The ecological cost of quality control
This doesn't get discussed much: the world's quest for aesthetic perfection in their purchased goods causes millions of otherwise perfectly-acceptable goods to be thrown away.
Let's talk about this.
Anything that gets made has a quality-control failure rate.
Apple accepts a 10% quality-control failure rate, and their suppliers often can't meet that. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/Apple-iPhone-Foxconn-return-defects,22195.html
And Africa doesn't want our discards either https://miista.com/en-us/africa-doesnt-want-your-second-hand-clothes/
Some things are easy to make, such as our coffee funnels (97% pass rate), but add eight small magnets press-fitted into the base, and the pass rate drops to 91%.
What happens to those failed items?
If the product is simple and the problem minor, it can often be repaired, such as putting in a new magnet.
If the problem is cosmetic, like this knockbox, to really repair this, it would have to be first bathed in acid to remove the paint, and then repainted. Is this cure worse than the disease? Often, I think so.
Our knockboxes, because they're large, made from form-pressed aluminum, then powder coated, are quite challenging to make without a fault. Only about 60% are judged as “Grade A” by us.
But instead of repainting from scratch or (worse) scrapping, I prefer to highly discount them, typically after hiding the paint defect as best we can, usually with an indelible marker.
Our “grade C” items are sold at cost (no profit, once shipping costs are accounted for)
https://decentespresso.com/c?s=73952+1+201+1+202+1+102+1
I've been repeatedly advised to never sell anything that is less than perfect, in order to “protect our brand”.
Firstly, I find the quest for no-sign-of-humanity, perfect objects to be strange, and a bit disturbing. But that's what plastic-molded, cheap stuff has trained so many people to expect.
Secondly, I just can't make myself discard otherwise good product. Bugs and I readily admit to dumpster-diving, as well as going to farmer's markets after closing, to pick up the left-behind “over-ripe” fruit and veg.
Finally, our “brand” seems to be doing just fine. A lot of people want “Decent stuff.”
However, many people can't afford what we sell. Our stuff is expensive. I know that.
For me, selling cosmetic-failed goods at a significantly lower prices is a good way to “meet the market”. We're getting our products into the hands of people who want them, at a price they can afford.
Sometimes, we don't make any money doing so, but at least we don't waste.
-john
Update: you can always find grade B items at discounted prices here: https://decentespresso.com/sale
Updated 2020/10/23