:( I really like Tindie and what they're doing

There are a number of things on Tindie that I have been unable to find anywhere else at any price. (Mostly small batch bespoke electronics.) I hope they figure this out.

Who is Tindie?

I don't have the links handy but I believe there are some comments from staff on social media that give more details.

Edit: https://hackaday.social/@tindie/116427447318102919

https://hackaday.social/@tindie/116436988752373293

Unfortunate. Tindie is (was?) a pretty unique marketplace. Amusingly, a lot of what they were selling was probably illegal due to FCC rules: for the most part, you can't sell electronics without EMI certification and "I'm just a hobbyist" is not an excuse. Kits get a bit of leeway, but finished products don't.

Before the tariffs, I noticed that Chinese companies were trying to undercut them. I've gotten multiple mails asking me to start selling my designs with China-based outlets: they would make the PCBs, assemble them, and pay me some money for every item sold.

I've bought some cool stuff off Tindie. My latest purchase was this set of earrings that alert when you're near a Flock camera

https://colonelpanic.tech/#products

About Sunday/Monday last week right before it went down I noticed the site was supper buggy and failing to add things to cart, I emailed support and got a "we are checking the issue". Since it went down all I've heard from support is "Please be patient. Tindie will be back up soon as we are currently performing maintenance. At this time, we do not have an estimated timeframe to provide."

The fact that it wasn't communicated at all prior and not having a timeframe makes me thing this was probably an ops screw up.

They must have really bungled something if they can't roll back and get the site operational again.