[sdiy] The Dreaded ROHS

[Scott Gravenhorst]

BEWARE.  

THIS REPLY CONTAINS A CAPITALIST RANT.  

IF YOU CAN'T STAND THAT, JUST DELETE THIS.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Matthew Smith <matt at smiffytech.com> wrote:
>Hi Folks
>
>Does anyone have any idea how ROHS affects those of us who might make 
>PCBs or modules which we then sell, on a hobby basis?
>
>Quite frankly, I don't care a flying ---- about a fraction of a gramme 
>of lead in something I make (probably more going up my nose when I make 
>it!) and would be highly insulted if the finished product ended up in a 
>landfill anyway ;-)

I agree with you and it was put in place, I believe more for consumer sh!t like
cellphones that Joe Sixpacks use, abuse and toss carelessly rather than take care of
it to make it last.  Commodity junk.  Scheiss.  Mierda.  Govna.  Merde.

What you are doing is none of that.

>So, if selling something, can I just say "not ROHS-compliant" or should 
>I forget the idea of selling anything?  (It wouldn't be a profit-making 
>exercise anyway.)

Why not make a profit?  I have some synthesizer ideas that I fully intend to make a
profit on if I can develop them to completion.  If people don't like that, it's
_their_ problem.  Profit is not evil, it's an incentive to do well and then do better.  

Assuming you are employed by some company X, if X didn't make a profit, could they
grow and then hire more people (who benefit from their wages)?  Could they give you a
raise - ever?  Could they even pay you anything at all?

I'm not saying to set your price point at 1000x the _value_ of the product, which
might or might not be a ripoff depending on the rarity and class of the product.  But
what is wrong with a profit that pays for the fair value of your time?  People will
buy your product because they don't have a skill that you posess in the idea
generation and manufacture of the item - that is worth something - normally, we call
it money.  Profit makes the economy work.

Your time is worth far more than _nothing_, IMO, any person who spends brain time and
all of the hard work and hassle involved in making something that other people
purchase is worth a few dollars/kroners/pounds/pesos/euros extra.  This idea that we,
here on SDIY should be embarrassed by making a profit or that profit is somehow evil
is, well, moronic.  Profit motive is an incentive to do something people want.  

The purchase of the product is a "vote" for that product.  If people don't want to
pay the profit - their problem not yours - and nobody forces them to buy your
thingamajig.  Eg. I drive a car that I could _never_ put together nor finance the
parts myself.  I pay a profit to the manufacturer to get that car and it is well
worth it.  If they didn't make a profit, just imagine the crappy little piece of turd
we'd _all_ have to drive.

If you have such a passion as to want to make something that is valued by others,
there is no reason at all not to make a justifiable profit.  Every other thing reaps
a profit, why not your ideas and hard work?  If your profit is fair, and most people
know and understand what a fair profit is, then what is wrong with that?  You and
your customers will be the judge of a fair and justifiable profit.  It's not evil,
it's payment for services rendered, unique ideas that you have and incidental costs
incurred beyond the costs of parts.  Ya gotta eat, right?

>And as to the scope of WHERE I would sell anything, it's to any country 
>a) not infested with scammers and b) has a sufficiently reliable postal 
>service that I won't be worried about PayPal chargebacks.

Here here and I wish you the best.



>-- 
>Matthew Smith
>Smiffytech - Technology Consulting & Web Application Development
>Business: http://www.smiffytech.com/
>Personal: http://www.smiffysplace.com/
>LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/smiffy
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>

-- ScottG
________________________________________________________________________
-- Scott Gravenhorst
-- FPGA MIDI Synthesizer Information: home1.gte.net/res0658s/FPGA_synth/
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