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Off topic-ish:

Is inventables actually just linkbait garbage which happens to also sell things? They never list the vendor of their products, the prices are always high (often twice that of retail), and they never have any technical details or volume pricing.

Oh, you're interested in this Sorghum based "Non-Toxic Decorative Wood Composite?" [1] Well, you can buy a 4"x3" sample for $15 but they won't tell you who makes it (Kieri USA [2] does) or the cost for boards.

The manufacturer is usually only a Google search away, and I'm willing to pay a premium for a small sample, but I'm not going to order even samples unless I can get more detailed information. Does Inventables actually serve any purpose other than to act as linkbait for a bunch of interesting products?

[1] http://www.inventables.com/technologies/non-toxic-decorative... [2] http://www.kireiusa.com



Yes, basically. Its a storefront for someone who sells at 100% markup stuff you can get elsewhere.


Inventables a University of Illinois startup.

If you play with several dozen of their materials, you will get several product ideas, some olf which may even have markets!

I think they are trying to provide value through all the normal ways an online reseller would, with a bent for the entrepeneurial inventer market.

At least that'd the impression that I get. For large quantities I would hazard the guess that no party misses out on the pie.




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