Just in case you haven't heard - they are shipping, got mine from zF last week

Please post more of your findings on Sxm. I personally was very put off by them attacking that Google Docs sheet showing the public GMK GB queue (not even showing all those orders placed at GMK that are not GBS) because it basically revealed that vendors and designers such as Sxm have been lying about GMK fulfillment times - it's not an excuse to say they communicated what GMK told them about the timeline when they very well knew at that point (towards end of 2021) that those dates were unrealistic (there were sets running in the latter half of 2021 that promised 2022 fulfillment)

I checked that out just now... Hysterically bad, I'd be very pissed if I had joined that

Doesn't really help to update the renders post GB when they get samples from the manufacturer. Rather, designers should make sure the renders match the color swatches they have before the GB goes live. And if they don't have swatches they shouldn't be allowed to run the GB anyway.

You seem to have sent them a picture of a socket damaged by an improperly inserted switch. I don't know what you expected, but that the vendor thinks this was your fault is not really a surprise. I can't tell from the picture you posted if the socket you highlighted is properly soldered or not - but be it as it may, to post a PSA about the vendor that seems to me to be in the right here wasn't the best way to go about this (don't get me wrong, as a fellow consumer I would love if vendors replaced PCBs no questions asked... But they actually need to make money, and replacing stuff for free that the customer broke is not how that is done)

Thanks for the picture you linked. There are always two sides to a story, and it's clearly user error here that led to the damaged socket

It's more about having evidence. Once you start soldering or inserting switches in HS sockets, you basically "void" your warranty - I'd say 9 times out of 10, damaged PCBs are a result of user error, and 9 of 9 of those users will claim that it arrived this way and that the board must have been faulty from the beginning. Vendors probably heard all kind of stories before and most don't replace PCBs that customers damaged. So checking that the PCB is working properly before you mess with it is the only thing that will get your board replaced if it is actually faulty (QC slip up, transport damage, whatever)

Manufacturing costs and price the manufacturer charges are not the same. I know from multiple discussions with designers that it's a delicate balance that needs to be struck with kitting, so price for the consumer is good, MOQs are reachable and vendors make enough profit that it's worth it for them. Adding keys that almost no one needs just makes the sets less attractive to the stakeholders. That's why Mac support keys are usually a separate kit (if there is support at all) even though those 5 keys or so could have been put into a base kit / mod kit

It's great when there are different versions of alphas offered.. Two different colors, sublegends or not, etc etc

Yeah, it is OP's fault. I understand the frustration that to fill the missing keys a big set has to be bought (the mod kits are usually the most expensive sets when it's kitted that way), but kitting is always a compromise, not really a way around it.

SA is often kitted that way, same as KAT

I certainly don't. You don't want key duplication as that makes kits more expensive - for everyone, not just for the few people that want that. Same reason why numpad are sold separately, or international keys.