I get your frustration completely. That’s why I refuse to do GBs unless it’s for a board/kit I really want. And even then I rarely do that.

My suggestion, don’t do GBs anymore. Just lurk mechmarket instead. Usually by the time people get their GB order delivered to them they don’t even have the vision for the build anymore and end up selling the key set for less than cost. It’s aftermarket though, which has its own risks, but I feel like this community is filled with honest people. I have had no bad experiences buying off MM so far.

And on top of aftermarket, a lot of the sets these days will have GB extras that the vendors stock. They’re generally more expensive than if you had joined the GB but you will at least see what people are saying about the set before you buy. GB you go in blind and there’s a lot that can go wrong. Delays, bad color matching, etc. Drop, Omnitype and Novelkeys have various GMK sets in stock rn. I suggested going to them for things before ever joining another GB.

So much in this hobby is so ass backwards. Can’t wait until GBs eventually get phased out as the big vendors continue to grow.

I don’t understand why people fawn over the originals so much. Clones are usually made of PBT anyways, which last much longer than ABS. Love the matte look of it better too.