I think the no hardware is a good compromise on cost vs volume.

However I do feel this might also impact your total sales volume as most consumers will be light buyers - and as such most light buyers will go for the cheapest item irrespective of brand. If they see a hike in price for the same item (reasons aside) it will be a strong deterrent.

My .2c aside, love the idea of luthier tools being available. We Aussies desperately need a local source for luthiery tools and maybe this could be a hole in the market for you to fill.