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Hi everyone,
This is the update we’ve been waiting to write.

The enamel pins are officially on their way to us!!!! 😭🚚✨

After the final packaging stage of packaging was completed at the manufacturer, everything has now been shipped out and is currently traveling to us!! 🥹 

Seeing them all packed together like this honestly hit us harder than we expected. 🥺
All the Trash babies lined up. All the colors. All the variants. Every single one individually bagged/packed and finally ready 😭
After everything this campaign has gone through… seeing them like this feels very real.
Seeing all the characters gathered like this and ready — every variant, every expression, every little detail we worked on — made the whole journey feel worth it.

Each pin is now:
• fully finished
• individually packed
• backing cards included for some variants
• customized blind bags for other variants
Now they just need to arrive safely to us. 🥹🤞
The shipment is traveling by sea, so transit time is naturally slower — as many of you already know.


As soon as they’re in our hands, we’ll:
– start our own quality checks
– organize all the pins inside the studio
– prepare for the next fulfillment steps

In parallel, we’re continuing to work on the Shopify / BackerKit integration situation mentioned in the previous update.
We’re actively evaluating the best path forward and possible workarounds.
Depending on the solution we move forward with, the fulfillment phase may require different processing steps and timelines.
Once the pins are here and everything has been checked and organized, we’ll provide a clear Fulfillment Roadmap based on the final setup in place.

We’re not sharing timelines just yet — we want to wait until they’re physically here and we’ve assessed everything properly. That said, we’re confident the remaining steps won’t take much longer once they’re safely in our hands.

But this is a huge milestone.
For a long time this project has felt like endless obstacles — new shipping regulations, manufacturer ghostings and delays, multiple added costs, system changes, technical blocks.
This part though? This is tangible progress.
They exist. They’re real. They’re coming home. And we're so incredibly excited 🥹


We’ll update you again as soon as they arrive in our hands.


Thank you for still being here with us.
— Inari & Mako 🐾

Hey everyone!!

We’ve got HUGE news — and it’s the one we’ve been waiting for all this time after the recent USA shipping changes:
we finally received official approval for our DDP shipping contract!!! 🎉🎉

👉 It means we can finally resume shipping to the USA for all the in-hand products for this campaign — including all the ready-to-go Bin Buddies packages we had already packed and labeled!

Yes, you read that right:
Many of your rewards were already packed, labeled, and ready to leave our studio... but they were forced to sit still due to the new US import tariffs (aka the Trump Tariffs crisis we’ve mentioned before). 😩

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We’ve seen some of you asking:
“Couldn’t you have just sent it and asked us to pay the extra fees?”

We totally get the question, and we want to clarify:
This wasn’t just about charging more at the time.

💥 All couriers had completely suspended the usual (DDU) shipping method we always used (and that most likely everyone uses). It was no longer allowed at all for parcels headed to the US. We couldn’t send anything — unless we had a valid DDP shipping contract.
And... we didn’t have one.

It took weeks of documents, applications, rejections, back-and-forth emails, and so much emotional energy…
but in the end, we did it.
We now officially have a DDP contract and we’re finalizing the technical setup with our shipping platform. 🧠⚙️

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This new DDP method means that Customs charges will now be pre-paid and added upfront to your Backerkit shipping cost.
This ensures smooth, fast delivery with no surprise charges at your door.

❗Even if you’ve already paid for your shipping in the past, this extra Customs fee will still need to be charged via the surveys before we can ship your parcel.
Without it, unfortunately, the package can’t leave — so please make sure to complete the payment in your survey!

We’ve done our best to keep these added costs as low and fair as possible, using the official import tariff percentages that apply to each product category. 💌

✅ Meanwhile, all European parcels containing ready in-hand products have already been shipped out — so this only affects US backers for now!

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Since so many Bin Buddies rewards were already labeled under the old system, we’ll need to re-label everything from scratch using the new method.
It’s more work — but honestly, we’re just relieved we can finally start fulfilling again.
We’ll begin re-labeling and shipping out as soon as the system is fully ready!

📸 But just so you see how close we were…

We were literally ready to go.

These shelves you see here? 👀✨  
We had just bought and assembled them with care months ago, organizing every hoodie and jogger by size and design to make the process smooth and fast — because we were finally about to start fulfilling the apparel rewards!

All the sorting, folding, packing... was done. Our studio was ready.

But then the new shipping restrictions hit. And everything had to pause. 💔


>Please also know this:  
 It’s not like we were sitting around doing nothing while these rewards were ready. We wanted to ship them. We were ready. But we couldn’t — and we spent all this time trying to find a way. The issues we faced were real, serious, and way beyond our control. We’ll begin re-labeling and shipping out as soon as the system is fully ready!

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We know the delays have been painful.
Trust us: they’ve been devastating on our side too.
The past couple of years have been a constant, unexpected battle — with logistics, health, and emotional struggles.

There were moments when everything felt hopeless.
When this campaign (and others) could have been abandoned.
But we chose not to.
We chose to keep going, even when it meant pouring in personal time, money, and emotional energy.

We even chose not to declare bankruptcy just to walk away from it all — even though we probably could have.
Instead, we kept going, sacrificing our own savings and personal dreams, like being able to travel (we’ve taken only one trip in our whole lives tbh!) or one day having a house of our own. That’s how much this project (all our projects) — and you — mean to us.

We’re still here, still working to bring this project to life 'til the end — and that alone should tell you how much it matters to us. 🥹
Because fulfilling such a huge campaign as Bin Buddies isn’t just a duty... it’s a dream we still want to complete. And we will.

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If you’re feeling upset or disappointed, your feelings are absolutely valid — we just kindly ask that you share your thoughts with empathy, sensitivity, and respect, as always.

Even a critical message can be helpful and constructive —
as long as it’s expressed in a way that acknowledges our humanity and effort.

On the other hand, every message of support, every kind comment, every cheerful word —
they lift us up more than you can imagine.
They give us the strength to keep moving forward, even through the hardest days. 💛

We read all your comments and messages, even if we can’t always reply.
The supportive ones boost us — the harsh ones weigh us down more than they should, especially when they ignore how hard we’re trying.
We know it may sound repetitive to bring up our personal struggles, but we do it to remind you that we’re human too.
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We also know that all our updates have still been quite sparse — and we’re genuinely sorry for that.
Communication is a huge struggle for us, and it’s something we’re still constantly working to improve.
So if you're ever wondering about an update, please feel free to ask us... just do it gently! It might even help us — giving us that little spark of urgency that we often lack, even with all the tools, reminders, and systems we’ve put in place.
Especially when there are no major updates to share, we often fall silent... but we’re still here, working.
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And just so you know — we ALSO personally can't wait to finally fulfill this campaign either!! (And all our other "pending" ones)
Not just because it's a dream we want to complete, but because only once the rewards are all fulfilled... can we finally start listing these items in our shops. 
And that’s the only moment when we actually start earning something from them.

Campaigns like this one are meant to help us fund the production (if all goes well) — not to make profit. 
And lately, many of them ended up costing more than expected... which means we had to cover the difference ourselves, from personal savings.

So yes — we're absolutely looking forward to the day we can say: **it's done!!!**. 
Not just to close a chapter, but to finally be able to move forward — as artists, as a small brand, as people.

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More updates coming soon — including manufacturer's pins packing progress (with hopefully also photos of the progress attached 🤞) and new timelines! We plan to also make a "recap" update of the current situation soon~
We'll be making new updates on our other open campaigns as well! So please stay tuned 💝


Thank you again for sticking with us through all of this.


May your Holidays be filled with warmth, rest, and tiny joys🎄— to everyone who celebrates, and even to those simply enjoying a quiet moment. 🧸❤️
— Inari & Mako 🐾

Hi everyone,
we finally have some important shipping progress to share regarding a specific batch of US parcels that has been on hold for a long time.

We’re now able to move forward with shipping a first batch of parcels that have been packed, labeled, and ready since July/August 2025!!

These parcels had to be placed on hold due to the sudden Tariff changes that temporarily stopped all carriers from shipping from Europe to the US. After a long period of adjustments and logistics changes, we’re now finally able to move forward again.

>Over the next few days starting from today we will begin processing these additional charges for the backers whose parcels are part of this batch.

❗ If a payment cannot be processed (for example due to a declined card), the parcel will unfortunately need to remain on hold until the tariff cost can be successfully covered.

>Backers affected by this will receive a direct email notification. Please check your inbox!
If any backer from this batch needs to update their shipping address, you’re welcome to reply directly to the email notification or contact us privately so we can help.

For transparency, we also want to clarify that the Shopify/BackerKit connection issue has still not been fully resolved on our side, and at this point we can’t yet say with certainty whether it will be... For this smaller batch of held parcels, we’ve been able to move forward through a different workaround so these orders don’t have to remain blocked any longer.

We’re also really looking forward to the enamel pins arriving, as that will help us keep moving forward with the remaining parcels as well🥹(hopefully with fewer complications ahead).


We know this has been an extremely long and difficult wait, and we’re genuinely grateful for all those who have been so patient with us. We truly wish things had been able to move sooner.
Still, this is an important step forward, and we’re very relieved to finally be able to start moving these parcels again.

Thank you for continuing to stick with us through all of this.

We are currently preparing a detailed clarification update that will address the most frequently repeated questions and concerns as clearly as possible, including several points that have already been shared previously and are now being gathered in one place for clarity. If anything still remains unanswered afterward, we will do our best to clarify further where needed. We kindly ask everyone to wait for the full post before drawing further conclusions, as it will address many of the points currently being raised. 

Hi everyone,
We wanted to share a quick check-in, as some time has passed since the last update.

First of all, we want to reassure everyone that fulfillment will still happen. The project is not cancelled and rewards will be shipped as planned. The situation with the new US tariffs and the technical Shopify/BK/Shipping platform issues we mentioned in the previous update are still being worked through, and that has still been slowing down the next steps.

For those of you whose parcels were already packed and ready before the shipping pause to the US (because not containing any pins): your packages are still safely prepared, held and ready to ship on our side.
The only remaining step for these orders is still processing the new tariff charges and re-print labels before they can be dispatched. We’re currently working on the technical side of applying those charges correctly to the specific backers affected, and we’ll share a dedicated update with clearer details about this very soon. We’re working to make this process as smooth as possible for everyone involved as much as we possibly can.

We understand that the uncertainty around the tariffs and the delays can be frustrating. Please know that we’re continuing to work through these issues and gathering the clearest information possible so we can provide a proper update soon.

This message is simply to let you know that we’re still here and actively working on it. We’re preparing a more detailed update and will share it as soon as we have clearer information to report.

We also want to apologize if our communication hasn’t still been as frequent as some of you would prefer. Between resolving ongoing issues and coordinating logistics, it hasn’t always been possible to reply to every comment, message, email or post check-in updates. However, we do read them, and we’ll continue replying where needed as soon as we can.

We also want to acknowledge that the current landscape for small creators has become increasingly complex and uncertain compared to when many of these projects first started. Changes in international shipping, tariffs, platform systems, and logistics have made things far more unpredictable than they used to be.
Being based outside the United States adds another layer of difficulty for us. We operate from Italy, where there are far fewer tools, integrations, and support systems available for creators working with international crowdfunding and fulfillment. Because of this, many of the alternative solutions that US-based creators can rely on simply aren’t available to us, and resolving issues can take more time and work on our side.

We’re also considering preparing a pinned recap update or a short Q&A covering the most common questions and key information gathered so far, so everything can be easier to find in one place.


Thank you for sticking with us while we work through these complications. We’ll be back with a more detailed update soon. If there are no major changes before then, we’ll still share another quick check-in update in a few weeks so you know where things stand.