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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Elwood on Wed, 04 May 2022, 07:32:19
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:) :)
Owlab's suit and Jelly have proven how profitable keyboards can be, and that affordable keyboards can be of the highest quality. We may pay for the design, but the Chinese are taking advantage of manufacturing to make the difference.
The Pandora60, which came out months ago, does have a lot of small flaws, yet it costs twice as much as the Owlab studio keyboard, I'm confused, is keyboard made in China really cheaper than that in the west?
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Simple answer yes. Loans in the west are higher then in China. So of course machining/materials are gonna be way more expensive. Its not only with keyboards but, with everything in the world. The west outsource manufacturing to China to have bigger margins wat also ended up making the west rely on China now.
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It used to be far cheaper but times have changed and it's no longer a whole lot cheaper, however it is easier*.
These days, by the time you ship it here a lot of the profit margin is gone.
*Easier in that it's a one stop shop, and everything you need is often centrally located or they will take care of it and it's FAR, FAR easier to find that US suppliers, who are a bunch of sticks in the mud. Seriously, companies here have a LOOOOOOT to learn about marketing and even letting people know they simply exist. That isn't to say China is great. Yes, it's easy to just make a call/send and email and get what you need from a single source and they are perfectly capable of making something every bit as good as something made elsewhere not all sources and their suppliers are equal and you may not end up with anything remotely close to what you expect. Worse still, there is often little to no recourse if you don't. Many larger companies have someone on site or send someone to stay on site and oversee production because otherwise someone will try something shady to make a few extra pennies. So while it's easier and slightly cheaper, it does come with some risks.
When it works, it works well and when it doesn't, all bets are off.
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Thanks bro,your words are convincing. by the way , as far as I know , things like aifei keycaps(dual shot) costs twice as much as exactly the same staff bought in China. Considering the average wages in China and the west, it is not unfair ,but we are still paying extra fee besides tariff and freight, cause Chinese exporters discriminate against the West in pricing.