I don't know if you noticed foggy's avatar note; but it's "Amateur Maker". Amateur, not professional mind. Not a fully set up and prepared business with an existing process stream, or fall back communication routes.
They're sub-contracting the manufacture of parts, so they become dependent on others - never great and if I recall correctly there was a hold up (either on this or lustro or both) due to manufacturer/supplier mistake.
Fifty percent of the "business" has been hospitalised - what would happen to massdrop - what would happen to their output under such circumstances do you think?
[shrug]Oh, and I still haven't got my plate (and never will) from the 2012 phantom group buy [/shrug] if the amount of money invested in a blind purchase like this is of concern to you, then don't do it in the first place. I'm not saying throw money away wilfully, but have a think about how likely something is to come to fruition and work from that; the phantom buy was (mostly) successful so I gambled the GH60 would be as good or better - that backfired - the problems with GH60 made me doubt the SmallFry kit's viability so I avoided [...], while Ivan had done a number of key cap group buys he had never done a keyboard group buy... I think you see where I'm going with this. Anything where the goods are not currently produced is a gamble on time, and on finances - will it be finished on time, or at all.
The very nature of the method leaves its self open to many, many failure paths... manufacturers quotes will usually come with provisos on material cost and etcetera, postage rates can suddenly change without warning - and by a massive swing, manufacturers can go bankrupt - there goes the money that was put into them and no product will be forthcoming, people can get ill, people can die!
