but everyone could say "I have a Bro Cap!".

Like Sadsters.

Imagine whole keyboards populated with one Bro Cap

You'd probably end up spending the rest of your life making that one keycap.

Some exclusivity has to remain!

[RELLIK]

Meh, can't stand exclusivity personally. If that's anybodies thing they should be out there customizing and making new stuff. Not securing something 'exclusive' with hundreds, particularly ONE cap imo. Raffle just seems too sketchy for me to partake in frankly =\ In the day and age of kickstarter's/GB's.
No knowledge of manufacturing, but sounds like you guys are doing 'too' good and should up it. Though of course  from a business perspective, you've got costs to worry about, QUALITY, the hassle of GB since its delayed, 3D printers becoming ever more prescidence, or simply other makers.
I missed Kraps on sale cus of the real world/work and exhaustion just now. Hate that salty feeling T.T

[Durvid]

I was pretty into the cherokey group buy thing, but also glad there were only a certain amount. It allowed more people to get into it but still keep up the general rarity.

[Bigpock]

A mix of all three sales with group buys being the least one done. I want my bro caps to be somewhat rare

[CPTBadAss]

Please bring back the old email sale format. Announced sale time, email a certain address. See if you get an email saying you won.

[Dee1]

Personally, I dislike the raffle format and much prefer the GB format, even when the GB amount is limited.

FCFS sales are nice if they are announced a decent amount of time beforehand and the choices are known beforehand. If it's announced like... 30 minutes before than it's kind of annoying because someone like me who is usually busy with work all day probably won't even see the announcement. Even after that, I have to plan to set aside a bit of time to beforehand in order to even participate in all of fun of going, "Omg, I submitted! Yay! Did I make it on time?! " And that's just because of how busy I am.

I hate the randomness of raffles. I know why they exist and how it's fair for everyone because people have time to submit tickets and someone's terrible internet service cutting out on them for 4 hours won't cause them to lose out on the chance for a cap and all that. But I just really don't like them. I prefer to be able to order an artisan cap and know that if I missed out on it then it's my fault. It isn't because I was unlucky. It's just because I missed the sale period or was too slow. But as I said, I get why it exists and I'm pretty happy everyone gets an equal chance at winning a cap even though I dislike the random nature of them.

I don't really care about "rarity" or "exclusivity" to the extent that some people seem to, so something like a limited GB is more preferable to me than a quick sale with fewer available caps. I don't care at all if 50 or 100 other people have the exact same cap I do. I don't desire Bros because they are rare or because I'll feel ... something if I get one. If I want a Bro cap, it's usually just because I just love the look of it! In addition to that, the only other thing I care about is the quality of the cap! It's not an investment for me or anything. I buy artisan caps because I love the look of them and the work that went into them and because I want to use them. I'm sure that there's some point where the quality of the caps has to decrease in order to reach a certain quantity. That is why, in order to preserve the quality of the caps, I am totally okay with limits on the # of caps people can buy or on the total # sold.

Well, I feel like I kind of rambled, but those are my thoughts on the matter.

[CommonCurt]

Please bring back the old email sale format. Announced sale time, email a certain address. See if you get an email saying you won.

[Sed8op8]

Please bring back the old email sale format. Announced sale time, email a certain address. See if you get an email saying you won.

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[64rky]

Mr Bro

I feel as if you have coincidentally created the most controversial thread this year.

 

raffle and rarity for life