The year was 2021.
I was doing some online classes and I’ve received complaints that my gaming keyboard was too loud when used in class. I did try to type softer but my classmates can still hear it.
So I’ve embarked on a journey to create my first custom keyboard. My first board was a silent keyboard, using parts I got from Ali Express. It took at least a month for everything to arrive. From there, I stumbled down a rabbit hole in the keyboard hobby. I have to say, this has to be the most expensive hobby I’ve ever entered, especially when I began to seek higher quality products.
Two years later, I’ve collected 24 keyboards, with some still being made due to manufacturing delays. But ever since I joined, I’ve noticed the landscape has changed. For starters, there are more extras for keycaps unlike before. Also, the amount of group buys that have entered the market somewhat reduced. Meanwhile, the WTS pages on Discord tend to be filled with the same listing, with some announcing that their departure was the cause of their sale.
Are people now getting sick of keyboards?
Let me set the scene.
The year was 2020 and working from home became somewhat the norm. At the same time, there was a pandemic happening. People decided to play video games since they couldn’t go outside. So building a custom keyboard makes sense since it is an item that we use a lot at home. There were videos where the things that we typed on made really cool sounds. Also, there was the retail therapy aspect of it, where you’d spend hundreds of dollars for parts, only for it to be built a few months, and in most cases, years later.
If there is one phrase that people in this hobby are aware of, it’s the term “Group Buy.” For those who don’t know what it means, it is essentially equivalent to a “Kickstarter Pre-Order.” Designers would ask vendors to host these group buys to determine if a product like a keyboard or keycap would meet MOQ (minimum order quantity). Once it hits, it can begin the manufacturing process, which could take months, and in most cases, years.
An example is the keycap set, EPBT Dreamscape. This set entered Group Buy in mid-2021, but it began shipping in mid-2023. This was a two-year wait for plastic. It’s no wonder why some people resorted to buying clones (which is a whole separate can of worms).
Fortunately, vendors would list extras and the price would be somewhat higher than the initial group buy listing. However, I’ve noticed lately that some sets were unable to leave the shelves. An example is GMK Dracula V2.0. The first version was super sought-after and would sell out within minutes. Now, it seems like not everyone is interested in buying this set, at least in the Australian market.
I spoke to some community members about this on Discord, and they told me a variety of reasons why extras aren’t being sold as heavily as before. For starters, the hobby has slowed down lately. Also, we’re in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. Hobbyists are now being careful about what they’re purchasing. But one major reason why not many people are buying extra keysets, at least for GMK, is the quality and how people received terrible and “funky looking” sets after years of waiting. Now, people don’t want to wait another five months for replacements.
The reason why there is a lack of in-stock products is due to the MOQ. Producing custom keyboards for the market is very expensive and if something goes wrong, the designer would be out of pocket. Sure, there are a few in-stock items, but they’re usually cheap and not as high quality. Fortunately, as time went on, more HQ in-stock items entered the market. However, the concept of Group Buys may have caused people to bounce.
As mentioned earlier, Group Buys are done through vendors. These are your online stores where you can buy parts and extras. If you’re lucky, you could still get a keycap set that was first sold last year. However, it was reported during the past few months that some became shady and have closed due to the mismanagement of funds.
Keyboard YouTuber, Taeha Types released a video that goes into excruciating detail about this type of situation and how many people were heavily affected and were worried about their orders.
As someone who’s been in the hobby for two years, these factors were the reason why I stopped participating in group buys. Sure, it was cool to get a fancy bespoke board and really cute keycaps. But when it took two years for my orders to be produced, and it’s taking longer for some of them to ship due to regional issues, the waiting game started to get boring.
Also, I joined two group buys that were either cancelled or heavily delayed due to a vendor’s mismanagement. Fortunately, the Asia-Pacific region isn’t heavily affected. But when you see the designer announce on Discord that a group buy re-run would put them under the red, that’s not good.
We live in a world where we have one or same-day shipping with Amazon. How items will arrive within a week or so. And when they do arrive, it usually isn’t that bad. Meanwhile, we have custom items that are taking forever to come out, and when they do, the quality is shit. By this point, you’re better off buying cheap alternatives.
But are these issues enough to kill a hobby?
Not exactly.
As of writing, not many products have entered the group buy stage. However, manufacturers are slowly trying to release more in-stock products. An example is KBD Fans with PBTFans collection and Osume and its releases. Hobbyists will be able to purchase decent keycaps that will ship immediately. If there is an issue, it is usually resolved in an instant.
At the same time, designers like HIBI.MX and Mode Designs are releasing more in-stock keyboards for those who want something high quality but without the 1 year waiting period.
While more people are trying to downsize their collection, the hobby has changed since it rose in popularity. In-stock items have risen in quality. Sure, they are still cheap plastic keyboards. But we’re also seeing some aluminium builds for less than $100. This means that selling an old $90 acrylic keyboard may be difficult now due to the amount of options there are in the market.
While it is sad to see people announce their departure on Discord and Facebook groups, as well as see people struggling to downsize their collection due to lack of interest, it is important to know that the hobby is changing. Sure, it may look like it’s dying, but perhaps it’s going through a long and well-needed change. This is no longer 2020. And as long as there are those interested in creating these amazing builds. Don’t expect this hobby to die out anytime soon.
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