Hello,
I'll try and make this a timeline-type format to make things a little bit clearer.
3/14/20 - announcement in Discord that a Round 2 of Rukia going to happen. I mention setting up my own manufacturing, but it's not ready yet. Rukia will be manufactured overseas for the last time.
3/21/20 - Rukia Group Buy starts with no announcement or advertising due to emerging COVID situation--main concern being that customers' livelihoods and health are unsure.
Polycarbonate (PC) and Special Edition (SE) versions go on sale on the site. SE is stainless steel/carbon fiber version 30 units FCFS.
3/23/20 - A green dyed limited edition (LE) version of Rukia becomes available through a special Discord event involving trivia and scavenger hunt.
5/3/20 - The GB ends (a couple people with extenuating circumstances request to purchase a few days after).
Totals:
SE (30) + LE (10) + PC (310) + ~30% =500
I take one week re-checking individual orders to make sure parts orders number totals are correct.
5/11/20 - Order made to manufacturer. Expected delivery to me is August/September.
5/15/20 - notice about refunds
5/22/20 - notice about possible delays with Gondolindrim's work on PCBs due to COVID situation in Brazil among other issues.
7/7/20 - first SE attempt by manu unsatisfactory
8/5/20 - update on delays and progress - aluminum top anodizing, PC dye for LE, and SE bottom samples asked to be redone
8/16/20 - announcement about moving to completely in-house manufacturing
9/22/20 - Gondo finishes PCB
9/30/20 - announcement about request for batch samples from factory--confirms need for boards to be redone. Shooting for before Christmas.
10/31/20 - announcement about knobs
11/1/20 - update regarding moving into production facility and separate warehouse and inspections
11/13/20 - notice from manu that boards are ready to ship, so I put out an update stating that shipping expected in January, giving me enough time to QC and also do hand finishing on SE
12/5/20 - announcement about dates slipping and shipment being on a boat
12/12/20 - announcement about not being satisfied with waiting on shipment, so doing what I need to do (getting materials) to manufacture in house. hope for february
12/30/20 - first in-house Rukias successfully made. Finish needs to be worked on. This takes a while
1/12/20 - no update kind of update. just waiting and working. This incites a toxic back and forth in the server. I shut it down for a little bit so people can stop insulting each other.
2/16/20 - update consolidated by Rain - still waiting
3/12/20 - announcement about having paid the customs fee and being notified by customs that there was an undisclosed number of boards damaged
4/19/20 - lockdown the server - more toxicity and back and forth
4/23/20 - update confirming that I got a window on may 5th
5/3/20 - pics
This is obviously VERY abbreviated, but I've tried to be communicative and open throughout. I should have done it in a better, more organized, and more regular way, though, and not just in Discord chat.
From the beginning, this round of Rukias was just an aim to continue to establish myself in the community and give people what they wanted in terms of an Alice layout/compatible keyboard.
I quit my job at the hospital in December of 2019 and decided to go forward putting everything into Mint Autumn as a business. My wife and I are still administrators for my mother-in-law's care home for the elderly, but that is not a reliable source of income.
For much of 2020, my wife continued working as a nurse, but every few weeks or more, she would get exposed, and we would have to find a way to self-quarantine her from the kids, her mother, and our patients.
So she quit and decided to help watch the kids while I work.
Rukia round 2 was not priced with enough overhead to even pay myself or fund future projects. It was intended to be a "farewell" project to PC, but also it would make the SE and LE into reality, which were underpriced compared to what they cost to produce.
In-house manufacturing has always been funded by small business loans. Injection molding was always the goal--a more sane pricepoint for consumers with a more efficient production process but using a material that would give a high end feel and sound compared to what is currently available.
I have had issues with manufacturers making mistakes or not fulfilling on product expectations or missing deadlines, and there hasn't been much that I could do before except eat the losses and figure out a workaround that still gets the customers their boards.
But this time around, I got a lawyer involved to try and recoup some of those losses. That has restricted what I can say-especially about the botched boat shipment and it's frustrating.
But that doesn't excuse being silent on delays or issues. I will fix that and give out as much info as I can from now on.
I also took contract work to pay operational costs (not setup costs)-- the bulk of that is equipment leases, building leases, electricity, and material costs.
That has also limited what I can show, since they share space and use the same machines.
Letting overly enthusiastic random support messages be the majority of what filled the main source of information for the group buy made finding actual useful information difficult and almost impossible to find.
I appreciate the support, but conversations would then polarize into those seeming to pander vs those seeming to attack, and it was useless for everyone. I should have killed the "I love Rukia" trend as soon as it started.
More than that, though:
I should have been more organized, more thorough, and more regular with updates.
I am sorry. I will do better.
I should have used all the available methods of reaching out to customers: Geekhack, Discord, Reddit, email,...Keebtalk? with these regular updates.
I really am sorry.
I will do better for you.
I appreciate everyone's patience and trust in me. It's not something I take as a given.
I am doing everything I can to deliver these to you and fix what needs to be fixed.