The major problem with the modifier keys was that the sheer amount of silicone needed to produce them was way too much. Tooling for HHKB, RF and Leopold made that even more painful. Secondly, I was charging $48-55 for a set and frankly, it wasn't even enough to break even on the amount of time/materials spent on the project. With that said, what do you guys think is a fair price to pay for a set while still making it worthwhile for us?
I'd spend $100+ on a full set no problem (coughOXBLOODcough)
Maybe drop it to $75 to try and attract a slightly larger demographic? What would the MOQ be to make doing another run worthwhile?
I too would happily pay $100+ for a set. I'm using an oxblood set right now and really enjoy it.
$100 would make it a worthwhile endeavor for us. KKMod V2 would have to be a complete redesign given all the advances we've made in the molding/casting process. Problem is, I think you guys are the few people who would pay that price. What do you guys think would be a price that would make it worthwhile for more people?
Well, I think that at $75 you would have a hard time keeping up with the demand. What would the MOQ be to make something like this worthwhile?
There really isn't an MOQ per se. Silicone molds can be fickle. You can get 30 pulls from one and 60 from another. But based on what I encountered during the first run. I'd have to sell at least 60 sets for it to be a worthwhile endeavor.
You could of course go for something like $80/set for single color and $100-120/set for something more "interesting", like doubleshot, if that helps to subsidize the cost for others.
However, given the amounts people here spend on keycaps, I'd be honestly surprised if you could even keep up with demand for a $100 set.
I've made a set of double/triple shot modifiers for personal use and they are quite lovely. I find the topre community to be more "subtle" in their aesthetic sensibilities so I ended up deciding not to see it through. Also, throwing in variables like multi-shot will inevitably create more margin of error. One that would greatly throw a wrench in production down the line. I will definitely consider the viability of this idea though. Thanks!
You could of course go for something like $80/set for single color and $100-120/set for something more "interesting", like doubleshot, if that helps to subsidize the cost for others.
However, given the amounts people here spend on keycaps, I'd be honestly surprised if you could even keep up with demand for a $100 set.
I second everything Riot's said.
Could even do tiers for different keyboards (based on the number of keys needed for a "complete set").
Tier 1 - Blank R4
Tier 2 - Matching R4+Fn
Tier 3 - Set of R4's+Fn (Similar to CMYKeys)
Tier 4 - HHKB Set
Tier 5 - Realforce/Leopold Set
Tier 6 - The BFK (Big ****ing Kollection) (HHKB/Realforce/Leopold Compatibility) 
Thinking back on it now, it would've been a better idea during the first round had I set the HHKB as a "base set" and created Leopold/RF keys as a "child set". I really like the idea of a tier system though.
I think if you're concerned about pricing it too high ($100 is reasonable imo, for a HHKB set you'd be selling each keycap for under $8), an option would be to wait until you've cultivated a single keycap design with a following, then include that design with mod each set. It's easier for someone to justify a $100 mod set when it includes a keycap they'd normally be fine with paying $25 for (so the "cost" of the set is $75), and for you it really wouldn't be all that much more work/cost (unless it involves more encapsulation tom foolery) because you'd already be casting a blank for its position in the set anyway.
idkmybffjill
This is a very interesting concept and one that I've mulled over quite a bit. As KeyKollectiv is still in it's infancy, we are still trying to develop an identity for ourselves. Being a duo, its been a challenge striking a balance between the both of us. That makes it even harder when we brainstorm ideas for a "brand-identifying artisan". Clack and Bro have done a good job of finding that. Hopefully, with time, we will hone in on an aesthetic that people can associate KK with. Once again, thanks for the advice!
You could of course go for something like $80/set for single color and $100-120/set for something more "interesting", like doubleshot, if that helps to subsidize the cost for others.
However, given the amounts people here spend on keycaps, I'd be honestly surprised if you could even keep up with demand for a $100 set.
I second everything Riot's said.
Could even do tiers for different keyboards (based on the number of keys needed for a "complete set").
Tier 1 - Blank R4
Tier 2 - Matching R4+Fn
Tier 3 - Set of R4's+Fn (Similar to CMYKeys)
Tier 4 - HHKB Set
Tier 5 - Realforce/Leopold Set
Tier 6 - The BFK (Big ****ing Kollection) (HHKB/Realforce/Leopold Compatibility)
That idea is pretty cool 
I would easily pay $80 for a HHKB set of the 8 keys that are bigger than 1u (tab, control, l shift, l alt, r alt, r shift, enter, backspace). So that's $10 each. I would probably be able to pay a max of $15 per cap, which would be $120 in total. I'd expect those to all be in one color - no custom mix and match nonsense 
That would leave 2 R1 1u (escape and tilde) and 3 R4 1u caps (l meta, r meta and fn) for 'full coverage' on the HHKB. These could all be sold as singles but packs of these keys in different colors would allow nice variation with the 'bigger' mods described above. Also, quite a few people can easily have those keys covered already - I know I do 
I would not expect KK to even consider this unless there is a way to make some clear profit. The quantity of caps needed to satisfy a single order means the timescale is at least 8-13 times longer! It'd be super easy to get backlogged to a point where you'd just want to give up and/or risk your financial security to try and deliver. At the end of the day KK are artistic people and I'd rather them be working on new creations than turn into a factory line
Your concern is much appreciated Nathan. The idea of being a factory line definitely did happen during the KKMod fiasco. The problem was, we simply couldn't anticipate what people wanted so the idea of "pre-production" was out of the picture. That left us with a "made-to-order" model which put a lot of strain in production. This inevitably led to defects, customer service issues, fulfillment issues during the sale.
All in all, the sale cost us roughly $600 in materials and time. Time which I simply couldn't even start crunching the numbers for. All of the input in this thread has given us a lot of insight of what we should do moving forward so we greatly appreciate it.
PS- We are already in development for our next 2 sales. One of which will serve as the foundation for a potential KKMod V2 sale in the future. Please look forward to that
