New(ish) startup for Electrical Engineering Gear

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haydenw

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#324857 3-Jun-2026 12:43

Hi all,

I'm looking for feedback on my business, Keystone Labs (https://keystonelabs.co.nz/), started June last year offering electrical engineering gear (like Oscilloscopes, advanced soldering gear etc) to the NZ market.

It's been up and running since June last year. My inspiration for this site was really out of necessity, I repair electrical things like audio amps but the more technical instruments like oscilloscopes are hard to reliably source online here in NZ. There's a few sketchy grey market listings on the likes of Aliexpress and Ebay which I never felt comfortable buying from. The obvious players, like Jaycar, don't have a decent range and only stock their home brand Oscilloscope. So I began importing instruments from the manufacturers (or as close to them as I could) and pedalling them online plus on TradeMe.

It's at a classic stage where I'd like it to scale but the constant enquiry tends to look like "i've never heard of you before, the site says it is in stock but is it aCtUaLLy in stock" 😄.

Google ads have been good but they tend to be expensive, I wonder if people out there have had luck with Facebook ads or other advertising methods.

Any and all feedback welcome!

jarledb

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#3499892 3-Jun-2026 13:39

Remember that you have to build trust with customers that don't know you.

I would feel better about purchasing from you if you had an actual address and a phone number listed.

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haydenw

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#3499900 3-Jun-2026 14:18

Thanks, that's very valid. At some stage I'd like to have a manned showroom with customer service available. Relying on just email is definitely not ideal 🤔

geek3001

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#3499908 3-Jun-2026 14:39

jarledb:

Remember that you have to build trust with customers that don't know you.

I would feel better about purchasing from you if you had an actual address and a phone number listed.

That is one thing I also look for.

Another thing is seeing whether I can find any record of what company is behind the website, especially where the site is smaller, unheard of or new.

In your case, a quick check of domain registration details and a check at the Companies Office were both positive, indicating a real company is behind the site. That helps with building trust. Not all websites pass this "sniff test".

deadlyllama

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#3499911 3-Jun-2026 14:45

Advertise in the NZART magazine.

johno1234

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#3499981 3-Jun-2026 20:15

High quality gear. That’s a good start.

Johnk

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#3499984 3-Jun-2026 20:27

Reach out to electrical wholesalers (Scott's and JAR) and see if they can do a feature on you and your gear, could be good to get a write up in the Scotts Electrical bimonthly magazine.

Not having a location or address online (for me personally) can look (Not accusing you at all, just adding my 2cents) that this is just another drop shipping website.

Message me if you do want some potential contacts at electrical wholesalers, I may be able to help.

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lachlanw

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#3500065 4-Jun-2026 00:20

A generous referral scheme can work wonders, depends on your appetite (read wallet size) to build a customer base. But it could help address the gaps in credibility and brand reach.

MadEngineer

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#3500094 4-Jun-2026 08:31

Johnk:

Reach out to electrical wholesalers (Scott's and JAR) and see if they can do a feature on you and your gear, could be good to get a write up in the Scotts Electrical bimonthly magazine.

Not having a location or address online (for me personally) can look (Not accusing you at all, just adding my 2cents) that this is just another drop shipping website.

Message me if you do want some potential contacts at electrical wholesalers, I may be able to help.

Considering he’s selling gear that the wholesalers themselves sell, why would they advertise something that’s in opposition to them?

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

enserf

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#3500164 4-Jun-2026 10:54

MadEngineer:

Johnk:

Reach out to electrical wholesalers (Scott's and JAR) and see if they can do a feature on you and your gear, could be good to get a write up in the Scotts Electrical bimonthly magazine.

Not having a location or address online (for me personally) can look (Not accusing you at all, just adding my 2cents) that this is just another drop shipping website.

Message me if you do want some potential contacts at electrical wholesalers, I may be able to help.

Considering he’s selling gear that the wholesalers themselves sell, why would they advertise something that’s in opposition to them?

I worked for electrical wholesalers for around 6 years- mainly catering to industrial customers- I can't say I ever sold an oscilloscope. Or was even asked for one.

Might be different now though.

haydenw

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#3500198 4-Jun-2026 12:31

Might be an option, those electrical wholesalers don't, as far as I know, sell this kind of gear (oscilloscopes, bench power supplies etc) but there is a small amount of crossover (like multimeters) but I'm not sure if that'd worry them.

I'm sure a lot of sparkys would be interested in this stuff though so it's fairly relevant.

Thanks all for the ideas!

MikeAqua

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#3500213 4-Jun-2026 13:16

Out of curiosity is there a reason you aren't selling the heating plates used for surface mount components and reflow?

I'm not in the market for one. Just curious. Seems like a potential gap in your offering.

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MadEngineer

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#3500277 4-Jun-2026 16:54

And pogo pin boards?

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

haydenw

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#3500488 5-Jun-2026 10:23

MikeAqua:

Out of curiosity is there a reason you aren't selling the heating plates used for surface mount components and reflow?

I'm not in the market for one. Just curious. Seems like a potential gap in your offering.

Added this one to the wishlist, good idea. I could have done with one of these a few times myself.

haydenw

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#3500489 5-Jun-2026 10:24

MadEngineer:

And pogo pin boards?

These look awesome! How about logic analysers, do you reckon there's a market for quality ones here?