Just a quick update today to say that the sample pins are still in progress and looking good so far. There's been a bit of a delay on these because of the flooding in China during Typhoon Dolphin effecting my manufacturer but they are back in progress now and everyone at the factory is doing fine.
Here are a few photos they've sent me so far (some unfilled molds, some with enamel fill waiting for the screenprint process):
I'm really happy with how they're looking so far and I'm excited to see the rest, and to see these designs with the screenprint layers added!
I'll update you all when more sample photos are sent. All the best,
First up, the fun bit: we had one Custom Design backer for this campaign and thanks to them I will be adding a new pin option to the Surveys: Fighting Asthma!
Here's the new design, which uses the Dragon base design and shades of grey to match the awareness ribbon for Asthma, with highlights in blue for the Asthma and Allergy Awareness org ribbon:
I hope you like the new addition! My Mum has asthma so I'm really happy to be able to add this condition to the collection! :D
Now the not so fun bit: this month both the EU and US have made changes to their import customs/tariff laws.
These changes will effect the tariff charges I have to make alongside shipping when I send out the surveys later this week so now that I've had time to try and wrap my head around these complicated new changes I wanted to give you folks the run-down of what to expect before you receive your surveys:
US Tariff Rates
Some of you may have heard that Trump's 'emergency' tariffs expired in July. He has now imposed a new tariff systemwhich charges a different % of cost depending on the type of item in addition to a base 10% tariff rate.
I've done a bunch of research over the last couple of weeks to figure out how the new system works, how much tariff rates will be for the types of items I sell, and how to apply tariffs correctly via the Backerkit system.
I apologise for not being able to warn you about these changes while the campaign was live. I only learned about them after the campaign had ended and it has taken 2 weeks to track down and correctly interpret the information provided for these rule changes.
In the interest of transparency, here are the total tariff rates you can expect to be charged for each item during Surveys at this time:
Pins: 15.2%
Stickers: 10%
Embroidered Patches: 14.2%
Lanyards: 12.3%
Keychains: 15.3%
Prints: 10%
This means that one £12 pin will incur a £1.82 tariff.
EU Customs Rates
The EU also introduced new import laws in July!
Customs Duty will now be due on all parcels as the exemption for parcels valued less than €150 has been removed.
From 2026-2028 EU customers can now expect to be charged an 'interim flat rate' of €3 per different hsn (customs) code for their orders. (Yes this is both dumb and confusing, bear with me).
This means that:
If you ordered (for eg) three pins and nothing else you will be charged €3 for customs.
If you ordered one pin and one print you will be charged €6.
If you ordered one pin, one print and one lanyard you will be charged €9, and so on.
This is in addition to a new customs handling fee (as mentioned in the base shipping rates section above). As I ship via Royal Mail this rate is £1 per order.
With the exception of Germany, these charges will be made to you on the parcels arrival in your country, as has been the case up till now.
Germany
Alongside these new tariff fees Germany is now requiring items to be shipped DDP only: this means that all customs/import tax must now be paid in advance.
As a result of this German orders will now also be charged import tax via Surveys alongside customs fees and shipping.
Other EU countries (as far as I've been able to decern so far) are retaining import-tax-paid-by-recipient options as before, so will not be charged tax in advance via surveys.
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Thank you for your patience and understanding about these changes. It has been very difficult to find and navigate the sparse and confusing details available for both US and EU changes but the above notes represent the charges to the best of my ability.
Thank you to all of you who've backed so far and for voting in the poll! You voted for a sticker to be added so I've added the Fuck This Shit sticker to the Add-On options AND another new sticker; Absolutely 100% Done!
Here's the Fuck This Shit sticker design:
And here's the new design; Absolutely 100% Done (which will have holographic flames):
I hope you like them! I might add a couple of prints too for surveys later too. 👀
There's just over a week left to back the project!
Thank you so much for all of your support so far! Thanks to you we've unlocked ALL of the designs I put together for this campaigns! 🥳
That includes these lovely Sphinx that I hadn't shared with you yet: I hope you like them! I'm so exited to be able to make this whole big collection of pins and cover so many different conditions for everyone! 😊
So far we have raised enough for me to produce all of the designs, but if we can reach £3,200 we'll have raised enough for me to stock x50 of each of the pins to sell in my Etsy shop and at events so that's my next goal. 👀🤞 What should I do to celebrate that milestone? Vote in the poll below to let me know!
AHHHH I can't believe we're only a few hours away from launch time!!! I've been tweaking designs all the way up to 5 minutes ago and I'm so nervous/excited for this campaign! XD
I'm going to keep making updates during the campaign with the different designs, alterations and polls for feedback and stretch goals, but for today here are the three Zebracorn pin designs; Rare Disease Warrior, EDS Warrior and Autoimmune Warrior: Check out the campaign page in a few hours to check out the other designs (Sphinx, more Dragons, and a Mermaid) covering; Crohns, Colitis, IBS, Invisible Illness, Chronic Pain, Cancer, and 'my wheels mean freedom', and (if you missed the other updates) Dragons and Harpies for' Migraine, Fibromyalgia, Diabetes, PMOS, Endometriosis and Arthritis!
I hope you're all excited for launch day too! XD All the best,
