Could handcrafting hi-fi put food on your table?

[Endorphin]

I'm considering small business of making tabletop hi-fi systems and selling them as crafts. What do readers of this forum think? Could handmaking electronics devices be a way to make a living in our day and age of low price mass market?

[simon7000]

Put one up on eBay and see what it sells for. Then you can figure out your cost and time required. The number of bidders will tell you the interest level.

[planet10]

Don't give up your day job until you find you can justify quitting due to demand & dollars flowing in.

I've been working towards hifi vendor self-suffiicency for 10 years now, still depend on part-time computer work, and only getting by because of VERY low overhead.

dave

[KyleinCowichan]

I see some people selling speakers on Etsy.com. I think the hardest part of getting something like that sold is people's resistance to buying something without hearing it or handling it. Dave has posted plans for speakers so that people who want to can build a set of speakers, and sells finished speakers and flat-packs to people less inclined/able to use a table saw. Getting a working model into the hands of people who will talk about it is another way. Simon7000's suggestion is interesting, and certainly a cheap way to gauge interest.

I say put it out there, get your idea out there for people to see and talk about.

KM

[madtecchy]

dont forget compliance to regulations. and the marketing also. There is a minefield of problems to solve wating for you out there. sort each one and you may be on to a winner

[KyleinCowichan]

A tip my boss once gave me about dealing with regulation of electrical devices is to use an external power supply that is already UL safety rated. That might help?? Others would have more to say I am sure, there are plenty of people in this forum that have built and sold electronics.

KM

[Buckapound]

Look at the guy selling suitcase boomboxes:

The BoomCase© by Mr. Simo | Vintage Suitcase BoomBoxes

Cool, clever, creative. Recycled, too. Not that you want to copy him, but those are the things people will pay for, and it makes them more willing to buy, because they can see all that, and make the assumption that the sound must be alright.

--Buckapound

[madtecchy]

Originally Posted by KyleinCowichan

A tip my boss once gave me about dealing with regulation of electrical devices is to use an external power supply that is already UL safety rated. That might help?? Others would have more to say I am sure, there are plenty of people in this forum that have built and sold electronics.

KM

I agree with you well that is a start one problem out of the way

[jcx]

check out head-fi

there are several highly desired diy project amps for which there is some demand for builders by those who don't diy

of course beating minimum wage could be tough

also check forum rules for soliciting business, abusing PM's advertizing in for sale subforum are all resticted


(you may need to step up your casework though if the following is typical of your work)

[revboden]

I've had several small side businesses. I found the best model is the simplest, very low overhead (expect total loss for at least the first year) make one thing and make it good.
Check out liability insurance, you'll need it. You may organize as an Artisan Sole Proprietor, which in most states will grant you a level of sales without complex taxes to deal with while still allowing you to buy supplies wholesale.