Drop Mech Keys Meetup Recap - Thanks for Visiting!
As you may have seen, we just hosted our first meetup in quite a while here at Drop HQ (Corsair HQ, but they seem to like us enough :) )! It was a blast to get to meet so many enthusiasts local to the bay area—it had been 10 years since I was last hanging out with keyboard nerds in the bay, at KeyCon 2014. We had a great time hosting everyone at the offices, checking out all the very nice boards y'all brought, and sharing some of our own projects/spaces! I knew it would be fun to host in the Game Room when I first saw it in person, but seeing it come to fruition was still so cool. Alright, I'll stop blabbering on now. xD Picture time! (Oh, real quick - there will be more of these! Stay tuned for more info and to catch the next one!)
May 15, 2024
We realize that MD is desperately trying to capitalize on the growing interest of artisan keycaps. We also realize that drops like this may seem appealing to those who are new to the scene. Given the discourse that has already occurred, please consider the following:
Z0M0 on TaoBao was selling these Kitty Paw caps at $25 Best case scenario for MD is a 50% margin (let's round off to $13) At $32.99 MSRP, let's tack on the $2.99 of each unit for transport/custom fees.
Best case scenario, MD is getting a margin of $15-17 per unit. Worst case, a margin of $8-12. At 84 units currently sold, MD will receive between $672 - $1428 from this drop.
We implore you Mr. Louie, is that margin worth losing the respect of some established artisan collectors/makers in the community?
The way I see it, if the mech community is to grow - and grow in a healthy way - people need to stop clinging to all this exclusivity in terms of colorways, artisan designs, and so forth. If this isn't an exact replica or marketed to be an authentic KK cap, I don't see any issues.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5665cb2a841aba81f139953d/t/590f9ce21b631b5048280fe6/1494195436412/?format=750w
If the shape was even remotely similar I'd understand. This is a stretch and I think you know it.
CNC is not capable of creating the curvature (undercut) from KK's Meowcap in a practical way. Please see the below diagram:
https://image.slidesharecdn.com/fabacademy2015cncmilling-150319092115-conversion-gate01/95/fab-academy-2015-cnc-milling-57-638.jpg?cb=1426775410
I understand low yield exclusivity.. what are the people in the custom artisan market going to do... when the community pretty much dies out. Cause the exclusivity of it really makes it unwelcoming to new comers. I think people need to understand that there has to be balance between pleasing the old and welcoming the new. Then these people having hiss fits over a artsen that shaped like something from nature! While entertaining is also kinda a turn off to anyone new to the community who might look in and go wow!... I sure don't want to deal with the Artisan crowed. You know what I think I take my mech and go home not bother checking any of this now the community is little less robust cause of people acting out over nothing.
Finally. I'm not alone.
PS don't ever post about your opinion in this regard to raffles on Reddit. I tried. I lost.
The only saving grace back then was that it wasn't nearly as easy to ship things out of China or nearby regions (mostly only Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong) which could flood the market with ease.