How to Keyboard - Page 5

The hunt for endgame

So you have an ideal board, ideal switches, and ideal keyset to buy.
Yet trying to buy the keyboard gives an out-of-stock listing every time. What gives?

Since custom keyboards can be very low-quantity high-quality products, they often come via unique sales formats which can be intimidating up-front.

The group buy

The group buy is closest to a pre-order or a crowdfunding campaign.
It has been the sale method of choice for low-quantity or unique products which are too risky to manufacture ahead-of-time; here’s how it works.

1. Interest check: In this phase, the product is initially designed and published for public feedback or publicity.
2. Group buy sale: The product is made available for purchase for a set amount of time.
3. Manufacturing: The orders are collected up and sent off for manufacturing.
4. Shipping: Once the product is finished manufacturing, it is shipped to the buyers.
5. Extras sale: Usually, group buy products are slightly over-manufactured to have spares in case any replacements are needed due to manufacturing errors, shipping damage, or similar; once all the returns and replacements are dealt with, the extra units are listed for sale.

The benefits of the group buy method are as follows:

• Lower cost - Since inventory doesn’t sit on a shelf and instead go straight to the buyer, prices are kept as low as possible.
• Customizability - Since each buyer’s preferences can be collected at checkout, tailor-made keyboards become possible for things like colorways which are then manufactured on-demand.

There are drawbacks as well:

• Slow turnaround - Since manufacturing occurs after purchase, you might have to wait months (or worst case years) before the keyboard arrives.
• Risk - There’s always the possibility that manufacturing fails, the store goes bankrupt, or some unexpected catastrophe destroys the keyboards during production.

The in-stock option

Recently, there has been a trend towards more in-stock keyboards - these are the ones that don’t go through group buy, and are available off-the-shelf like any other product.
These tend to be less customizable, and may be less experimental than the boutique designs which are too risky to manufacture ahead of time.

The aftermarket warning

The aftermarket is a very active place for resale of both new and used products.

This may be beneficial if trying to purchase a historical group buy product which is no longer produced; however, as with any marketplace, they carry risks of product condition and buyer/seller reliability.
If you are planning on going this route, proceed at your own risk.

The closing words

Yes, you made it all the way through. Info that usually takes months to scrape together, all consumed in significantly less time.

Before you go, here are a few tidbits that will help along the journey which I wish I knew years ago:

It’s a hobby after all

Don’t despair if you don’t make it into a group buy. There is always something better around the corner, and after all, it’s just a rectangle with buttons. Take it lightheartedly.

The power of knowledge

In this hobby, knowledge is power. Being in the know leads to better parts collected, better keyboards built, and more satisfaction for yourself.

At the same time, be aware that there is both quality and unreliable information floating around, with many people doing “armchair keyboard science”, assumptions being passed around as fact, and a heavy focus on the current hypes and trends.
In the end, you’re responsible for collecting the knowledge you want to have for yourself - sometimes empirically by just buying and testing things out.

The power of testing

No matter how much you read descriptions, watch typing tests, and inspect force curves, nothing compares to trying the real thing.
Visit keyboard events when possible, try various options, and build your own personal preferences rather than blindly following the crowd.

And with that said, welcome to the world of custom keyboards. I wish you the best along the journey, and await the words you will type into this world.

Sincerely,
ai03

And if you’ve enjoyed this guide, you might be interested in seeing what I do - I started as a curious hobbyist just like you, got addicted to designing, and after some time found myself designing keyboards full-time.

The world is unpredictable after all.