It's a little early for this, but, I wanted to share some details about the upcoming group buy since I've received so many questions about it.
tl;dr: I'm working with Massdrop for this.
Now, before you throw me your slings and arrows, read on below as I explain why this is the right choice for this group buy.
More
As much as I love keyboards, I already have two other full time jobs: being an engineer, and being a dad. If we're bringing these boards to market I need help.
I explored five options for the group buy:
Importing the boards myself;
Becoming an Amazon seller;
Working with a retail partner;
Working with a corporate partner, and;
Working with Massdrop.
Here is what became of each option.
Importing the boards myself signs me up for a huge workload. I would need to incorporate, file taxes, keep accurate records, buy insurance, and deal with all shipping logistics myself. This would yield the most profit, and may be the route I go if these sales are extremely successful (think thousands of boards on a regular basis), but is the most work. This is what Ellipse is doing for his sales, and, I don't know how he is making it work (apart from charging quite a lot for his boards).
Becoming an Amazon retailer is almost as much work as importing boards myself, and requires me to deal with RMAs and other nuances of the Amazon seller agreement. They would make shipping easier but also take a bigger cut.
Working with a retail partner - and making myself a reseller - is an attractive option so long as I can find a good partner. The one partner I contacted, MechanicalKeyboards.com, stopped answering e-mails after a couple of days. If these sales go well it's possible that you'll see these boards in inventory on their site. But, I expect that, like me, they're waiting to see how the group buy goes.
Working with a corporate partner - such as, say, Das Keyboard or (shudder) Razer, would mean working with an established player to incorporate this switch design, either as a full time employee or an independent consultant. This is a route I have only barely explored. I'd love to, for example, collaborate with Input Club in the future if they'll have me. HaaTa and I have already chatted about these boards a bunch, and HaaTa does have a couple of samples.
So, that leaves Massdrop. HaaTa gave me a contact there that he's worked with in the past. I met with them in person last week and really liked what I saw.
Massdrop knows keyboards. They understand the community really quite well for a private company. The employees who tried the Hall Effect sample I brought loved how smooth it was.
Massdrop knows manufacturing. I'm working with a Chinese partner to make these boards. The model of the group buy falls perfectly into the pattern that they've established with countless other buys. This is a turn key operation for them.
Massdrop knows customer support. Say what you will, but, they're able to warehouse items, break them down for shipping, and provide support and updates in a way that I simply cannot with the time I have available at the moment.
Finally, the Massdrop folks are not profiteers. Yes, their services do cost something, but the company's profits don't come from stealing from the keyboard community. They come from running lots of group buys, all the time. (Did you know they have like 100 employees?)
All of this comes together to provide me a way of having these keyboards reach as many people as possible. I can point non-keyboard enthusiast friends at the site so they can buy it!
I did raise the issue of international shipping concerns directly with Massdrop in person. They regret how much bad press they have received to this end. The facts are that: their only distribution center is in New Jersey (in the US), and, as a business they need to comply with all applicable laws regarding customs reporting. If international shipping is a huge concern perhaps I can work with a European partner much further in the future. (I did suggest to Massdrop that they open a European distribution center. I don't think this will happen any time soon.)
The delay at this point is directly related to having final prototypes in hand. To proceed with the group buy, Massdrop requires product photography of final or near-final versions. I was ready to go with this until (a) my samples were delayed, and (b) the manufacturer canceled the ABS body option. I'm now on a day-to-day delay until I receive a sample of the replacement acrylic body option for the TKL boards.
Hopefully I've convinced you that Massdrop isn't a bad option. Here's the bottom line: working with a partner lets me focus on what I do best: product design and engineering work to bring you the best possible Hall Effect keyboard, unlike any other on the market.