Because of these dam things all my bearing sources are trying to raise the bearing prices repeatedly. I keep doubling my bearing order quantities to try and lower the cost back to normal and the lead time keeps increasing as do the prices. So pissed off. 4 orders in a row. I will be so pissed if after all of the things I do to keep the price the same fidget spinners causes me to have to increase my prices.
Well I have a freaking stockpile of about 10k bearings right now, I might try and wait it out. When these stupid things fade into the distance bearings will be next to free at that point.
Bets on how long this thing will last? I read an article last night about a ton of factories in china ramping up production like what happened with the hoverboards. I have a feeling by the time that first large freighter arrives the market will be flooded and this will end. 2 months because it takes 1 month on the water for them to get here.
So far that hasn’t been how China seems to operate, a fad kicks in, more manufactures ramp up production then lowest price wins. Once they all have the item in stock (bearings) the prices fall as they try to get rid of them. That is why I can use the leadscrews now. When I built the first machine they cost a fortune, now almost the same price as a all thread. Hiwin rails are dropping fast as well, well the lookalike hiwin.
I just seems lame. Boca called me a few weeks ago “looks like your fidget spinner sales are increasing”…nope, cnc machine kits. Remember giving me $5k for my design winning your company’s competition using your bearings?
Then last month I double my bearing order because shipping them is slow from another company. They email back, sorry the price has increased. Really I double my order any increase my per piece price, when has that ever been a thing? The bearings arrived a few days ago, that company just emailed. “I see the bearings have arrived. the last price we gave you will not work we need to increase it. Since you are selling fidget spinners we would like to offer you a different bearing for the center”. Nope, not selling fidget spinners…cnc Machine kits.
I love people making them, that is the best, but running down to 7-11 and buying one for $2 is pretty weak sauce if you ask me.
If you need a fidget spinner to keep your hands busy, keep them busy by making something.
On that note, Alec Steele made a damascus one, or all the crazy hand made/designed ones on the site here awesome. Some of the magic just disappears when you see 100,000 injection molded toys that cost $.20 each made to keep your hands busy. Kinda like the old executive desk toys. I am fine with people buying really nice versions of something like this, but the wave of shitty ones that is just starting to arrive is going to get boring really fast.
I love that. Keep making them, offer some bearing oil, some super precision bearing upgrade kits, sell some balancing kits, customizing stickers, carbon fiber upgraded frames/bodies, ect. I’m all for this aspect of it, just not the plastic ones that will end up in the trash in no time.
If you have #2 pencil you got out of the machine for a dime, you will pencil fight with it and throw it away. If you wash your dad’s car to earn the money to buy a mechanical pencil it might serve your needs all the way through college and still be considered your lucky pencil…
They did try to sell me the bearings that I had refused in the past, again. Some of them I wouldn’t say are bad, for our purposes, but one brand would just puke out it’s lube on the first use. Somehow they used the wrong stuff. So there are only 1 kind that I really like right now and I think I am actually getting them from the manufacture or only one step from them.
It’s a well-documented fact that if you use the same pencil on the test that you used to take the notes, it will know the answers. Unfortunately, I always failed to take any notes in college.
I’m having a hard time figuring out where the sudden hype came from to. But I know for me when I sit there and play with one it actually helps me clear my mind.
