BackerKit FAQ

How does BackerKit crowdfunding work?

Crowdfunding is a collaborative way to bring ideas and projects to life. Project creators post their idea for a project, and backers pledge money to make the project possible. Backers get behind the scenes access and backer-only rewards, which can include exclusive products, special pricing, creative input, content, and more.

To become a backer, select a pledge level that features the reward(s) you would like to receive when the project is successfully completed and make your contribution.

All-or-nothing crowdfunding model: The creator sets a funding goal and a deadline to raise funds. If the project does not meet the goal by the deadline, backers credit cards are not charged and no money changes hands.

Crowdfunding projects can happen at various stages of the creative process. Make sure to check the estimated timeline of when rewards will be delivered. Project creators will keep you updated on the progress toward completion and delivery of your rewards.

Backing a crowdfunding campaign is not the same as purchasing an item from a store. When you back a campaign you are supporting the creation of something new. Rewards are almost always delivered, but are not guaranteed.

When will I be charged for my pledge?

Your payment method will not be charged right away. You will be charged for the amount of your pledge when the campaign ends and the project reaches its funding goal. You will not be charged if the campaign does not reach its funding goal.

What happens after the campaign is over?

The Creator will send out a survey that will ask you for more information about your pledge, your shipping information, additional items you may want to add to your pledge, and collect shipping fees if applicable.

The survey will be sent to the email address we have on file with your pledge.

Any additional payment will be charged when you complete your survey and confirm your order.

Project FAQ

How Backing Works

If this is your first time on BackerKit, let me walk you through it. The funds you pledge will be used to help fulfill the production of the items (also called rewards). You will in return be the first to get the rewards before they ever hit my shop! - Pledge now Risk-Free and Pay later system! You'll only be charged if the funding goal is met. - Click the 'Back It' button and choose the tier you want. You'll also have the chance to add additional funds to your pledge if you wish to! - Survey forms will be sent at the end of the campaign to choose your rewards. Backers will have until MAY 9TH, 2024 to fill out their surveys for the guarantee of being in the first wave of fulfillment. You will be informed via Campaign Updates about when to expect your survey, how to find it, and the submission deadline. -Any surveys not completed by October 31, 2024 forfeit their pledge rewards and will not be refunded.

How Shipping Works

Shipping costs will be charged to you AFTER the campaign and SEPARATELY through your post-campaign BackerKit survey. These flat rates apply only to your pledge level, and are subject to changes depending upon shipping rates when the campaign ends. These estimates are for your PLEDGE LEVEL only, meaning if you add more pins in the survey, your shipping could increase. All orders are shipped through USPS and come with tracking. International backers are responsible for their own countries VAT or import taxes/fees. The USPS First Class packages have an ESTIMATED SHIPPING TIME of 3-7 business days for USA and a 7-21 business days for Everywhere Else. Shipping times cannot be guaranteed but shouldn't take longer than estimated. Many countries are experiencing delays in accepting and delivering packages. Please keep in mind that once the package is out of my hands, it is completely out of my control. Double check your shipping address before I ship out your order! Please let me know ASAP if you need to change your shipping address before I finalize your shipment. When shipping internationally I will make every effort to properly fill out customs forms. I will abide by your countries customs and shipping laws, which means I will denote the package value as the cost of your order, and mark this as merchandise. Please do not ask me to change the value of your package, or mark it as a gift. I am not responsible if your country holds your package and requires extra payment to release it. LOCATIONS I CANNOT SHIP TO: Afghanistan, Argentina, Belarus, Bhutan, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Chad, Cuba, France, Germany, Iran, Israel, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Libya, Mongolia, North Korea, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russian Federation, South Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Yemen. If you pledge from one of these countries, your order will be canceled and refunded post-campaign.d

How to Select Different Pin Colors

I want to be very transparent about this. I won't be offering color selection at the end of the campaign as current tiers and add-ons are exactly as they are pictured. The campaign is very straightforward about what you are receiving in your pledge. Again, you will NOT be selecting colorways in the survey. The items pictured in your pledge are the colors of the pins you will be getting. This is the best way to assure logistics are smooth for my campaigns! Please let me know if you have any questions!

A Note About Colors and Size

It is crucial to understand that while we have made pins before, the pins in this Kickstarter have not yet been manufactured. The designs you see on this page are mockups, which means the final product may vary in color and size. From my experience, the majority of my pins turn out looking like the mockup design. Different computers, phones, and other devices have different screen settings which means coloration may vary between screens. I use a Pantone Solid Coated book to choose the colors for our designs. The manufacturers use those Pantone numbers to know which colors to mix and apply where, however, looking at a Pantone swatch on paper, is different than looking at a Pantone color in enamel. Each mockup has a rough estimate of what the size will be. Our sizes are either specifying the general height or width of the pin. The actual size of the physical product may vary. Glitters, translucent enamel, sand blasted enamel, pearl enamel, and metal plating colors may vary on the physical product.

Pin Grading

There are two types of pins that happen during manufacturing. I call them A Grade and B Grade pins. Each batch of pins that come in are individually inspected to separate the A from the B. All orders will fulfilled using A Grade pins. However, there are sometimes minor (REALLY minor) imperfections in A Grade pins. A Grade pins may have small imperfections, but 99% of the time, these imperfections are non-existent or not noticeable. Examples of A Grade imperfections are as follows, but not limited to: - Small buff marks, scuffs, or scratches on metal/enamel - Small specks, pores, or bubbles anywhere on the pin - Slightly low or uneven fills - Slightly misaligned screenprinted details (for pins with screenprinting) - Slight variations in the distribution of glitter - Slight defects in text (this is usually only in pins with small text)

Project Timeline

Pledges are expected to ship no later than end of August 2024. Pledges ship out only if you have filled out your survey and paid for your pledge + add-ons and shipping. Surveys will close on or about May 9, 2024. Please be sure to fill out your survey as soon as possible after receiving it. Those who fill out their surveys on time are guaranteed to be part of the first wave of shipments. I will work on late surveys after the first wave is done. Any surveys that haven't been completed by October 31, 2024 will forfeit their pledge and will not be refunded. This is because I cannot keep surveys open indefinitely to wait for backers to put in their shipping address or pay for their stuff.

How do the free collab pins work?

Here are the steps to receive your TWO free Pintopia Pins: 1. Pledge to my campaign 2. Pledge to to Liz of Snarky Co's campaign, Ink & Enamel 3. Successfully pay for your initial pledge 4. Successfully fill out your survey and pay for shipping 5. Enjoy!

I have received no survey and when I request one from BackerKit, nothing shows up. What do I do?

SURVEYS HAVE NOT BEEN SENT OUT YET. THIS IS INFORMATION FOR AFTER THE CAMPAIGN IS DONE. Here are the troubleshooting steps for anyone else encountering this rare issue: 1. Login to https://www.kickstarter.com/settings/account and see what your email address is set to. 2. Go to your inbox for the email address that is listed. Also check your Junk and/or Spam folders. 3. Search for [email protected] in your email. Be sure to add it to your address book or safe list. 4. Go to https://carly-kjelstrom-project.backerkit.com and enter your Kickstarter email address and click “Get My Survey.” Repeat steps 1-3. 5. If you have changed your email address in Kickstarter recently, the BackerKit pledge manager may have your old email address. Please check the inbox and Junk/Spam folders for your old address if you have access to it. 6. If you no longer have access to the email address used, or if your address is a “@privaterelay.appleid.com” address, please take a screenshot that includes your pledge details and Backer ID # / Pledge Number and send this screenshot with your preferred email address and BackerKit username included in the body of the email to [email protected]. 7. If all else fails, email [email protected] and let them know you’ve already gone through these steps. Please know that support response times vary.

Early Bird & Previous Backer Rewards

Early Bird rewards are given to those who pledge in the first 48 hours of this campaign, fill their survey completely, and pay for final shipping. Previous Backers rewards are given to those who backed a previous campaign of mine (Cosmic Balance, Wild Companions, or CGC Calendar), pledge to this campaign using the same account, fill their survey completely, and pay for final shipping.

How do I find out what projects I’ve pledged to?

Check out this help doc on how to locate your pledges for Pintopia 2024: https://help.backerkit.com/article/824-how-do-i-find-out-what-projects-i-ve-pledged-to

How do I get free pins during Pintopia 2024?

Check out this help doc to find out how to receive FREE pins for Pintopia 2024: https://help.backerkit.com/article/821-how-do-i-get-free-pins-during-pintopia-2024

What do FREE Pintopia 2024 Pins look like?

Check out this help doc to find out what the FREE pins look like for Pintopia 2024: https://help.backerkit.com/article/822-what-do-free-pintopia-2024-pins-look-like

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