Is kickstarter feature need for the openhardware?

[kalina]

Nothing to explain. Openhardware.io is amazing site. If this feature is added, it will take the site to a new level.

What do you think about this?

P.S. If you agree, you can vote my post.

[hek]

Hi @kalina,

Yeah, thought about it. Would have been fun to do something like this together with the manufacturers. e.g. They offer a price of board X assembled if we reach 100/1000/10000 orders.

What stopped me was the payment fees and hassle of handling/holding peoples money during the kickstarter period. A lot could go wrong... and as a hobbyist project, I don't have the resources to make any losses when things fail (people withdrawing etc.) or handle customer support.

I've found something similar on the market though, https://www.crowdsupply.com/, maybe you could check it out.

[alowhum]

For a long time I've wondered if there wasn't something like Shapeways for electronics.

With Shapeways you upload your design, and they take care of showcasing it, selling it and shipping it. They take a cut of the profits of course.

I'd love something similar for hardware. You upload the design, and the company produces it (fully soldered, and even pre-programmed) and then ships the creations on demand (or once a threshold for a number of orders has been reached).

[kalina]

Hi @hek, I understand what is the problem now. Really, just desire is not enough))