DIY or Finished?
Over the past two years, we have rolled out a series of DIY products. Due to shipping costs, we ultimately chose to test them only in the US market. We are very grateful to our customers, as our products have received quite positive feedback. We tried selling them on Amazon, Temu, and our official website, and they essentially sold out. This prompted us to decide this year to upgrade and transform this DIY product line. For the first time, we attempted to make our DIY series products using steel molds. This attempt took significantly more time than we anticipated, and we invested over $50,000. However, the products still haven't materialized to this day. It has to be said that this is a significant setback. We are questioning whether mass-producing the DIY series is the right choice. We, Miniento, initially entered this market by making dollhouses and finished miniature furniture. We saw many customers struggling because they lacked sufficiently exquisite miniature scenes and props to decorate their dolls, so we chose the niche of high-precision miniature scenes and furniture. Initially, we sold finished products, not the DIY series. As the market gradually shrank, the price of our finished goods became relatively high – because finished products require a lot of manual labor. We are not a sweatshop; we fully respect the work and contributions of our team members. Starting last year, we attempted sales in the US but hesitated to sell finished furniture due to concerns about shipping damage. Nevertheless, many customers contacted us through Facebook and purchased some finished furniture. To these customers, we once again express our gratitude for their trust. After all, given the relatively high value of the goods, they were willing to place their faith in us unconditionally. Fortunately, these orders encountered no major issues during shipping, only some minor, unavoidable bumps. We also thank them for their tolerance and understanding – we promptly followed up and resolved any concerns. We have not given up on stocking finished furniture in the US market. Preparations are ongoing, and we are continuously designing new packaging.
Explore A New Way of DIY Miniature Furniture
Based on our observations and communication with consumers, we have found that many customers perceive the finished prices of miniature furniture to be somewhat high. There are several factors contributing to the high prices. Firstly, these products require a significant amount of time for manual craftsmanship, but the production volume is limited, which is inherent to this type of product. Secondly, many exceptional pieces are created by artists driven by their passion, and to acquire such products, consumers often need to pay a premium above the market value to capture the attention of the creators. Thirdly, and most importantly, the market price of these products has significantly increased due to a shortage in supply. As a company committed to deepening our presence in this industry, Miniento has introduced a series of miniature DIY material kits in response to the current issue. These products significantly save time in the production of highly detailed components for crafting authentic miniature furniture. Through the utilization of 3D printing technology, we have created molds with high precision to ensure the preservation of intricate details found in real furniture. Furthermore, we provide detailed DIY tutorials to ensure that individuals, regardless of their experience, can achieve satisfying results using our kits. Most importantly, we can confidently guarantee that our products offer the best value for money when compared to others with the same level of precision.