I've stayed on the hobby side as much as possible but I can't continue to work for free. I had just got back to the point of trying to build a scanner.. had plans to start selling a complete scanner kit including a baseplate where all u would have to add were the lasers.. Other sites still charge more than I do and u still don't always get the sevice that I give. I have gotten to the point where I only ship 3 times a week now instead of every day like I used to and that's mainly bc its just been so slow. Before I posted this thread I had 1 order since the last time I packed up orders on Tuesday to ship Wednesday.. I really do appreciate the support you guys have given me but with the economy the way it is and especially taxes I can't justify keeping it open much longer.

It is virtually impossible to compete in this market now

The level of research and "sharing" information about sources that goes on now depresses the prices to an unrealistic level.

Add to that the reality that little Johnny will do a GB "at cost" just to get the parts for one "free" laser and the potential to be able to charge a realistic "profit" virtually disappears

NooB's especially forget (or never knew) that keeping stock on hand costs money.
They don't realize that if you run a store, you have to pay taxes and other business expenses
They do not realize that a person MUST feel some compensation for taking time away from their family and life to run a store
They do not yet realize how much the convenience of just being able to click a button to get a single part is really worth

I thank you for all the effort you have put in trying to make this a viable storefront
You have provided a service to the community that is difficult to duplicate
+1

Hang around on the hobby side again
It may yet prove to be "fun" again

I'll stop by the store later

Peace,
dave

Yep I totally agree with Dave. I have been self employed for the 32 years (20 with my dad) the last 12 by myself. I don't know how you guys do it fulltime job and then deal with people whining about a buck or two It is all about customer service. Good luck with life and enjoy it to the fullest.

Are you done for good?
Whatever the case dont let the modwerx/modwerx.com name disappear. I would think it has some value, maybe someone else would like to buy the domain name off you???
You made it have a good reputation and reliability.

that sucks
Will you still be around on the forum.

sorry to see you go, thank you for your great services to us all Andrew.

All good points Dave. To be fair, I've never been on a forum that went as far out of its collective way to support good sellers (like DTR, Moh and others for instance) and be willing to pay a buck or two more for something to keep them going.

But you are right that group buys and sharing of information makes it particularly tough to compete. This forum is also very much about trying to make the hobby affordable and if "it" can find a way to build a better mousetrap in order to avoid paying $35 for a "very flexible" driver, then it will.

For the sellers who provide something unique (like Jayrobs custom machine work or Survival Lasers rock solid kits) there will probably always be some profit.

But if someone is selling a "commodity" then there is very little profit.

And most things become a commodity at some point. They start off with a good profit margin, but start to turn into loss-leaders at some point and you have to come up with another product to sell that makes the big profit. Kinda like printers! Back in the day, big money was made selling laser jets and ink jets. Now they are money losers in the hope they will make it back in ink sales.

Anyway, I didn't mean to go all philosophical on this, I just found your comments interesting and I agree with them very much. I also wanted to point out that a businessperson has to go in with the attitude of staying on top of the next big thing because you WILL have competition from all different sides and you will have things happen - like parts failures, or a diode becomes worthless overnight because a new one has just come out, etc... That you have to plan for or get burnt.

Running a business is tough!

Heads Up to Andrew: If I add 10 LPC-826 diodes to my cart, it raises the price from $11.69 to the $11.99 "sale price." I don't know if that is easy to adjust, but I wanted to let you know.

keep working on your scanner man i have one in progress as well

what is happeningt. first mohgasm (i think that was first, not sure) and now modwerx. where are we going to get laser parts from now (not trying to be rude).
But anyways, good luck for the future

what if we lose dtr or clif then who is gonna sell us all the sh*t that goes into a laser

Damn sorry to see you go. I too bought the "guts" of my first laser (the 635 pen in my sig) from you. In fact I killed both of them and had to order two more diodes before I finally got it working. Hell I still have a PHR-803 sled somewhere that I got from you that I haven't harvested the diode from yet that served as a backup after my experience with the 635 diode.

Good luck with your scanner and maybe someday those kits will materialize. I know I'd seriously be interested in one. Thanks for being an asset to the community!

I remember the first LOC I bought from modwerx Can't believe it's closing but ndrew has no other choice.

most people dont realize that even "at costs" gb are still money makers.. ive never done a gb and never will bc i dont like the way they operate.. i remember waiting on daedal for several months for the ps3 sleds he was getting.. ended up waiting a long time for kenoms barrels to for several months and he ended up having problems bc of unexpected costs and what not.. i can tell you that a few of the prominent gb runners here are probably making very large lump sums just for collecting money and spending 1 day shipping orders. no one wants to take a loss so everyone that does a gb over charges if only by a few cents or dollars for "just in case".. the thing about it is that 10's to hundreds of orders where all 1 person does is collect money, place an order, and ship a few packages adds up.. from the GB prices ive seen and the prices my suppliers charge some people are making a killing.. people that run GBs make the same profit but dont have any of the overhead of having an actual "shop".. i started doing "pre-orders" with 300$ for the drives the phr-805s used to some in and it turned into the shop i now have.

its still amazing how much the support for modwerx has diminished over the past year or so on the forum granted that i have the reputation of being such a fast shipper and have a good selection to choose from. modwerx hasnt been mentioned in the companies area or reviews area in quite some time.. if my shop had been so good i would have thought that folks would want to help support and promote the shop but i was proven wrong. there is no appreciation any more and everyone want to send their money to china instead of supporting a US distributor. well your all helping destroy our economy. yes i buy from china but all profits are spent in the US and several products i carry are made or come from the US.

the money ive wasted on R&D for products, the time it took to get everything started, the free time it takes away from my schedule and other factors have made me think its just not worth it anymore. my prices were set when i was moving volume which was the only way i made money. i make almost nothing off a 10$ order but if i have 10x 10$ orders i make a few bucks. this just seems like a huge waste of time on my part now days..

With the 10% sale you had, not sure how much profit there was to make, but your prices became very competitive overnight and I saw your stock clear pretty fast. With just a 10% price adjustment, sometimes just mere 50 cents or a 1 dollar difference will convince a buyer to purchase from your store.

But I totally understand the time/effort and research it takes to open up a shop. It took just over 3 weeks and $1500 to prep for mine and it failed in days (tho succeeded in winning a several customers). There was lots to learn from for sure. I can see how frustrating it is when people expect your prices to be so low, that it would be pointless and a waste of your time.

Not all of us know that it takes much more time running your own shop than it does going to work or school. Time = money, and spending 5-6 hours a day with your business definitely needs to compensated with monetary benefits or it would be pointless.

there are 10% and 15% coupon codes floating around and have been..

to be honest i think its been a few months since anyone even used a coupon code..

OK. Watching him try to school you on running a business was quite entertaining

MANY of the current purchases, that drew down the stock, were like mine.

I don't "need" what I bought, but I am unwilling to let them go to someone who will take them to eBay and sell them for more

Some others were based in "I better get them now. They might not be available later"

Peace,
dave

That train of thought tends to cost big in the long run. Still got 100 PHR 803's
to show for it

Indeed. It wasn't long ago, I *gave away* a half dozen 6X diodes because I couldn't sell them

Peace,
dave

I was going to sell them off at a lower price than what I paid, plus they are
extracted and tested.. But in the back of my head I always think of not
having them anymore and finding a good use for them

Laser Christmas Tree anyone?

Peace.
dave

I'd be spending Christmas in the yard.. wife would see to that.