I thought 2020 was bad, but 2021 seems to be turning out worse for me. Sales have tanked this year and I'm trying to figure out why and if they will ever return.
I'm thinking that the price of a laser has gotten so low over the past 5 years that customers are either buying their own lasers or the prices for laser engraved/cut items have hit rock bottom because the number of people offering this service has exploded exponentially. Additionally, I think the demand for laser engraved items has decreased due to the large increase in CNC, 3D printed items and more colorful dye sub options.
I'm not even sure anymore that what a laser can do, some other process can't do better, faster and cheaper. Would you prefer a picture burned into wood or a 3D contoured image carved into wood by a CNC? A logo etched lightly onto a glass or a full color logo printed on the glass? A cermarked serial number on a piece of stainless for $7 each or a durable UV print on stainless for $0.50 each? Engraved rowmark tags for $3 each or UV printed rowmark tags for $0.25 each?
I think whoever is doing the advertising and marketing for Glowforge should get a raise.....I see those ads EVERYWHERE and regardless what you think of the quality of the machine, they must be selling thousands. And the thousands of people buying these machines are flooding the market with laser engraved items like never before.
And competing with China is getting worse. A customer can either spend $100 and get an item engraved in the USA within a week.....or if they can wait 4 weeks, they can get it for $10 from China or India or one of the hundreds of other countries where people have lasers and are willing to work for pennies an hour.
And if you come up with a creative, innovative and even mildly popular idea or product......within a very short time others will be making and selling it cheaper than you. If you don't believe me.....send me a picture of your unique and creative item.
But even look at this forum......10 years ago I would come here daily and there would be 5-10 new posts a day.....now there are 5-10 new posts a week, if that.
So I think the laser engraving and cutting industry is dying a very fast death.....if you agree or disagree with me, please chime in.
But I think I'm going to put my laser in mothballs and go work as a Walmart greeter or at an Amazon warehouse.