[protoserge]

Please take my statements as constructive criticism and not as idea-stomping. If you can answer some questions like these, it will help you determine some of the unknowns. This is not, by any means, a comprehensive list.

A robot cart is a very niche item. How many customers do you envision? What is your manufacturing capacity? Most teams build their own cart. They can build a robot, so a cart isn't that difficult.

It would be worth asking teams that do not have a cart why they do not have a cart. Is it the cost too high (think one of the hydraulic lift carts)? If it is cost-prohibitive, what is a cost they could afford? You would be offering them a time-saver, so this is a possible opportunity.

What will your design offer over a retrofitted garden cart in terms of capability? You would need provisions to adjust the mounting support structure to accommodate each team's robot and the subsequent changes in the out years.

How are you manufacturing it? Do you plan on outsourcing the manufacturing to a shop?

Are you selling it unfinished or with a surface finish?

How are you packaging it? Will you be able to package the end item on pallet and ship by LTL or will you need to ship individual boxes via UPS/FedEx/etc.? Don't forget the shipping costs to the distributor need to be factored into your wholesale price and the shipping from the distributor will add to the customer cost - maybe you can drop ship. You may need to look into testing your shipment to determine if the packaging is sufficient, as well as pass the carrier shipping tests to qualify for certain lower rates.

Have you accounted for cost of manufacturing errors? Have you accounted for quality escapes and damaged-in-transit items?

It may not be very cost-effective for a team after the distributor markup to carry it is added in. I don't know the markup of AM and VexPro.

Is your team a 501(c)(3)? You will probably want to consult legal advice regarding labor use. You may need to pay taxes on the items sold even if you are a non-profit (consult your lawyer).

You may want to consider adding non-FRC customers such as BattleBots into the mix.

You may be able to use T-slot framing like 80/20 and drop-ship directly from the manufacturer, then ship additional components separately.