Anybody following the $179 Tiko delta?

I haven't felt much need to follow it, I figure there will be plenty of noise when it ships, doesn't ship, implodes.  It looks like they are going to actually ship a printer, I'm guessing because they have funds other than Kickstarter.  A crowdunging-only funded printer company at that price and volume would normally go belly up (Makibox, Buccaneer).

Keeping that price point would be vital. The build volume looks so limiting, I would be wanting to upgrade to a bigger printer soon after buying it.

Here's their AMA on Reddit. you can judge for yourself.

https://np.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comm … d_were_on/

wow, trainwreck of an AMA.

$179 is an unrealistic target for a 3d printer, and this is going to hurt them.

2.3x COGS is actually pretty typical, it is difficult to run a business in the US without that much markup.

http://blog.ponoko.com/2010/11/16/ten-r … -—-rule-1/

That might be true in retail, it isn't true in design/manufacturing. The manufacturer has to bear the cost of:

- Assembly
- Warranty repairs
- Design staff (engineers, etc)
- Packaging and shipping staff
- etc

You also need to factor in wholesale pricing. If you're selling retail at 1.3x COGS, no one is going to be interested in carrying your widget as there isn't enough room for them to make a profit without the manufacturer providing it at cost (and eating the cost of the items above).

all that depends on product also. like Jewelry and Bedroom Furniture, clothing, sporting goods of some types retail ias 400% markup for Retail over wholesale, parts retail commonly runs 100% through in home service companies and 40-50% over the counter with discounts fo levels of wholesale depending on Quantity of business. I have/had several family members in different businesses plus I was in purchasing in several other types. its not just "that they can" there are lots of factors at play supply/demand and fashion/style are but a few. most products once they become over run with foreign low quality/cost versions not only cause others to shut down but also support/services for them and long term parts availability has dropped drastically for this the past 30 years. most had to retain parts at least 10 years after discontinued (average life of many appliances) then 20 years ago it was only 5 years, now good luck once warranty is out.