Buying the Parts vs. Buying the Kits

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Buying the Parts vs. Buying the Kits

Comparing the cost of sourcing your parts vs. buying on Kitables

At Kitables, we design and curate builder kits that have all the rights parts and instructions you need to build a project. We often hear the question, “can’t I just order all of these things on Amazon for cheaper?” Well, we decided to dive in head first to research that very question for you with one of our kits.

FIND THE PARTS CASE STUDY:
We decided to analyze our popular Bluetooth Speaker Kit. First off, you can buy any number of bluetooth speakers on Amazon, Best Buy and even the airport. They range in price from as low as $20 to over $200 and equally range in quality and attractiveness. But, you’re looking to make something and feel that sense of real accomplishment. To make your own speaker you need to 1) find a good plan and instructions, 2) acquire the parts for this plan, 3) wait as those parts trickle in, and 4) build with fingers crossed that you did it all correctly.

To compare apples to apples, we took our kit Bill of Materials and tried to find the best price online like you would do if you went hunting. 95% of the parts we found are exact comparisons of what you would need to build the kit. Of the remaining, we had to figure out what the average consumer might do to solve their sourcing hiccup. The biggest hurdle in this kit, is making/finding a nice enclosure for the speaker. Ours is a compact cube made from laser cut birch plywood. This cube is specifically engineered to house the components for the kit. How would you solve this? Your best action is to try Ponoko.com. They will make single and custom laser cut objects once you send them all the right design files.  When we look at the cost head to head, we sent Ponoko a request for a quote on our cube. — We’re assuming you know how to make the right CAD files to send on.

Other than the housing, we found compatible pieces for all the remaining kit parts on Amazon. Note, some of the comparisons are not exactly the same parts, but meet compatibility requirements that the public can easily purchase. For you continued skeptics, you might still say, “what about eBay? I know I can find it cheaper on eBay.” This may be true, but for the validity of our study, we decided to exclude eBay since you cannot verify quality and you might be comparing used or altered parts.

Now that all parameters and assumptions are set this leads to our final analysis. Our final calculations included any shipping fees you might incur:

BUY THE PARTS INDIVIDUALLY: $77.66
Ordered from Ponoko.com and 10 additional parts from 10 different sellers on Amazon
BUY THE KITABLES KIT: $45
Easy One-Stop Shop Ordering from Kitables.co

And for you skeptics, we are so confident in the simplicity and cost savings of the One-Stop Shop Ordering process, that is Kitables, we included the details for this study at the bottom of this article with the necessary links to buy the parts individually if you so choose.

It really comes down this, do you want to…

  • Spend More Money?
  • Waste More Time?
  • Waste More Packaging?
  • Order Products That Might NOT Work Together?
  • Navigate the Build Process Without Instructions?

We didn’t think so.

Kitables kits have all the components needed to complete your project. They have been designed and tested by professionals to make sure you avoid technical problems so you can maximize your tinkering time!

Still don’t believe us? Watch this intro to building the Bluetooth Speaker Kit video below:

 

CASE WORK FROM CASE STUDY

Bluetooth Speaker Parts Cost Online Store Links to Purchase Parts Individually
Laser Cut Box $11 +$6 Shipping
Total=$17
ponoko.com
Bluetooth Receiver Adapter $5.99 + Free Shipping
Total= $5.99
https://www.amazon.com/Updated-eranton%C2%AE-Bluetooth-Receiver-Adapter/dp/B00YA8U2BU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1470253267&sr=8-2&keywords=USB+Wireless+Bluetooth+Music+Receiver+Adapter
Mini USB Charging Module $4.08 + Free Shipping
Total= $4.08
https://www.amazon.com/Lithium-Battery-Charging-Charger-Module/dp/B00AUDQWXQ
Audio Amplifier Board $1.80 + Free Shipping
Total= $1.80
https://www.amazon.com/SODIAL-High-Power-2-Channel-PAM8403-Amplifier/dp/B013OCCRY2/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1470253395&sr=8-18&keywords=audio+amplifier+board
Speakers $11.95 + Free Shipping
Total= $11.95
https://www.amazon.com/Multimedia-Aluminum-Internal-Magnet-Speaker/dp/B00WW6KY88/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1470253434&sr=8-4&keywords=3w+4+ohm+speaker
3.7V 900mah Battery $14.99 + Free Shipping
Total= $14.99
https://www.amazon.com/Ofeely-Lithium-Polymer-Battery-Rechargeable/dp/B016ZV8TFU
250V 3A 2 Pin On/Off Switch $1.38 + Free Shipping
Total= $1.38
https://www.amazon.com/250V-SPST-Snap-Rocker-Switch/dp/B0056F5D4M
8mmm Micro USB Cable $5.69 + Free Shipping
Total= $5.69
https://www.amazon.com/Deego-Charge-Android-Samsung-Motorola/dp/B015IQ44IE/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1470681137&sr=8-12&keywords=USB+2.0+A+MALE+TO+MICRO-USB+B+MALE+CABLE&refinements=p_n_condition-type%3A6461716011
Red Wire, Black Wire, Blue Wire, White Wire – 22 gauge $5.00 + $4.49 Shipping
Total=$9.49
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Gauge-Solid-Hookup-Wire/dp/B007Z8DQJ2/ref=sr_1_1?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1470681314&sr=1-1&keywords=%2222+gauge+wire%22
Heat Shrink $1.70 + Free Shipping
Total= $1.70

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Colored-Shrink-Tubing-5-Tube/dp/B009E0V69G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1470681413&sr=8-2&keywords=Heat+Shrink+Pack

Glue $3.59 + Free Shipping
Total=$3.59
https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Precision-Applicator-Ounces-AD125/dp/B007XAAE1A/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1470246248&sr=1-1&keywords=Scotch+Super+Glue+.14oz
TOTAL $77.66
Kitables Kit Price $45

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