Hey guys,
I generally try to stay away from any after-market and artisan discussion but this pertains to KeyKollectiv so it's only right that we put in our two cents.
When we sat down to iron out sales conditions for SnacKeys, the intention was to limit the number of keys to 3 per customers. We, then, considered the fans who want to complete a collection and the aggressive nature of aftermarket trading. In the end, we decided to allow people to buy the entire collection at a favorable price.
Of course, this is not without it's pitfalls. Scalpers and market speculators were definitely a factor when we considered our options. I, myself, got into making artisans because I was tired of having to deal with insane prices when acquiring them.
What it boils down to is that there are merits and disadvantages to every system. With raffle systems, you run the risk of people having terrible losing streaks. First-come-first-serve may lead to script abuse. Group buy requires a made-to-order model (which I've dreaded since our Modifier sales).
The truth of the matter is that Koala-T and I had not anticipated the sheer volume of orders that poured in. Since this is only our 4th sale, the infrastructure isn't quite there to accommodate everyone. For that, we apologize to anybody who waited for the sale just to be shut out.
For the sake of transparency, KeyKollectiv keeps a running grey-list and blacklist. We have names/email address/paypals of anyone who has ever tried to make a profit from our keycaps. This dates all the way back to our debut collection, Meowcaps. We understand that, as a buyer, you might lose interest or need to generate income. We wholeheartedly encourage finding new homes for our keycaps if they no longer garner your interest. However, in cases where a substantial margin is gained from resale, we do place those people on our grey-list.
What is the grey-list? Hypothetically, if you are grey-listed, it's likely that even though you are the 20th member of a 20 person list, your spot will be given to the 21st member. We see it as "rounding life against your favor".
People who blatantly mark up prices to make exorbitant profit are blacklisted outright. Sure, they can use another Paypal, but we will make efforts to prevent them from participating in the future.
It's a necessary evil that we'd prefer not to implement but given the circumstances, we must do what we can to curb abuse. Furthermore, Koala-T and I have other accounts to inquire about KeyKollectiv product in the event that seller tries the whole "WTT artisans but open to offers" method. This, along with a fairly wide network of friends who are immersed in the community keeps up in the loop in terms of the aftermarket.
The bottom line is that the mech community is a niche market. Many of us have built friendships within it and news travels fast. I'm sure many of us already actively avoid known scammers and scalpers. Furthermore, the community has a way of policing itself. This might not be a popular opinion, but I actually like when someone is called out for charging too much.
Sorry for the long-winded response. I want to apologize to everyone who tried getting into the sale but didn't have a chance. Based on our modifier sale, 2nd round tends to be a lot more casual so here's hoping that some of you make it in. We want to reiterate that we agree with the sentiment that many of you guys have about unfair aftermarket practices. KeyKollectiv tries its hardest to curb these problems but there are still areas that could use improvement.
With that said, we always encourage anyone to let us know if there are instances of abuse. If substantiated, we will go to great efforts to prevent these practices and reward those who bring it to our attention.
PS- If you got a spot, you're getting your caps. Koala-T and I have already started making more molds to accommodate the influx of orders.
