The End of Meetup Exclusives

[Binge]

Today TheFriendlyYeti placed a MechMarket ad feeling out what he could get a Philly Meetup Exclusive Ork for in terms of cash or trade.

Love this cap, since it's my first binge, but would want to see what could tempt me to part ways with it. PM me with very interesting offers, or an obnoxious amount of money (it was made exclusively for the Philly Meetup a week ago). If I'm not mistaken this is the only Ork Trooper made in this colorway.

Folks jokingly offered him triple what he bought it for.

This is the most rude **** I have ever had the pleasure of stumbling into.  Widgie and I spent a good portion of our week leading up to the meet making these keycaps with the intention of making them available for people who wanted them.  We offered plenty of stock and gave people lots of choices.  It was supposed to be a bit of a luxury, but less than a week later TheFriendlyYeti wants the market to grace him with a bonus for our efforts.  He wants meeting my wife and me to give him a profit for "supporting" us.

So to get out any misconceptions about what we expect out of the way.  Yes, I am very happy to sell my keycaps at my asking price.  No, I do not want to control the prices on my keys in aftermarket within reason.  There is no moral high ground I'm standing on but I find this behavior insulting.

I was told it would happen, I could have made these keys available to a world audience and gotten less of a backlash for having a sale that ended so "quickly."

In summary, this is the kind of behavior that really hurts my feelings and my desire to make any exclusive sales.  This is the reason I have to not take sides, to limit the amount of special offers I give people, and why any special offers are random as all hell.

Agree with me, disagree with me, but that's it.

/thread.

[Binge]

Update:

concerning a r/mechmarket thread
from TheFriendlyYeti sent 15 hours ago

Hey man just wanted to clear up some stuff concerning a thread I posted yesterday where I was looking for offers to trade a Philly Ork Trooper that I purchased. While I really do love the cap, and I'm probably going to keep it, I just want to know if it would be alright with you if I still try and see if I can find offers that can really tempt me. I didn't mean to offend your work in doing so, and am writing this to clarify things.
Best, u/TheFriendlyYeti

re: concerning a r/mechmarket thread
to TheFriendlyYeti sent just now

You had nothing to clear up and you aren't really looking for anything different. Those keycaps were intended to be special. They are meant to signify the importance of meetups and of community. Trying to see what you can possibly be tempted to get in exchange for it is a big slap to the face for Amber and me.

There are people who lived in PA and could have gone to the meetup who would have paid the same price you did to buy them directly, and I wasn't able to provide the key to them because you bought it. What's fair is that you attended and you were given a chance. I made sure to give you the opportunity, and this is what you've decided you want to do with it.

I'm not changing my stance on the issue. There will be no more meetup exclusives for people who support local events.

I just don't have the strength for this level of troll.

::EDIT::

I appreciate everyone who has given me a pat on the back and suggested I calm down about the whole thing.  I do have an update.  A little while ago I received another clarification or apology of sorts.  It needs to be posted because this will offer some conclusion and perspective on the whole issue.

re: concerning a r/mechmarket thread
from TheFriendlyYeti sent 33 minutes ago

Being new to the artisan scene, I didn't realize the importance of the keycap symbolically or other artisans besides face value. I'd like to thank you for your response and helping me see a different perspective on it. I'll make sure to take such things to account in the future.

This response helped a bit but not as much as the overwhelming amount of support from people who saw the action as being sorta crummy.  My response in making this public was rash, and it won't be the norm for things that just brush the surface of my rustle-o-meter.  The significance of the initial offense caused the outburst/tantrum/threadlock.

I do not feel as though the "artisan scene" should be given special thought or treatment because it's only one small fragment of the awesome things that happen in the website-spanning hobby that is mechanical keyboards.  ANY exclusive item made by someone in this keyboard community that isn't 100% commercially manufactured to be limited is equally important.  For example, there were these kickass 3D printed keyswitch-keychain bases which I will either gift to friends or keep because WOW amazing .  I wanted to pay for them but people insisted that I take them with me.  People may not have thought those were worth scalping because they see little intrinsic value, but the person who made them would have a "WTF" moment if I put it up on MM and asked what they could get for it.

TL/DR - People in this community are still amazing.  Guy who made me sour has kept in touch and stated he's listened to and understands me.    I feel meetups are special and things people make are small gems because of the unique nature of each specially produced item.  Please treat your fellow enthusiasts with respect and reap the benefits of how rich this place is in unique concepts, creations, history, and friendships.

[Vittra]

Your work, your passion, your effort, your choice.

I'd only suggest that if the number of people who have these exclusive caps and cherish them far exceeds the profiteers, it may be worth focusing on that instead.

[Lurch]

What a .

Sorry to hear this happened to you, bud. I will forever cherish the caps we made together.

[ziptyze]

When I read that post... it made my blood boil. I mean, profiting by reselling rare caps is one thing, but that was supposed to be something special. Something to hang on to that wasn't just rare, but personal. To profit from that special connection is saddening and infuriating, and hurt me as someone who was fortunate enough to receive one of these caps, and who knows how excited Binge was to be able to bring them to the meet.

[dgneo]

People are unbelievably ****ty. Really is a shame to see how many people just get trade fodder, and really don't seem to care or appreciate the work and thought that goes into these caps.

Sorry to hear this happened Binge

[trenzafeeds]

What a .

lurch throwing out the heavy ****

for real though this really sucks. I guess when you get a big enough community you inevitably end up with those ****ty people, but it's still awful when you end up dealing with them directly.
I hope you still intend on coming to meetups, because there's a new york one in the works, and I would love to see you there!

[keshley]

Some people just don't have any sentimental appreciation.

Reasons in this particular case that they should:

First HWS cap. I still have my first Artisan cap, even though its my 2nd least favorite of my collection. But it was my first artisan, and I will likely keep it as a memento. It's not on any of my boards permanently, but it does make its way onto one from time to time.

Specific colorway. Some people want that because its their favorite colors. Others because of the exclusivity. Either way, it should hold a higher value to the recipient. There are caps I simply won't part with because of the colors.

Bought from the man himself. Binge and WidgiePidge made these items exclusively for the meetup, where they could meet fans of their work face-to-face.

If it were me, I'd be keeping this cap for a long long time. The only circumstance I could see parting with it, would be if it sat in a drawer unappreciated. Then I'd likely give it away to somebody who would appreciate it. But then, I wouldn't have bought it in the first place if it was something that was just going to sit in a drawer...

[Binge]

What a .

lurch throwing out the heavy ****

for real though this really sucks. I guess when you get a big enough community you inevitably end up with those ****ty people, but it's still awful when you end up dealing with them directly.
I hope you still intend on coming to meetups, because there's a new york one in the works, and I would love to see you there!

Would love to be there!  I don't intend to miss meetups because of this.

[Sent]

Would love to be there!  I don't intend to miss meetups because of this.

Good.  Glad to hear that, broski.

[FrostyToast]

Just ban people.
Does he realize how bad it is to lose the respect of your IRL keyboard friends?
It pretty much prevents you from going to any keyboard meet because those people will all shame you.
Right now my IRL geekhackers are 80% of the reason why I am still here.
The other 20% would be the other geekhackers I have on Skype. (that includes you Binge!)

[Binge]

I appreciate everyone who has given me a pat on the back and suggested I calm down about the whole thing.  I do have an update.  A little while ago I received another clarification or apology of sorts.  It needs to be posted because this will offer some conclusion and perspective on the whole issue.

re: concerning a r/mechmarket thread
from TheFriendlyYeti sent 33 minutes ago

Being new to the artisan scene, I didn't realize the importance of the keycap symbolically or other artisans besides face value. I'd like to thank you for your response and helping me see a different perspective on it. I'll make sure to take such things to account in the future.

This response helped a bit but not as much as the overwhelming amount of support from people who saw the action as being sorta crummy.  My response in making this public was rash, and it won't be the norm for things that just brush the surface of my rustle-o-meter.  The significance of the initial offense caused the outburst/tantrum/threadlock.

I do not feel as though the "artisan scene" should be given special thought or treatment because it's only one small fragment of the awesome things that happen in the website-spanning hobby that is mechanical keyboards.  ANY exclusive item made by someone in this keyboard community that isn't 100% commercially manufactured to be limited is equally important.  For example, there were these kickass 3D printed keyswitch-keychain bases which I will either gift to friends or keep because WOW amazing .  I wanted to pay for them but people insisted that I take them with me.  People may not have thought those were worth scalping because they see little intrinsic value, but the person who made them would have a "WTF" moment if I put it up on MM and asked what they could get for it.

TL/DR - People in this community are still amazing.  Guy who made me sour has kept in touch and stated he's listened to and understands me.    I feel meetups are special and things people make are small gems because of the unique nature of each specially produced item.  Please treat your fellow enthusiasts with respect and reap the benefits of how rich this place is in unique concepts, creations, history, and friendships.

[KoalaKaiser]

The keycaps I got from the meet up are here to stay. That keyng has such a special place on my desk

[mobbo]

I would walk 500 miles to be the man who gets a cap from you.

[FLFisherman]

I would walk 500 miles to be the man who gets a cap from you.

We offered to fly you. D:

[jerue]

I would walk 500 miles to be the man who gets a cap from you.

from senpai Binge himself and Wifu...with a smile on their faces...makes me sad 

[GenKaan]

On one hand I think its nice people trade caps they wont use and they change owners, in the end I really like artisans being used! On the other trying to make money on something so many passionate people would love to have is so selfish. Was sad to see so many of the Halloween Bro's going up on /r/Mechmarket instantly after they got shipped with a 50-100% markup :/

Some of the caps from that event are just truly amazing and some of my absolute favorites for sure. The fact of getting them first hand (physically) would make it irreplaceable!

How do you feel about trading?

[Binge]

On one hand I think its nice people trade caps they wont use and they change owners, in the end I really like artisans being used! On the other trying to make money on something so many passionate people would love to have is so selfish. Was sad to see so many of the Halloween Bro's going up on /r/Mechmarket instantly after they got shipped with a 50-100% markup :/

Some of the caps from that event are just truly amazing and some of my absolute favorites for sure. The fact of getting them first hand (physically) would make it irreplaceable!

How do you feel about trading?

It comes down to respect.  I respect people who treat others as they would want to be treated.  While the lines are not always clear it was not the idea of a transaction that gave me a reason to pause and consider the ramifications of releasing my meetup exclusives, but the idea that someone stood to gain from greed.

So the transaction is not the problem, but if one person disrespects his sources, where two or more people are made lesser via scheme to profit, then that person respects only themselves enough to prosper.

[rurushu]

glad that things work out for you Binge!

agreed with you on the part that should respect the one who make the caps and not commit such disrespectful acts by trying to gain profit on them, but there will always be people like these out there, stopping them is impossible.

this is particularly sad especially for those that really wanted to get a piece of your creations