Poll (kinda): What would you pay for a mod?

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MoonMan

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I'm considering making some mods for sale, but I'm having trouble deciding what to charge. I want to cover part costs and my time, but I don't want to charge an obscene amount for a little box that has $10-$15 worth of parts in it. On the other hand, I'd like to make a profit and have it be worth my time. Ebay would probably be a good judge, but I doubt they allow sales of such things.

What would you be willing to pay for my (or any other) mods?
 
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surbitonPete

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I think you do have to expect to pay a fairly high price for a good mod being made by someone at home in his garage with nothing more than a few hand tools and skill but I think the prices being charged for all of the ones being made in factories are absolutely outrageous. It's like that little janty stick it's a great little e-cig but at the same time my TV remote control is a far more complex bit of electronics than that and you can pick something like that up for just a few pounds or dollars. I wish I had researched enough on here to have made my own at the start.
The factory that makes the soldering Iron that I turned into an e-cig could easily turn it into properly made e-cig themselves for almost no extra costs..and you can buy the soldering iron for between just £6 to £9
 
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billyboy689

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im in the same situation
ive had a lot of pm's asking about various mods i make and have no idea what to charge , i know exactly how much time and effort ive put in to it and have a bin full of rejected or failed mockups that i wasnt happy with
ive officially sold 1 mod to a very happy owner which is a good feeling
once im sorted out i might do a batch and put them up , i already have quite a stockpile of bits n pieces as i make multiple copies of each mod i do already
 

Richie G

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I'm considering making some mods for sale, but I'm having trouble deciding what to charge. I want to cover part costs and my time, but I don't want to charge an obscene amount for a little box that has $10-$15 worth of parts in it.

>

I respect the thought process that went into the UPAC, Moonie. As an electrician of some 30 years (and a computer hobbyist) if I were to buy someone's mod it would be yours. I like the parallel 3.7 volt batteries. I don't understand some of these mods where they use 2 AA batteries or a 6 volt or whatever.

You clearly understand that the atomizer is designed for 3.7 volts and stuck to it. Varying the voltage can only lead to eventual failure from where I sit.
 

prr2freya

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I am not a rich person and can't keep spending so much money. I WISH someone could make me a good manual battery mod for an m401 atomizer for $30 or under. Which I guess looking at all the other priced mods is too unrealistic.:(

I don't have the tools to make one myself and would prefer someone with more hardware skills than i would make one for me. I don't have a husband around to help me with soldering. I also would prefer not to blow myself up. I can code a website, make fantastic graphics.. texture 3D models, make movies and hacks.. I'm a software person... not really a hardware (though i can take a barebones system from TigerDirect and build up my own perfectly suited computer) heck.. i did my own dual boot Linux/XP system... but for some reason... I'm afraid to mess with battery mods. GAAHH!!:-x
 

MoonMan

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I am not a rich person and can't keep spending so much money. I WISH someone could make me a good manual battery mod for an m401 atomizer for $30 or under. Which I guess looking at all the other priced mods is too unrealistic.

$30 for nothing but the box with the switch (user provides batteries, charger, atomizer) is a decent price. That's about $7 worth of parts and an hours worth of work (depending on the build, the modder, and assuming there is an off-the-shelf m401 connector readily available).

There's another factor to consider here - when you buy a mod, what kind of guarantee should you get if something goes wrong with it? I would build mine as solid as possible, but things are bound to happen. If I bought one and something major went wrong, I would want it fixed for free within a certain period.

What is a good guideline for a workmanship guarantee? 30 days?
 
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viachy

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I am not a rich person and can't keep spending so much money. I WISH someone could make me a good manual battery mod for an m401 atomizer for $30 or under. Which I guess looking at all the other priced mods is too unrealistic.:(

I don't have the tools to make one myself and would prefer someone with more hardware skills than i would make one for me. I don't have a husband around to help me with soldering. I also would prefer not to blow myself up. I can code a website, make fantastic graphics.. texture 3D models, make movies and hacks.. I'm a software person... not really a hardware (though i can take a barebones system from TigerDirect and build up my own perfectly suited computer) heck.. i did my own dual boot Linux/XP system... but for some reason... I'm afraid to mess with battery mods. GAAHH!!:-x

+1

I`m crying out loud for a manual switch battery that will fit to my Evo atomiser...

I`ve been searching the forum like crazy but no luck up to now...
 

MoonMan

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I could easily build mod for other people but I don't like to think about reliability and warranty.

If in my mod only a solder break if I dropit on the floor it's no biggy for me, just solder it back.... but if it's on another continent it's another thing....

Yeah, that's the thing - a solder joint is no big deal to fix for me, but if it happens to somebody else...

I could move into a mostly/all solderless build, but that would up the price as it would take more parts, more time, etc. The right combination of durabilty, build time, and cost needs to be decided.

Someone had mentioned possibly using a beta tester on a unit - that may be a good idea to check into before mass production. Get a layperson to beat on one and see what breaks.
 
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Elendil

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That is why the better Mods (like an SD) are as expensive as they are. Any problems and Trog takes it back, fixes it and sends it back to you...............This means he cant be building for new sales if he is fixing his existing customers. So, he can build a really reliable mod (which he does) with enough profit built in to cover his time to service if needed.

You get high reliability for the price you pay, plus the security of knowing it will be repair if it breaks. It is hard to assign a dollar value to that. But I have not seen anyone who actually owns an SD saying that they overpaid for it once they have used it. But many slam the cost, without having owned one.
 

tinear

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I could easily build mod for other people but I don't like to think about reliability and warranty.

If in my mod only a solder break if I dropit on the floor it's no biggy for me, just solder it back.... but if it's on another continent it's another thing....
Someone had mentioned possibly using a beta tester on a unit - that may be a good idea to check into before mass production. Get a layperson to beat on one and see what breaks.

send me one. i bet i could break it a hundred different ways for you. ;)
hmmm... on second thought, better sent me a hundred.:D
 

Sun Vaporer

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Moonman--from what I have scene --the Mods are being sold from 50 dollars up to 125 dollars. It also depends on whether you are going to supply the charger, batteries, and an atomizer or have the person get them themselves. For a good Mod--IMO--50 dollars is pretty cheap compared to a lot of the commercial e-cigs out there that are simply junk--------Sun
 
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MoonMan

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send me one. i bet i could break it a hundred different ways for you. ;)
hmmm... on second thought, better sent me a hundred.:D

You're...not exactly a layperson.;)

I'm thinking I'll charge around the $50-$60 mark for the UPAC with no batteries or atomizer, $15 - $20 more including an atomizer, batteries and a charger (and that's if I can find a good source of inexpensive 901 atomizers). I'd charge very close to my cost for the extras. I may make my smaller previous model with the one battery and 2ml side pump available to those who want it for a cheaper price as well. I would be willing to fix any problems that occur as long as people ship it back to me and would be available for troubleshooting help if needed.

Not set on the prices yet, but that range seems fair to me. There's more work involved in the UPAC than your typical battery box. For now I'll have to restrict the builds to use 901 atomizers since that's all I have and know how to work with reliably. I'll need to get some orders in and do some shopping for parts so this little venture won't be going anywhere for a couple weeks at least.
 
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tinear

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The thing that frustrates me is that it shouldn't even be necessary or worth making mods....factories should be able to turn out a far better product for a price that makes it not worth the bother.

Wow, you are soooo preaching to the choir with those words.

eh, i don't know 'bout that. there would have to be quite the selection of different models and options... and even then i'm sure many would still put their personal touches on it.
 
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