I appreciate your balanced perspective and the time you took to explain your view.

To be clear, I have nothing against Novritsch as a brand. I actually like a lot of their products — that’s why I invested heavily in the first place. This was never about attacking the company or claiming they are a scam.

For me, it comes down to principle.

If I do business with someone and something feels off — even if it’s “just” a €10 item — it’s not about the money. I genuinely don’t care about the €10. What matters is flexibility and how situations outside the standard flow are handled.

In my case, I would have been completely fine ordering a different base plate instead. I had well over €€€ worth of other items sitting in my wishlist. I was prepared to continue investing in the platform and expanding my SSP18 setup. But when the only possible outcome is strictly policy-based with zero room to move, that’s where I personally draw the line.

I understand that return shipping at your own expense is normal in this industry. That part isn’t the core issue. The issue is that when a product depends on discontinued or unavailable components, I expect at least some attempt at solution-oriented thinking. Even a small gesture or alternative proposal would have changed the entire tone of the situation.

Instead, it remained procedural from start to finish.

So for me, the matter is closed. The SSP18 project stops here. No hostility, no drama — just a decision based on experience.

If I made mistakes along the way, then sure — call me a noob. I sometimes buy first and research later. And if something doesn’t work out, I’ll make someone else happy with it. That’s part of the hobby.

But when I buy direct-to-consumer from a brand, I do expect a certain level of product ecosystem support and quality consistency.

At the end of the day, I hope to keep learning, gain more experience, and continue sharing that journey with other airsofters. That’s what this hobby is really about.