buy in volume from Digikey, maybe all the parts could be boxed up as a "full-kit"
I think about this. The half-kit concept was nice in that it allowed me to develop a larger range of products, since I didn't tie up all my funding on inventory.
There are a couple reasons I haven't done full kits. Number one is the cost. Shipping parts to HI and then back to mainland or abroad (everywhere is abroad) is pricey. Financing of a large inventory cost extra money (interest). It also ties up my financing. Only can put so much on credit cards. All this cost gets transferred to the customer. Let's look at an example. You can build a CORNET2 for about $400. A full kit would probably go for $700. Fully assembled $1000. So you get the choice of $400 or $700 for the same bag of parts. Which do you choose?
My theory is that DIYers get half their enjoyment just from assembly. It's already a lot of hand work and attention to build a CORNET2, what's another hour on the computer placing orders? Is it worth $300? I think so.
The second advantage of half-kit is that many of you already have a stock of assorted parts, or have a preference for other parts. This happens a lot with capacitors. Buy only the caps you want.
Yes, there are always some who prefer to have the entire kit of parts in one bag, already prepared. I can't please everyone, and it is futile to try. So I focus on what I am good at, and offer the most I can for a particular market segment.
This is not to say that full-kit is not a good way to go. Look at Bottlehead. They do very well selling complete sets. For every CORNET2 sold, they probably sell five SEDUCTIONs. Is that because of kit / half-kit? Or because of price point? I dunno. I'm only guessing here, but I think their trick is to ship product in '4 to 6 weeks'. That allows them to compile orders over a month period, then buy the parts all at once. It's prepaid, no inventory costs. Only buy what you need. Very clever, efficient. Again, I'm only making a guess.
My approach was for faster service. I ship all half-kits from stock, usually within one day. I also decided to design to a higher price and performance point. My goal was to compete against mainstream hi-end machines, not other kits. The half-kit concept untied my hands and let me shoot a little higher.
jh
