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Lessons Learned From Batch 1

A project log for CleanHawk 250 Quadcopter Power Distribution Board

Distribute power to all the things running on an Emax / Nighthawk 250 quadcopter

2bluesc2bluesc 06/02/2015 at 19:580 Comments

Shipping

Everyone will order USPS First Class for half the price of USPS Priority mail. Make it a priority to get this shipping flow figured out. For me it was a simple as:

  1. Order proper mailers and self adhesive inkjet printing labels. For me these were size "000" mailers (maybe "00" next time so the labels fit better) and half page labels, both from Amazon.
  2. Learn about the hidden USPS + Paypal First Class mail link online. Skip http://stamps.com (they are evil as their service is virtually impossible to cancel) and the post office. They are both a waste of time.

Since I added first class mail to my Tindie page, 100% of domestic customers have used it. I watch the packages in transit and they take roughly 2x as long. Priority mail was 2-3 days anywhere in the US as advertised, first class mail is about double with what seems to be less verbose tracking. Performance approximates price apparently.

International shipping is essential. Eventually I said "I don't want to deal with the hassle of shipping internationally" and that was a mistake also. The same secret USPS First Class link will let you ship internationally and embeds the customs forum on the label. Done. I half a flat rate price on my Tindie site for international shipping which is somewhat inflated, but covers my increased risk (damage in transit, price deltas between countries) and has not deterred a number of users from using it. I'm always amused to tell a friend that my toy hobby project has shipped to Australia, UK, Germany and more. Major frustration is that some shipping partners in destination countries don't update the USPS tracking info, so I just assume they get delivered unless I hear otherwise.

Returns and Damages

No failures. No returns. One shipment had a cracked inductor due to shipping and handling but was still operational. No returns, no catastrophic failures nothing. I was shocked and pleased.

There have been issues with people soldering to high thermal mass PCBs. Proper soldering iron and more importantly proper soldering technique resolves that.

As for crashes, there was one damaged inductor from a hard crash, the user just wanted to know where to get a replacement and I sent out the part number and a list of distributors. Repaired and back in the air I'm sure!

Next Batch?

Absolutely. The product has a reputation and following on the forum. People want it. I'm excited and I'm building more. Sign-up now on my Tindie product page for the wait list so I can gauge the interest. In less then a week the wait list now exceeds the number of units I've sold directly on Tindie. Whaaaaa?

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