[GB] UKKeycaps GB #3: GMK Escape Pack (7 keys) - 100% SHIPPED

[UKKeycaps]

LINK TO PURCHASE PACKS

Based on the GMK Esc Pack interest check: 
 
What?

This is UKKeycaps' group buy #3 for a GMK Esc Pack with 7 Keys

- Material = ABS
- Profile = Cherry
- Legends = Doubleshot
- Colours:




Where?

This is a UK based group-buy with the UK in mind, shipping is free to the UK and available at a fair price to the rest of the world


When/how long?
 
The group-buy will run for 5 weeks and will end on the 4h of November at 11:30pm. GMK lead times are usually estimated at around 8 weeks. As this isn't a large amount of keys I am hoping for a shorter lead time


How much?

The price for one Esc pack (7 GMK Escs) is £11.40 - Shipping is free to UK buyers
 
Shipping to the rest of the world will be £3.50


What is the MOQ / What if MOQ is not reached? 
 
The MOQ is 130 Esc packs. The MOQ is lower than GMK's usual 250 as UKKeycaps is willing to absorb some of the cost and is also willing to have packs left over after the GB to sell.

If the MOQ is not reached then all buyers will be refunded in full!


How can I get updates on the group-buy??
 
Follow the UKKeycaps facebook page! Or you could just keep an eye on this thread
 


LINK TO PURCHASE PACKS


Update #1 (08/10/15)

Due to community feedback the price of the GB has been lowered to £11.40 and has been extended by 2 weeks. As a result of the lowered price the MOQ is now slightly higher also. My group-buys are no longer allowed in the GB section of Geekhack as I'm a vendor, so please spread the word! The main post has been updated to reflect the new info! - All previous buyers have been refunded the difference.

Update #2 (26/10/15) 
 
Number of sets ordered is around 55 away from MOQ, however a Chinese vendor will be purchasing 80+ sets within the next few days so MOQ will be reached on completion of that payment! I will update this post when MOQ is reached

Update #3 (28/10/15)

MOQ reached! This GB will definitely be going ahead! Exactly one week left

Update #4 (04/11/15) 

The main buying window of the GB is now over, I will make the order with GMK ASAP, the product page is still accepting orders as currently there have been around 200 packs purchased, and so with GMK's 250 MOQ there are 50 leftovers remaining

Update #4 (13/11/15) 
 
I have made the order with GMK, they'll inform me of a lead time next week.

Update #5 (19/11/15)

ETA for the escape packs in mid-January, later than I hoped but they're very stretched currently.

Update #6 (17/01/16) 
 
GMK informed me that the keys are now more likely to be shipped to me around the start of February due to a delay from the company that supplies them their plastic to make the keycaps. This isn't too long of a delay and hopefully it will be the only one!

[UKKeycaps]

Approval bump!

[Prelim]

already ordered 3 packs! come on guys, let's make this happen 

[Khers]

.

[lolpes]

Maybe by the end of the gb i might be able to join, right now i need to save about 300 euros to pay for my thesis prints :/

[swimmingbird]

I just had a crazy idea... would be really expensive though so I don't know how viable it would be but it would be so cool to do a matching enter key to the esc colours so that you could have a full highlight/accent set

[Prelim]

I just had a crazy idea... would be really expensive though so I don't know how viable it would be but it would be so cool to do a matching enter key to the esc colours so that you could have a full highlight/accent set

guess we need another GB end this with success first 

[joey]

I have to ask... Are we actually buying out MOQ? I've read several places that a 1u key is ~$1. This GB is ~$3 per key.

[UKKeycaps]

I have to ask... Are we actually buying out MOQ? I've read several places that a 1u key is ~$1. This GB is ~$3 per key.

A single key Esc from GMK is $1.06. Then you have to account for the following additional factors:

Shipping from Germany to the UK
VAT charged by GMK
Fees taken by paypal / stripe when pack is ordered
Packaging materials used by UKKeycaps
Time spent packaging by UKKeycaps

Some of the remaining is used to lower the MOQ set by me. A major problem with GMK GBs is the MOQ, now that issue is solved with this GB

[joey]

Do you know the shipping and tax costs?

$22.81 - (7 * $1.06) = $15.39
So $15 per order for all those extra costs you mentioned.

$15.39 * 80 = $1231.20

This seems high for those extra costs. (But what do I know...)

[romevi]

Do you know the shipping and tax costs?

$22.81 - (7 * $1.06) = $15.39
So $15 per order for all those extra costs you mentioned.

$15.39 * 80 = $1231.20

This seems high for those extra costs. (But what do I know...)

Chump change.

[Prelim]

high profit indeed... as all GMK GBs out there!

from what I understood the MOQ is 80 'cause that value roughly corresponds to what @UKKeycaps is paying for all the order (250). So if he doesn't sell more than 80 packs afterwards, he's not making any profit here.

[UKKeycaps]

If 80 sell then I'll be making a £120 (~$183) loss. That's not accounting for packaging materials and time spent packaging.

I don't think there's ever been such a large amount of GMK Esc's available with such a low MOQ.

So stop worrying about my finances and talk about the glorious cherry profile Escapes

[Prelim]

true! bring the Esc's 

[billnye]

high profit indeed... as all GMK GBs out there!

Not true. CMYW brought me about $200 of profit and for my current group buy I might end up in the red a little. Ctrl alt's buys also don't make much money (if any.)

I don't get why people always complain about prices for group buys. If you don't like the price, don't buy it.

[Prelim]

I don't really know, but that's not what I'm hearing from Massdrop lol. I'll share my feedback once I run my own GMK GB

Anyway, can we stop talking about GB profits and start buying this ESC Pack?

[joey]

I don't get why people always complain about prices for group buys. If you don't like the price, don't buy it.

I wasn't complaining, just trying to understand the cost breakdown. I was one of the first few people that joined!

[icyskyz]

I am in for a set!

[swimmingbird]

high profit indeed... as all GMK GBs out there!

Not true. CMYW brought me about $200 of profit and for my current group buy I might end up in the red a little. Ctrl alt's buys also don't make much money (if any.)

I don't get why people always complain about prices for group buys. If you don't like the price, don't buy it.

[deleted]

[katushkin]

Sweet. I'm in! My first buy from UKKeycaps, and I must say I love the site. Great design Shall order from you again if you have anything that catches my eye

[nubbinator]

I'd be in if it weren't for the fact that it's $30 for caps, half of which I already own since they've been done before or are readily available.

[UKKeycaps]

I apologise for the cap choice if it's against anyone's preferences but I had to choose between a mix of what hasnt been done before and what was voted for. Purple and orange with white legend have been done befote but were high on the voting list so I decided to included them. You can never please everyone 

[nubbinator]

It's the combination of a ton of caps I don't need and the markup.  $30 for 7 caps is twice Ivan's last buy.  I get why you're doing it, but at that kind of markup, it belongs in the vendor section, not the group buy section.  A vendor uses GBs to subsidize their investment risk.  This is just getting GH members to fund a ton of caps that will then be sold in a vendor store.  It doesn't sit right with me.

[UKKeycaps]

UKKeycaps is a newly formed 'company' which is trying it's best to improve the keycaps market for UK buyers. I don't make enough to be VAT registered, I don't even make enough for a train ticket to London on the weekends.

If the price doesn't sit right then don't purchase Everyone can vote with their wallet. I do of course operate at a price which I hope will help aid what I hope will become a company in the future, therefore a profit margin is expected and each group buy (if successful) will provide a certain amount of profit. I hope the service and products I provide are worth the price to customers.

[nubbinator]

It should be a vendor buy, not a group buy is what I'm saying.  There is significant profit and it's to help your store front, it doesn't belong in group buys.

[UKKeycaps]

It should be a vendor buy, not a group buy is what I'm saying.  There is significant profit and it's to help your site front, it doesn't belong in group buys.

I appreciate your opinion on the subject.

I always let the mods decide upon the status of my group-buys and I feel that this GB (mostly due to the low MOQ) is a benefit to the communitty. You are welcome to your opinion otherwise of course

[Prelim]

I don't mind paying a premium over a normal GB price, for the sake of this being produced. As many people here, I've paid around $5 for each my GMK Esc's (from @feng shop, forum users, etc) so this would be fine, as it's even cheaper than that

we're almost at 50% MOQ, let's help it!

[lolpes]

I feel like if the price was lower and the moq was the normal for a gmk group buy, moq could also be reached.
You are making a long term investment, which will end up making you a significant amount of profit.
You are offering a lower moq and a high markup which in the end i feel like only benefits you the seller, since the lead time and delays will be the same for any gmk buy. So yeah i agree with nub on the fact that this should be in the vendor section. Regardless if I may end up buying a pack if I get the money for it. But my point still stands.

[LechnerDE]

I totally agree with Nubbinator about moving this sale to the vendor section.

But in the end it doesn't really matter. Nobody is forced to participate and those who think it's too expensive should simply not buy the keys 

[jwaz]

Hi UKK, we thought this fit better in your vendor forum.

If you think that's incorrect or have an issue with it feel free to PM either Hoff or I.

[jonathanyu]

always make me sad that mods don't allow vendor post gb in gb section.

[nubbinator]

always make me sad that mods don't allow vendor post gb in gb section.

They do when the buy isn't being used to subsidize the filling of a store front.

[UKKeycaps]

I'll probably have to cancel this GB, refund everyone and start it again with a lower price/higher MOQ

[Prelim]

[romevi]

I'll probably have to cancel this GB, refund everyone and start it again with a lower price/higher MOQ

Why?

[UKKeycaps]

I'll probably have to cancel this GB, refund everyone and start it again with a lower price/higher MOQ

Why?

I guess I could lower the price and refund all current buyers by the difference. Being moved into the UKKeycaps subforum really reduces the amount of exposure.

[romevi]

Was totally going to get a set before the GB closes. As I've mentioned, I collect Esc caps. If you plan on rescheduling this, please let us know when.

[Prelim]

I guess I could lower the price and refund all current buyers by the difference. Being moved into the UKKeycaps subforum really reduces the amount of exposure.

I think that would be a better option for the previous buyers (I will end up loosing money in the refund anyway - conversion rate ) . Also, you could extend a bit the deadline

[faxe]

So I just got a partial refund. Why?

[Prelim]

me too! final price and MOQ have been changed.

I hope this can enter GB section again 

[UKKeycaps]

So I just got a partial refund. Why?

You're faster than me! Basically: Price decrease to £11.40, MOQ now 130 and GB extended by 2 weeks! Will be making an update in a second once I'm done partially refunding everyone!

EDIT: According to the mods all UKKeycaps group-buys are banished to my own inactive sub-forum The price didn't sit right with the community and I guess that's the price I'll pay.

[joey]

The GB forum says "independently organised" I guess being a 'company', it means that you're not independent.

[UKKeycaps]

I see plenty of [CTRL]ALT GBs in there but ANYWAY! For those who skim through threads:

PRICE IS LOWERED TO £11.40 / MOQ = 130 / EXTENDED BY 2 WEEKS!

[Prelim]

I think the price now stands for a normal GB price, so you can ask again if can be in GB section (ivan's Esc pack (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=41017.0) was ~$10+$2.5+pp fees for 3 caps, your's ~$17.5 for 7 caps, so it's even cheaper)

I also think the deadline it's still too short, but that's your decision...

[UKKeycaps]

I think the price now stands for a normal GB price, so you can ask again if can be in GB section (ivan's Esc pack (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=41017.0) was ~$10+$2.5+pp fees for 3 caps, your's ~$17.5 for 7 caps, so it's even cheaper)

I also think the deadline it's still too short, but that's your decision...

I asked already. Unfortunately all my GBs will have to be in my own sub-forum from now on.

[Giorgio]

How am I supposed to keep track of all the group buys of the vendors? Instead of checking one section, I need to check 15 of them.
It is an impossible job. I don't know why it is organized this way... If I didn't see this group buy in the other websites, I would have never found out.
I this discussion worth to be considered by an admin? thanks

[HoffmanMyster]

How am I supposed to keep track of all the group buys of the vendors? Instead of checking one section, I need to check 15 of them.
It is an impossible job. I don't know why it is organized this way... If I didn't see this group buy in the other websites, I would have never found out.
I this discussion worth to be considered by an admin? thanks

This has been the case for quite some time now, and applies to all vendors, not just UKKeycaps (in fact, we allowed UKKeycaps to host a few GBs in the GB subforum initially, which goes against the norm).  Is there a reason you don't simply subscribe (Notify) to all the vendor subforums that you're interested in?  I follow every sale that feng has, and I never miss one thanks to subscribing to his forum.  Same with techkeys.us/i3oilermaker.

Also, as with most things, it's always subject to change.  We may review this policy and opt to revert to the old way.  This change was implemented before I was a mod, and who knows, maybe it's not the best option.

[Giorgio]

How am I supposed to keep track of all the group buys of the vendors? Instead of checking one section, I need to check 15 of them.
It is an impossible job. I don't know why it is organized this way... If I didn't see this group buy in the other websites, I would have never found out.
I this discussion worth to be considered by an admin? thanks

This has been the case for quite some time now, and applies to all vendors, not just UKKeycaps (in fact, we allowed UKKeycaps to host a few GBs in the GB subforum initially, which goes against the norm).  Is there a reason you don't simply subscribe (Notify) to all the vendor subforums that you're interested in?  I follow every sale that feng has, and I never miss one thanks to subscribing to his forum.  Same with techkeys.us/i3oilermaker.

Also, as with most things, it's always subject to change.  We may review this policy and opt to revert to the old way.  This change was implemented before I was a mod, and who knows, maybe it's not the best option.

Thanks for your kind answer. Keeping track of all the group buys is quite challenging. Maybe that those who offer a small contribution to gh could have the notifications about their gb inserted in the main gb tracker post.

[SpAmRaY]

How am I supposed to keep track of all the group buys of the vendors? Instead of checking one section, I need to check 15 of them.
It is an impossible job. I don't know why it is organized this way... If I didn't see this group buy in the other websites, I would have never found out.
I this discussion worth to be considered by an admin? thanks

This has been the case for quite some time now, and applies to all vendors, not just UKKeycaps (in fact, we allowed UKKeycaps to host a few GBs in the GB subforum initially, which goes against the norm).  Is there a reason you don't simply subscribe (Notify) to all the vendor subforums that you're interested in?  I follow every sale that feng has, and I never miss one thanks to subscribing to his forum.  Same with techkeys.us/i3oilermaker.

Also, as with most things, it's always subject to change.  We may review this policy and opt to revert to the old way.  This change was implemented before I was a mod, and who knows, maybe it's not the best option.

Thanks for your kind answer. Keeping track of all the group buys is quite challenging. Maybe that those who offer a small contribution to gh could have the notifications about their gb inserted in the main gb tracker post.

I'm fairly certain all anyone who has a group buy has to do to get it listed in the sticky thread is to PM a moderator and ask them to add it.

[HoffmanMyster]

How am I supposed to keep track of all the group buys of the vendors? Instead of checking one section, I need to check 15 of them.
It is an impossible job. I don't know why it is organized this way... If I didn't see this group buy in the other websites, I would have never found out.
I this discussion worth to be considered by an admin? thanks

This has been the case for quite some time now, and applies to all vendors, not just UKKeycaps (in fact, we allowed UKKeycaps to host a few GBs in the GB subforum initially, which goes against the norm).  Is there a reason you don't simply subscribe (Notify) to all the vendor subforums that you're interested in?  I follow every sale that feng has, and I never miss one thanks to subscribing to his forum.  Same with techkeys.us/i3oilermaker.

Also, as with most things, it's always subject to change.  We may review this policy and opt to revert to the old way.  This change was implemented before I was a mod, and who knows, maybe it's not the best option.

Thanks for your kind answer. Keeping track of all the group buys is quite challenging. Maybe that those who offer a small contribution to gh could have the notifications about their gb inserted in the main gb tracker post.

I'm fairly certain all anyone who has a group buy has to do to get it listed in the sticky thread is to PM a moderator and ask them to add it.

Yep, someone just needs to post in there to remind infiniti to add it.