I am a hypocrite; and thats ok.

Y’know, over the years I’ve often felt like giving people a piece of my mind in quite a strong way. But, because I’m an actual adult, I don’t. I refrain. I believe in doing better; trying to be better; growing where I can.

Some people it turns out, don’t have that ability…

A few days ago I got an email. It wasn’t a very long email, but it was a very distinct email. It was a complaint. The general gist was that the sender doesn't like that I've made our entire switch range 20pence per switch or less; and that its impacting their bottom line.

To be fair, they are right here. I absolutely can’t decide how they price products at all. That would be silly. I also absolutely don’t want to do that. I’m not fussed how other businesses work, or how they pull from Peter to pay Paul or what their lifestyles look like. Keeping up with the Jones’ isn’t my bag and never has been. My trumpet is my own to toot if you know what I mean… (not like that you filthy gremlins!!)

But! As I said before, they are sort of right. This complaint is sort of valid if you squint at it just right and make a bit of a left field observation through a telescope when Mercury is rising. Why? Because I am a bit of a hypocrite on something. Not a big thing, just a little something.

You see, this was a concern raised in response to my recent changes to switch pricing. Previously I did the same thing we do for other products; I looked at what it cost us, added a reasonable margin of a penny or two per switch, added the local taxes and called that good. What I do now is a bit different. I just blanket price all switches at £1.99 per 10. Yes that means we sell almost all of them at a loss. No I don’t regret it. Yes it makes a challenge to my usual stance. Why? Well, that’s because I’ve been saying the vendor collective has been pricing keyboard parts incorrectly for a long time. 

The margins we usually set are around 10% for our net profit. From that 10% we need to pay for all of our operational costs, staff and for any extra products or stock drops. Quite frankly its not enough. A small-looking product margin is not the same as actual profit. It still has to carry all the boring spendy bits of running a business like Rent, taxes, insurances and a thousand other small things. I even discussed this animatedly in the Event Horizon server a few weeks ago with Salvun and some of the public. Pricing needs to be sustainable for both consumers and the businesses running the show. Otherwise, we keep seeing businesses disappear, customers left in limbo, and confidence in the hobby take another kicking. And that’s about as much use as a keyboard covered in dog faeces. That is to say its not as no one wants to touch it and it wont ever pass the sniff test.

So why have I taken this stance and become a hypocrite of my own words? Well, I still believe the hobby has raced to the bottom and fundamentally has a pricing issue. It also has a value issue too, but that’s a different topic entirely. In terms of pricing I still believe we need to look at other industries pricing policies and change where the risks lie from customers and vendors back to manufacturers. Its not that I think consumers should pay more, but that sustainability isn’t only about our carbon footprint but also about making sure businesses can run successfully on the income they can generate. Without that none of us have jobs and the capitalist market does a swan dive. But switches… I think these are a different story.

Switches are not like cases, keysets or premium keyboards. A switch is a bit of a consumable element. People need to try them, compare them, swap them, get it wrong until they get it right. Making the experimentation of the hobby expensive is silly when its all about customisation. And unlike a limited production keyset, a switch sitting on a shelf is rarely a treasured collectible. Its just a product no-one remembers in three years time.

Years ago I read about Sisyphus and pushing the rock up the hill for eternity only to have it roll back down each time he succeded. And that’s lovely. It’s a tale of success and failure all rolled into one. But much like the rock itself switches are bit of a misnomer in the keyboard world. It didn’t matter which rock Sisyphus pushed, or even if it wasn’t a rock and was a boat or a planet or a raccoon instead. It wasn’t part of the moral fabric of the story. The moral was more about his success and failure and doing the action than the actual rock. And I think switches are a bit like that in many ways too.

Switches in this hobby should be accessible and consumable (sustainability aside for now). It’s a bit of a gateway drug to getting into the hobby. Try these tactiles, then change them out for a silent switch only to realise you like a clacky linear. Or something. It’s a different journey for all of us into finding what works for us, sounds pleasant and feels great. It’s the keyboard equivalent of a sexual awakening. And given that importance, who am I to stand in its way? Why should I gatekeep those carnal desires of getting your fingertips down and dirty with a new switch?

Quite frankly I shouldn’t. They should be accessible, easy and cheap. Just like (ok that’s too rude for this blog post but insert your own joke here).

So a few weeks ago I made a decision. I would consciously be that person and go against my beliefs about pricing as a whole. Our entire switch range dropped in price to the same threshold. 20p per switch (or less) for our full range. Even new stuff coming in. Unless there was some goddam contract stopping me all of our switches will be the same price until inflation has something to say about it.

The benefits are multiple and bountiful. Not only do consumers get to try more switches at better pricing they also stop being a big factor in the build cost. Instead of scrimping on 3^rd rate keycaps, consumers can now rest easy knowing their switches wont cost £70 per board to replace. They can buy that better case, or a spare PCB to have a build with different switches, or use the difference to buy something nice for their significant other…

From a business perspective sure they are a loss leader in many cases. But it means that we don’t have dead switch stock sat around for 5 yrs, and a happy customer is one that’s more likely to return. Maybe they will buy an extra keyset or keyboard or part or deskmat or something. That might be with us, or it might be with another vendor, I don’t really mind. What I do mind about is people being able to expand their horizons within the hobby and try as much as possible.

Being a hypocrite is great sometimes. It means you can change your mind. Adapt. Learn. Try something new. Be something new. And that’s what I think I’ve done here. I’ve been my own personal contradiction on my own rants about how we approach pricing and realised that it only stacks up for certain product ranges. Its not a one size fits all.

Growing and changing your opinion when something hits you with a new fact or realisation like a wet fish slapping you in the chops is a great skill to learn. Being able to pivot in the face of adversity; to learn and grow yourself is exactly what being a good hypocrite is all about.

Challenging our own decisions is a good thing, not something to point your finger at whilst shouting “aha!!” at the top of your lungs. Or by sending an email.

We can change.

We can become better people

We can grow.

And you can grow your switch collection.