Artisan keycaps are a neat way to personalize your mechanical keyboard. Pop on a few of these handmade keys to show off your favorite character, food item, or even something inappropriate just for laughs. There’s an artisan keycap for almost anything you can think of.
While purchasing the most highly-coveted artisans will require you to join group buys or hunt in the second-hand market, there are plenty of wonderful keycaps available on-demand. This article will share the best places online to find artisan keycaps for sale.
Note: Make Sure Artisan Keycaps Will Fit
Nearly all custom keycaps fit the standard MX switch stems that most mechanical keyboards have. But if you want to make sure, use a keycap puller (DIY perhaps) to remove one of your keys to check the switch underneath. They should look like these:
If your switches have the cross-shaped MX stems, you’re in the clear. If not, you may have a membrane keyboard (not compatible) or have the circular Topre stems (less likely). There are artisan keycaps available for Topre switches but they aren’t as popular.
1. Etsy
It’s no surprise the most popular marketplace for handmade items carries an impressive selection of artisan keycaps. Most products have customer reviews and user-submitted images. And Etsy’s platform makes it easy for you to communicate to sellers directly. Many of them will even take custom requests!
2. MechanicalKeyboards.com
The Tennessee-based MechanicalKeyboards.com is a trusted vendor in the community, known for carrying a large dedicated selection of mechanical keyboards. They mainly stock artisan keycaps from Dwarf Factory and Hot Keys Project and have plenty to choose from. As an added benefit, many of their products come with free bonuses like stickers and pins.
3. AliExpress
If you’re unfamiliar with AliExpress, we apologize for introducing a new impulse shopping spot into your life. The Chinese e-commerce giant sells everything under the sun at wholesale prices. You can find great deals for artisan keycaps on here as long as you’re okay with slightly longer delivery times. All items ship from China.
4. Drop
Drop (formerly Massdrop) is known for its well-organized group buys, but the enthusiast community also stocks a fair amount of custom keycaps that are either ready-to-ship or at least scheduled to ship very soon. Check this page for their current offerings and scroll towards the bottom of each product page to find its estimated ship date.
5. Amazon
In case you were assuming artisan keycaps could only be found in obscure corners of the internet, we thought we’d add everyone’s favorite Prime shipping overlord to the list. Amazon may have the least inspired collection on our list but they’re not all bad. Furthermore, we’re sure their catalog will only continue to grow along with the popularity of custom mechanical keyboards.
6. eBay
eBay may be the most interesting “formal” marketplace with buyer protections on our list. You can find both second-hand and brand new artisan keycaps from vendors here. You’ll come across everything from unique gag jokes to rare gems from a previous group buy.
7. r/MechMarket
r/MechMarket is Reddit’s uber-active marketplace for everything mechanical keyboard related. From custom key switch lubing services to vendor giveaways, you’ll find a little bit of everything. If you start to see too much of everything, you can use the [Artisan] filter to limit your view to only artisan keycap threads.
The most common way artisan keycaps are sold here is through a raffle. Meaning, if you’re lucky enough to get chosen, you’re allowed to purchase. But read carefully and check often because some sales are first come, first served.
8. Geekhack Classifieds
Geekhack, the original forum for mechanical keyboard enthusiasts isn’t as popular as before but it’s still alive and kicking. Watch their classifieds section for threads with “[FS]” or “[WTS]” in their titles (For Sale and Want to Sell respectively). You have a higher chance of getting lucky on here now that the majority of the action is happening on Reddit.
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