Right, I think even small things like printing or how the plain cardboard is put together count as well-designed packaging in my opinion.
The other day, I bought a pen off of eBay, and the seller shipped it in a brown cardboard box from Aesop (fancy soap maker). The box itself wasn’t luxurious, but the heft of the cardboard and the way it securely slotted together made an impression on me. I wish I had taken a picture of it to demonstrate…
I would say that’s only “well-executed” because it’s a carrying case inside. Without, it would be pretty meh.
But it only confirms what I stated before.
I’m not sure what I think. On one hand I have really enjoyed the thought that seems to have gone into the design of of @norbauer’s products, and Space65 R2’s packaging was something to behold. On the other hand I don’t mind cheap packaging on stuff I buy from AliExpress, KBDfans etc. as long as everything arrives without damages.
I don’t like the thought of paying a lot extra for what amounts to some extra paper and foam, but on a high-end product the relative cost of the packaging is a lot lower than on cheaper stuff.
For me in general, a packaging has to be very good or unique to add to the enjoyment of the board, or very bad to add to the negativity towards the keyboard. It has to be one extreme or another methinks, otherwise it’s a nonissue.
I prefer the smallest possible package that offers the most protection for the board I am receiving. If the packaging is small enough then I can keep it and will use it for storage, rather than throwing it away.
I don’t care otherwise about how fancy or not fancy it is.
Generically speaking I used to think packaging mattered a lot. My perspective has changed quite a bit with kids now. I open many boxes. Now I couldn’t care less about packaging. If it stores the product AND is easy to open I will keep it around.
More into the specific keyboard part. I spend an “unhealthy” amount of time scrutinizing my keyboard IC and GBs. Not once has packaging ever entered my mind in the decision making process. I am in this to use the products not just collect them which can happen with hobbies, I respect the awesomeness of a @norbauer package, Rama and even Ducky has a great keycap set with storage. I would never throw away a Norbauer box while a GMK I might except for maybe resale value. There are enough delays in the keyboard world. I feel like overthinking about the box is one more thing that can hold someone back especially a smaller GB runner.
Somewhat related…
I really enjoy the stickers most vendors throw in. To me its fun, inexpensive & gives some people an outlet for creating some cool designs. It doesn’t make my purchase inherently better… but it is a nice surprise when opening up a package from the mail.
I used to think that I didn’t really care about packaging but after buying some tangerines from a reseller, though I did expect the little container that it comes in, I was still a little bit sad whenever I saw that they came in a nondescript cardboard box and bubble wrap. I think that those containers are iconic and contribute a bit to the fame of tangies.
To me packaging should be good enough to protect my purchase well to avoid contacting the seller, hopefully be made of easily recyclable material otherwise, I don’t care.
Besides, the last thing I need is to feel guilty about throwing away a very nice but now useless box.
This is true, but the ziplock sleeves are pretty durable, and I would totally use them to store plates/PCBs when not in use - even for other keyboards!
Just wanted to second this. This is well said. It’s nice when packaging matches your expectation of a brand and a price point. When it doesn’t, for me, it means the item has to wow me a little bit more to make up for the packaging gaffe.
For more expensive items, if the packaging wasn’t nice I’d wonder how something so high level or so expensive was being handled / packaged so thoughtlessly. I’d start to have doubts about the item and the brand.
As an engineer I’m more impressed by a functional, sustainable packaging than a flashy one. I’ll take intelligently folded plain cardboard over glossy prints and molded plastics anytime. However, the packaging should be easy to open without the use of tools and furious yelling as well as easy to reassemble in case you want to re-sell or RMA the product.
I use to pay attention at the whole experience on getting a new stuff, even handling a good packaging could be very satifying to me. If I get a premium product the box should be aligned with the overall quality, and if it’s well designed and not too much branded It could be useful as storage.
it can definitely enhance the experience for me. Norbauer is a prime example of this with the pink branded box and tissue paper with the signed folio, lol. it does help that the boxes Norbauer uses are perfect for storing the board though. thick foam with a foam cover (as long as its unbuilt) and it fits so well that i have to turn the box upside down and shake it to get the damn board out
I personally prefer as minimal packaging as possible on small group buys because every little bit to help drives the cost down of the final product, and I think packaging material is pretty wasteful in general depending on how exorbitant it gets, like single use plastic bags for every set of screws.
However having said that, I wouldn’t complain about the packaging experience on something made by a large vendor like Qwertykeys or Mode Designs. They have the capital in hand to put that little bit of thoughtfulness into the packaging experience.
TLDR: the bigger the vendor/runner, the more important I’d say the unboxing experience is. If I’m in a small 10 person buy then ship it entirely wrapped in bubble wrap for all I care.
I like to get a hard case with at least a somewhat custom fit interior foam or molded layer for the specific keyboard or at least the form factor. Otherwise, everything should be securely packed in there with the keyboard wrapped somehow to avoid abrasions in shipping. The way CK does it with the microfiber cloth is ideal.
As to a nice outer box or a more designed experience, I couldn’t care less, and honestly would rather not the money and materials be put toward it.
I do like nice touches within that, and they do hook me more as a fan if the product itself is spot on, too. For example, I love that the hard case with the Salvation is a little different: steel grey, with one of the zipper pulls the red and black Salvun logo, the other, the black and white Wilba logo, both round, with another for the interior pocket. A couple of cool stickers help. I don’t care about special baggies, but I guess the little Salvun paper packets are cool.
One thing that I do appreciate and that often doesn’t seem to happen is inclusion of extra gaskets, screws, o-rings for sure and possibly feet and other bits that could get ruined or lost. While these often be replicated or got genetically, it sucks to get a board on extras and then have to cast around to collect a backup set of this stuff for longevity. I would absolutely pay more for a full extra set to be included in the base price, not just as an add-on.
