it looks awesome, and I'll hate to miss it. If you went through Originative or KeyClack or any established with logistics, I might be in. But not just as a stand-alone. Seen too many go off the rails, even with the best of intent. GLWB!
Vendors don't provide much additional assurance. Keyclack is having serious issues with logistics for current buys. No manpower, running out of boxes every week. Massdrop doesn't handle communication well and pairs with supplies that don't deliver. Hell, even originative hasn't been able to deliver keyboard and co caps for over a year. All you can ask for is a trustworthy individual that will work through the inevitable problems and delays and ultimately deliver what you pay for.
Depends on the vendor and the situation. In my experience, MD has had delays, but they've been in general communicated (though perhaps not how people wanted) and you get product. Same with Keyclack. He's going through problems, sure. But he's offered refunds for the delays- that's more than most GB runners can do. OCo hasn't delivered keyboard and co caps because of unusual problems with GMK and their ability to deliver the colors. And again, he's offered refunds or movement to other buys (which is what I've done).
If you haven't done logistics and don't have a logistics chain, it's more likely that things can experience problems. And those problems can be more than the GB runner is even able to work through, easily, if at all. And that's not a risk I'm personally willing to take, nor am I willing to leave the money on the table for this. Others can decide how much of a risk they're willing to take. And that was all I was trying to communicate. And if more people were honest with themselves, then when the bumps happened, there would be less stress on the GB runner, rather than having people that said it didn't matter, but when the unforeseen happened they're making the GB runner's job harder, not easier.