So, here’s an idea – much like the distributed manufacturing system for printed pulleys, why doesn’t someone set up a website business for RepRap parts? Here’s the outline of the business plan:
- A price could be set for a particular RepRap plastic part, depending upon size, complexity, scarcity, how many more are needed to make a full set, etc.
- People with RepRaps/Straps can register for an account and send in RepRap parts, and get their account credited for those parts.
- Ideally, the website would also have an area where you can print out a table of contents – with bar codes. That way the receiver could just scan the parts into their inventory – and verify the contents/quality later.
- People who send in parts are paid on a regular basis electronically.
- The site also contains a store where you can purchase an entire set of printed/molded RepRap parts – or perhaps just those ones you need.
- It would be quite handy if such a site also sold the various other parts needed for a RepRap – bearings, metal rods, electronics, fasteners, etc.
- I suppose the sets could be sold on a bid-style basis – and the parts paid for pro-rata. 1
This idea isn’t without it’s problems:
- How do you ensure a minimum quality in crowdsourced parts?
- Perhaps you could use a seller/rating system like BrickLink does for lego vendors?
- Why would someone buy/sell from a website like this rather than eBay?
- Well, eBay and Etsy each take about 3.5% with PayPal snagging another 3% or so. Assuming sales are handled through PayPal2 , you’re talking about basically 6.5% out of the seller’s end.
- Assuming you go with PayPal (3%) and you charge less than the 3.5% for eBay, you can probably attract buyers and sellers. The problem is once you’ve gotten this far, you’ve basically re-created eBay buy-it-now or an Etsy store. To succeed you’ll need to serve the market better or cheaper.
- As soon as RepRaps in the wild increase or demand for parts is met, won’t the bottom drop out?
- Quite possibly. A week ago Mendel plastic parts were selling for $450. 3 Today it looks like parts are going for about $300 or so. Then again, a set didn’t sell with a $200 reserve just a few days ago.
- How many sets have been sold on eBay anyhow? A dozen? Let’s say it was 20 sets at $450 each. 20 * $450 * 3.5% is $315.00. If 100 sets are sold at $300 with a 3.5% cut, that’s $1050. Neither of these amounts would not have been enough to entice me to code a RepRap sales site – but I’m a slow coder.