Topic: Shipping BFL labs greatest weakness? (Read 2485 times)

This does seem to be their core issue, people are used to buying items that are "ready to ship" not "may require further R&D, assembling, burn in testing etc".

Yes, yes. Always someone elses fault.

Was this also their "excuse" for the delayed shipment of their FPGAs?

I think most of thier problems arise from delays from their suppliers. Sounds like currently everything is just sitting in boxes waiting for the last pieces.

wouldn't it only matter if other companies started shipping but not BFL? There's really not much to do but wait

yes

You aren't waiting to ship, you are waiting for them to even build you a product. So no, shipping is NOT their greatest problem.

Unless your customers are perfectly willing to take the burden, just like in this case. I wasn't willing to, and I am not a customer. I've got nothing to complain about.

then you do what ever other competent business venture does, you get investors to front the money and assume the risk. you don't put that burden on your customers.

Normally a business doesn't charge you until they ship. Waiting 2-6 months to ship is risking a lot. Loss of use of that money. Many people who bought when the asic was announced lost >50% of the value of the bitcoins they spent. Even if you could pay with a credit card ( and the likely reason you cant is their merchant agreement would prohibit charging before shipping or delaying an order nearing the time to prevent a chargeback ).

BFL is being operated like a fly by night business. business is good until they hit one bump and then they are bankrupt.

but then they wouldn't have the capital for development and production

Some people are lining up, but some are more cautious. I belong to the second group. They do have competition, and I'm watching it all with interest. Most likely I'll miss the first few weeks of ASIC mining at low difficulty, but on the other hand I'll get a better deal in the long run.

I would like that too.  I understand they don't want to take the risk on these items and people not paying or any other issues but I would like the order and and then pay when its ready.  I wish they could go to an escrow account kind of thing similar to contracting trades people to do work on your home.

BFL's problem is customers have to order, pay, wait, then receive(if BFL can actually deliever).
Normally, customers order, wait, receive, then pay.

Understood about IBM, I was just talking about the current market so I should have written now instead of ever.  The point I was trying to make is everyone has to start somewhere in business and posts like these are needed to help a company improve or help it die.  I just read too many of these bash on BFL posts and think people don't look at the whole picture.  There shipping is fine (packing could be better) but I agree with you that one of their problems is supply chain.  As they grow they will be able to manage this better but for now they are a small fish in a very big pond.  Yes I am a customer, do I think the price matches the quality no, do I understand that they are a start up yes, do the need to improve, yes but the real question is will they with the ASIC line?  We shale see.

Shipping is not the problem.  Once the order is ready to go it goes and very quickly.  The problem is getting the order together and look I don't like it either but this is still a very high risk business we are all in.  BFL makes a product that most anyone can use and they took allot of time to make something that basically an idiot can use.  Yes we send our money in and wait and wait and wait some more but as you pointed out in your post that even the way apple does their business but I remember back in the apple II days there were some interesting issues at Apple. 
Every small business has their issues and yes BFL may be the king of this market they are still a small business and so just like with bitcoins we take our risk with them and that their product is worth the money and the wait.  I run a business, it is not easy and could BFL do better sure but I bet that over time and as long as bitcoins continue to be the digital currency of choice they will get better.  I wish the whole world would be ready to go out of the box like apple is now but like any new venture their are growing pains.  I am just glad that I am getting in now and will be able to say back in the day I knew how it was with them just like I can say with apple. 

By the way comparing BFL to the most valuable company ever is really not fair.  I am sure that if I had that much money on hand I would be sending installers to your house the next day once you ordered and item and I would charge you too.  So until you have a product for sale let's just let BFL focus on getting the ASIC gear out.

Shipping BFL labs greatest weakness?

I see one big problem with BFL business model., when it takes 8 weeks to ship your product your leaving
a big gap for competition., right now they are their biggest enemy.
Even the way apple does their business they do very large shipping orders
and even when it's sold out high demand of shipping goes into place.

If BFL cant get their shipping production to 2-4 weeks i see this hurting them in the long run.