What is a group buy mechanical keyboard

Published 1 year ago: August 12, 2021 at 11:00 pm

More than any group I’ve ever been part of, the mechanical keyboard community is hardcore af. The die-hard keeb freaks who haunt it aren’t content to wait for some big-name manufacturer to make something good. These folks are ready and willing to design, fund, and finance their own hardware and accessories, and if you want to score some nice gear yourself, you need to be ready to go with their unique flow.

Most of the time this custom-creation process involves something called a group buy, in which a bunch of interested fans pool their money in order to make their keyboard dreams come true. As with many things in life, it’s the waiting that’s the hardest part.

You’re likely familiar with the concept of the group buy in one of its more mainstream forms. It’s really a form of crowdfunding, like a project you’d see on Kickstarter or Indiegogo. Like those platforms, a keyboard group buy gathers money from interested parties and then applies that money toward the manufacture of a product. Rather than taking a gamble on making a bunch of stuff no one wants to buy, you start with a dedicated customer base that’s already invested in what you’re making. It’s an excellent way to get a product funded and manufactured.

So a group buy is a somewhat more grassroots form of crowdfunding. Instead of using a larger platform, a keyboard enthusiast goes to a community forum like Geekhack or my personal go-to, Reddit’s r/Mechmarket. They’ll start talking about their idea for a new keyboard form factor or a new custom keyset. If you go to r/Mechmarket and sort by the IC (interest check) flair, you’ll find a whole slew of projects individuals or small companies are looking to get off the ground. Creators will show off prototypes and share manufacturing details and specs.

For example, Redditor Cyberbay recently updated the interest check for their Bubble 75 keyboard, a lovely little small form-factor, gasket-mounted keyboard with a unique layout. Cyberbay even went as far as to upload a typing video so folks could hear what the finished project sounds like.

It produces a lovely muted sound. Had I just looked at pictures of the keyboard I might not have been so enthused. Were I shopping for a new keyboard, that video might have pushed me over the edge. The interest check is basically the pitch, or the selling phase. Do you want this thing? Check yes or no.

When a creator drums up enough interest, it’s time for a group buy. The keyboard or accessory specs are locked in, manufacturing times are estimated, and money is collected from interested parties. The goal is to pay for all aspects of production, from tooling to shipping, making sure everyone’s money goes to the right place and the group buy initiator doesn’t wind up stuck having to put up extra money, from their own pocket or otherwise, to get the project done.

Let me point you toward r/Mechmarket once more, where the GB (group buy) tag is full of projects in process. Redditor Jrodna is getting ready to launch a group buy for the Orthocode, a unique keyboard design with a rotary encoder. Jrodna has their own website set up for the group buy, with an asking price of 240 New Zealand dollars and an expected ship date of November of this year.

There’s a cool little 3×3 macropad that’s available for $US35 ($47) completely assembled, shipping in September. There’s a group buy for gorgeous custom deskmats that’s available to purchase from various shops depending on your region, with an expected ship date of Q4 2021. Over at KPREPUBLIC, they’re holding a group buy for a glorious dark green and cream, wilderness-themed Domikey x iNKY Silent Forest keycap set. The all-in-one kit is $US200 ($271), which is relatively inexpensive for all you get, or you can pick and choose from the smaller sets to suit your board. Shipping is expected in December.

One problem with group buys, which should be obvious, is the whole pay now, receive later aspect. There is nothing quite as disappointing as having a little extra money laying around, finding the perfect keyboard or keyset or what-have-you, and then discovering it won’t ship for several months to a year. It’s a huge frustration for new mechanical keyboard shoppers who figure they can just buy what they want and be done with it.

Did I say the waiting is the hardest part? It’s more of a tie between waiting and hoping to hell everything goes as planned. I’ve taken parts in group buys that have been delayed months due to factory errors like misdrilled holes, broken electronics, and random scratches all over brushed aluminium cases. I’ve had keysets where certain keys somehow printed off-centre and had to be replaced. My personal favourite group buy flub took place back in 2017, when the person organising a buy for a small form-factor keyboard mis-sorted the spreadsheet of participants so that everyone’s keyboard switch selections got mixed up. Fortunately it was a hot-swap board, so I didn’t have to resolder anything, but please folks, learn how to spreadsheet.

On the plus side, a successful group buy produces a highly limited object which, if cared for properly, can fetch a high price on the aftermarket. Once a group buy keyboard starts rolling out into customer’s hands, the FOMO from folks who did not participate is super powerful. As an added bonus, the folks who buy up limited edition items like sneakers or game consoles to resell at ridiculous prices? Looks like they haven’t discovered the mechanical keyboard group buy market yet.

Just beware, that FOMO is a double-edged sword. Imagine finding the keyboard of your dreams and realising it’s part of a group buy that has already closed. Sure, there might be extras produced at some point, but will there really? (The answer is usually no. You are screwed.)

As annoying as it is to see a cool new piece of keyboard hardware and then realise it’s only available if you pay now and then wait for several months, sometimes painstakingly customised objects that meet your every criteria are worth the wait. Some of my favourite keyboards in my ever-growing collection started off with me filling out a primitive Google form saying that yes, I had a couple hundred dollars and a whole bunch of patience.

Participating in a well-run group buy can be incredibly rewarding. Just do your research, make sure you’re ok with the wait, and hope for the best.

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A Group Buy (or GB) is the Keyboard Community's term for crowd funding. Products in group buy must reach a certain amount of products sold before manufacturing can start. After the buy hits it's MOQ (minimum order quantity), and the group buy period ends, production will begin. This means that if that certain number is not reached before the predetermined time set for the group buy, the product will not be made, and participants will be refunded. Products are not sold by quantity, and therefore cannot be sold out.

When in the hands of a trusted community vendor, group buys are akin to preorders. However, an element of risk lies in entrusting a newer vendor or individual running a group buy with your money. Please be wary and do your own research when considering joining a group buy.

Group Buys from switchmod.net are non-cancellable, and non-refundable. This rule, of course, is excluded if the group buy does not reach MOQ.

Group Buys happen because these products take a lot of money to manufacture, and there is not enough money in our coffers. However, this allows far more community-based interaction and makes the buying process truly more democratic.

GROUP BUY TERMS

Refunding a group buy order falls into 3 brackets.

If an order is cancelled before the order is submitted to the manufacturer, no fee will apply.
If an order is cancelled after the order is submitted to the manufacturer, a 3.3% fee will apply.
If a group buy is stalled for 3 months past it's estimated delivery date, refunds will be available without question, upon request - with no fee.

Once payment has been submitted, updates can be found most reliably on http://discord.switchmod.net.

If your group buy order contains items in group buy and items not in group buy, you will be refunded instantly without question.

The date on a group buy is an estimate, and not a guarantee of product on that exact date. Delays and issues with the process can result in late delivery.

The product may not even arrive as promised, and that's why we will be updating along the way with pictures of the process to avoid that possibility as much as possible.

Group buy products (this includes pre-orders) cannot be placed into a cart with products that are not from the same group buy. If this is attempted, there are safeguards in place to keep you from checking out. However, if this is bypassed in any way you shall promptly and immediately be refunded and your order will be cancelled. Please make a new cart without any offending items and you will be just fine.

Mechanical keyboard users love to customize their keyboards so they have something different from the masses. A number of sites have popped up to cater to and fill this desire of mechanical keyboard users. These sites are usually called “group buys”, where a product must get a certain number of pre-orders before it’s guaranteed to be produced, and usually only in a limited-time run. Why would you participate in such a thing? By purchasing in bulk, those in the group-buy get an awesome deal on the product they’re purchasing. It’s not uncommon to see group buys attaining more than a 50% discount. That’s a huge discount on mechanical keyboards (or anything else you want). What’s even better is that these discounted purchases are pretty common for mechanical keyboards and related peripherals.

This lets mechanical keyboard enthusiasts get some really cool and unique gear that only a handful of others will ever have! Perfect to add some character to your perfect mechanical keyboard, or adding a little excitement to your cubicle. Let’s get into some specific sites you can look at for these group buys.

Massdrop

MassDrop is a quickly growing indie group buy site for a wide variety of products, and they currently have 16 active group buys for mechanical keyboards or mechanical keyboard accessories. One of their most popular group buys has been the Infinity Keyboard, a 60% keyboard kit that you assemble yourself. It’s just a fraction of the cost of the other 60% mechanical keyboards on the market, showing you the power of group buys.

Some of their other group buys have been things like mechanical keycaps (even in metal), and a Bluetooth keyboard adapter. You may need to sign up before you can view all available options.

Pimp My Keyboard

Pimp My Keyboard focuses strictly on mechanical keyboard keycaps and gives everyone the ability to design something for the entire community to enjoy. The way it works is you can submit a keyboard design, and if at least 100 people vote for it, you can attempt a group buy! You can view the current group buys, and you’ll need an account to purchase anything or vote on ideas. This website takes mechanical keyboard customization to another level. Most hardcore gamers or keyboard enthusiasts love customizing their boards, and this is another great way to do it on a budget.

[CTRL]ALT

[CTRL]ALT is similar to Pimp My Keyboard in that they both focus on keycaps, but [CTRL]ALT isn’t user-driven. They design the keycaps themselves and do a damn good job at it. If you take a look at their past and current group buys, you can see they’re not afraid of getting wild with their designs. A true situation of mechanical keyboard keycaps for enthusiasts, by enthusiasts. Again, another great way to customize you board at a low cost. By doing this en masse it allows you to get a key that you want without the hassles of actually making one from scratch (which would take forever). Moreover, by having people dedicated to designing the caps, you may feel comfortable knowing that they will be designed by real enthusiasts who know what they’re doing. Another thing that I love about this site and Pimp My Keyboard is that the keys you get are likely to be limited in quantity, making them extra rare and hard to come by.

Conclusion

Mechanical keyboards can be expensive – through buying both a high-quality board and customizing it via keycaps. By utilizing the sites I’ve talked about above, you can gain substantial cost savings and purchase awesome keyboards on a budget. The only caveat in utilizing the group-buy method is that it limits your choice and requires you to either wait or purchase it right away. That being said, if you’re on a budget, this may be the best way to get a solid mechanical keyboard at a low cost. Alternatively, you can check out our article on the best cheapest mechanical keyboards here where we list the best mechanical keyboards that are under $100.