deskthority

Hi all. Have a few MX-compatible boards that need to have their switches replaced due to failures of varying degrees. What cheap switches would be good for resale value? I'm thinking of vintage MX blacks, but they are getting harder to find on eBay that they used to be.

You could probably buy Kailh BOX switches in a large bulk order and replace the switches like that. I heard people like those.

Replacing the switches by yourself usually doesn't pay out. I'd recommend selling the boards as-is. Everyone likes to buy projects for themselves in order to have sth. for tinkering around with.

While that might be the case for some, these are boards that may not easily sell at the price point I'm looking for. Most people I sell to tend to want a fully functional board and will replace the switches on their own if they are so inclined.

Do MX-compatible boards have more than retail resale value? I would think shipping would kill any savings for the buyer?

I agree with green squid, I would put in some of those new kaihl box switches everyone is raving about. Either that or those zealios switches are really sought after in the modern mechanical market.

Best chance to make your money back is to put some Gaterons in it. They are cheap and not seen as a switch you would have to replace when you get the keyboard.

What boards are you attempting to fix?

FWIW, one of the boards I plan on selling has Gaterons in it. I might consider just replacing the 10-15 bad switches in it, but I also don't want someone on eBay complaining in a few months that some of the other originals have bit the dust and that they should get their money back. I might end up buying the Kailhs off of Massdrop considering the price, they are really cheap compared to most switches online.

Hell, pick the switch you want to try out? Once you've had your fill, then sell it. Since you already know you don't want the boards, you can put in switch types you wouldn't normally type on. I meant to to that with a board I put together with Cherry Blues, being a linear switch fan, but ended up keeping it because I liked how the click sounds beneath SA caps. I might use it 5 minutes a year. LOL

I mean, I've tried out hundreds of switches including the more obscure ones like Cherry MX Orange, Futaba, SMK, Micro Switch SD, etc. There's really not much surprise there for me anymore. The only ones I'm curious about are Kailh Box switches but even then I don't really feel like spending the extra money on them. I ended up going with these for 5 cents/switch:

So, resale value isn't a concern anymore? I'd think the latest and greatest switches pre-installed in a board would get somebody to open their wallets rather quickly? Ah, well. I wonder if these "New Giant" switches you've ordered are just more renamed Gaterons?

In my experience the switches you have don't really affect the resale value. I suppose a better question would have been "Which switches can I get for cheap which will still function?", which these switches serve that purpose. No idea who makes them but they are good enough to sell.