Launch a Hardware Product for Free: Build in Public, Clear Compliance, Take Orders Last
Launch a hardware product in stages, because the free part is the announcement and the slow part is making and certifying a physical thing. Show the build in public with video and a detailed write-up, which is what Show HN accepts for hardware, clear the compliance rules for the markets you sell into, such as CE marking in the European Economic Area, and take orders only when you can state a ship date you control.
Why is a hardware launch measured in months?
Software can change after you announce it. A circuit board cannot. Every decision you lock in, a connector, an enclosure, a battery, shows up later as cost, a delay or a recall, and some of the checks that decide whether you may sell it at all take weeks outside your control. So the useful way to think about a free launch is as a series of small public steps that run beside the long private work of making the thing.
The free routes in this page cover the steps that cost nothing: writing about the build, showing a prototype, collecting a waitlist and listing a finished product. They do not cover tooling, parts, testing or certification, which cost real money that no launch platform will provide. Plan those costs separately, and do not read a free listing as a free launch.
What do you show before the product exists?
The Show HN guidelines are written for software, but they cover hardware in one line that sets a useful standard: for hardware you can post a video or a detailed article, which suits a prototype nobody can hold yet. They also say the project should be something you worked on personally and are around to discuss, and that you should make it easy for people to try or judge. Translate that for a prototype: a short clip of it doing the job, a plain account of what is hard, and the real status.
| Status | What you can say | What you cannot say |
|---|---|---|
| Concept | The problem, the approach, a sketch | That it works |
| Bench prototype | A video of it doing the job on your desk | That it is ready for outdoors, or for a factory |
| Test units with ten users | What those users said, in their words | That it is certified, or that it will cost a given price |
| Pre-production batch | A quote from your manufacturer and a test report | A ship date beyond what your supplier has confirmed |
| In stock | That you can ship it today | Nothing about next year’s model |
Mark every post with its status. A reader who sees “bench prototype” in the first line forgives roughness and respects the honesty; one who finds out later is the source of the angry comment.
Which rules decide whether you may sell it?
The European Commission’s CE marking page says that by affixing the mark to a product, a manufacturer declares that the product meets all the legal requirements for CE marking and can be sold throughout the European Economic Area. The same site covers the duties of importers and distributors, who must know the legal requirements and make sure the products they distribute meet them. If you make it, you are the manufacturer in that sense, even for a small run.
Other markets have their own gates. In the United States, products that emit radio-frequency energy are generally subject to equipment authorization rules from the Federal Communications Commission, but its pages refused our automated check, so we say nothing more and send you to its site. Batteries add shipping rules set by carriers and regulators. None of this is legal advice. A day with a compliance consultant, before you commit to a design, can save the cost of a redesign.
Where do hardware makers share and sell for free?
| Venue | What it says it is | Notes for a launch |
|---|---|---|
| Hackaday.io | Its title calls it the world’s largest collaborative hardware development community | A project page with log entries suits a build in public |
| Hackster.io | Its title calls it the community dedicated to learning hardware | Fits tutorials and projects that teach |
| Tindie | Its seller page says it makes it easy to sell hardware inventions, with no fee to create a store or list a product, and a marketplace fee deducted only from paid orders | A place to sell finished kits and modules; you set shipping and manage orders, and payouts go through its payment partners |
We could not read Kickstarter’s or Crowd Supply’s rules, so we say nothing about their requirements. If you consider crowdfunding, read their current guidance for hardware projects, especially what evidence of a working prototype they expect, before you design the page. Platforms that take payment months before delivery carry obligations to backers that a free listing does not.
When should you take money?
As late as you can, and only with a date you control. A waitlist costs nothing and tells you how many people care. A preorder is a promise with someone’s money attached, and a delayed batch turns a keen supporter into a refund request. A sensible order is waitlist first, then a small paid run once the pre-production units pass your own tests and the compliance answer is known.
- Quote only what your supplier has confirmed. A hoped-for date written as a promise is the most common source of anger.
- Say what happens if it slips, in the same place you take the order.
- Keep a spares pool for units that fail early, and count it in your costs.
- Write a returns line before the first sale, including who pays to ship it back.
What does an illustrative calendar look like?
The months below are an example for a small connected device, not a rule. Yours will stretch or shrink with design complexity and with how long testing takes.
- Months 1 and 2: build the bench prototype and write a log entry for every real obstacle. Post the video when the core job works.
- Months 3 and 4: put ten test units in the hands of people who have the problem. Collect their notes; let the waitlist open.
- Months 5 and 6: settle the compliance route, get quotes for a small batch and run your own tests on the pre-production units.
- Month 7: launch the product free on this board with a plain description and a link to the waitlist or the shop, and post the story of the build.
- Month 8 onward: ship, answer support, and keep the log going.
The board takes one verified email and no queue, so a public page can exist at month 1, though a published launch is final and most makers wait until there is something to point at. For ideas other builders have posted, browse the hardware and IoT ideas. The places to launch hardware products lists more venues, the pre-launch checklist is useful for the page itself, and running a private beta describes how to handle the ten test units.
What should you measure?
Track the waitlist by source, the number of test users who still use the unit a month later, and the minutes of support each early unit costs you. That last figure decides whether the product is sellable at the price you have in mind, because a unit that needs an hour of help is a loss however nice the margin looks on paper. Keep each number next to its date, as in the launch metrics checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Can I post a hardware project on Show HN?
Yes, with a video or a detailed article, since the guidelines say hardware can be shown that way when people cannot try it directly. The project should be your own work and you should be around to discuss it. Label its status honestly, from bench prototype to shipping.
Do I need CE marking to sell hardware?
The European Commission’s page says that affixing the CE mark is a manufacturer’s declaration that a product meets the legal requirements and can be sold throughout the European Economic Area. Whether your product needs it depends on what it is, so check the page for your product type and consider a short consultation before you finalise the design.
Is it free to sell on Tindie?
Its seller page says there is no fee to create a store or list an eligible product, and that a marketplace fee is deducted from paid orders, with separate processing fees from payment partners. Read its current page for the amounts and for the countries it supports before you plan on it.
Should I start with crowdfunding or a waitlist?
Start with a waitlist, because it costs nothing and shows demand. Crowdfunding takes payment months before delivery and brings obligations to backers, and each platform sets its own rules for hardware. Read the current guidance of the platform you are considering before building the campaign.
Written by Post your build ideas with AI assistance and edited for this site. Where a page names another product, the facts came from that product’s own pages on the date shown above; terms change, so check them before you rely on them. About the publisher.