Talvi and I worked like powerhouses over the last few days to get ALL PLEDGES PACKED! 🎉
Non-U.S. pledges went out on Monday! ✅
1 plush pledges went out yesterday! ✅
2 plush pledges are going out today! They're currently awaiting pickup :) They've been picked up! ✅
3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 plush pledges are all going out tomorrow!
🚨Hang tight if your tracking number doesn't update for a day or two! 🚨 It really depends on my mail carrier's mood whether he decides to scan the form to confirm receiving the packages upon pickup or not, so they might not get a scan until they reach the processing hub.
Aside from errored shipping payments, and those who have contacted me about holding their pledge until after they've moved...
I am declaring Patchkins Plushies series 1 FULFILLED! 🎉
Errored shipping payments & survey stragglers: The deadline to fix your issues and still receive your rewards is August 24th at 11:59PM CST. After this deadline, your pledge will be considered a donation and you won't receive your rewards, because the campaign will be closing due to completing fulfillment.
AKA save my garage from being taken over by Patchkins!!! For those who missed out on the campaign or want more Patchkins, this is a ready-to-ship 4-day sale on Backerkit before they're put in my shop with a higher price to account for fees :)
PLUSH CARE INFO REMINDER: I'll get proper care cards printed for future plush, but here's a general rundown of what to expect for your Patchkins' arrival!
Your Patchkin is fresh out of the hospital with their new limbs, so they might have a bit of a smell on them. While we can't recommend a full washing machine soak, a gentle hand wash with cold water, mild soap (like baby shampoo), and a tumble-dry on noheat or air dry should help with that!
Your Patchkin has been through a long journey, so they might look a little squished right out of the package. Give them a massage & plenty of hugs to help them settle properly in no time!
Your Patchkin's embroidery may still have bits of stray plastic leftover from their surgery. The doctors did their best to clean them up, but if you notice any plastic on your plush, it's safe to help them pick off so they won't feel as itchy!
If you need me for issues with your package or anything else, please reach out via email at [email protected]. I don’t get timely notifications for comments left on updates, though I will periodically check for them.
Thank you all for your support! See you all in my future projects ♥
The plush were all delivered to me on Friday morning, which is when I sent out the 48-hour address lock warning! Fulfillment will begin on Sunday, August 16th >:3
Talvi and I have been busy sorting, labeling, and starting to grade. So far, there aren't any major issues and they all appear to be present and accounted for, yippee!!!
The only thing we've noticed is that Taffy's tail is understuffed/not stuffed at all on the plush we've graded so far, so I feel that it's safe to say their whole batch is like this. It's not a huge deal, but if you think it'll bother you, let me know and we can swap your Taffy out for another plush. Lune's is properly stuffed, though!
EDIT— After checking all the Taffy’s, we’ve confirmed that all of them have a non-stuffed tail. Here’s a comparison photo with the prototype on the left and the bulk production on the right.
Taffy’s prototype tail (left) vs. bulk production tails (right)
Plush Care Information
I'll get proper care cards printed for future plush, but here's a general rundown of what to expect for your Patchkins' arrival!
Your Patchkin is fresh out of the hospital with their new limbs, so they might have a bit of a smell on them. While we can't recommend a full washing machine soak, a gentle hand wash with cold water, mild soap (like baby shampoo), and a tumble-dry on noheat or air dry should help with that!
Your Patchkin has been through a long journey, so they might look a little squished right out of the package. Give them a massage & plenty of hugs to help them settle properly in no time!
Your Patchkin's embroidery may still have bits of stray plastic leftover from their surgery. The doctors did their best to clean them up, but if you notice any plastic on your plush, it's safe to help them pick off so they won't feel as itchy!
Shipping Schedule
Here is my planned shipping schedule order, which I will periodically update with checkmarks when the batches are officially sent:
IMPORTANT NOTE: As a head's up, backers receiving only 1 plush is the largest group. All above labels will be printed per group and tracking numbers will probably be sent before your package has actually been shipped, because it makes it easier for me to keep track of on the backend. This will likely trigger Backerkit to mark the campaign as fulfilled, since it automatically does it at 50% fulfillment. Until I have published an update confirming majority fulfillment, please assume we are still packing orders and don't worry!
As always, if you have any questions or need my assistance, please email me at [email protected]. I don’t get timely notifications for comments left on Backerkit updates, though I will check for them periodically.
GREAT NEWS! Patchkins have arrived stateside and are estimated to be delivered to me on Friday, August 14th!
Pending any issues upon arrival (knock on wood), shipping will commence after the 17th. Here is my planned shipping schedule order, which I will periodically update with checkmarks when the batches are officially sent:
Non-Plush ✅
Non-U.S. Plush
1 Plush
2 Plush
3 Plush
4 Plush
5 Plush
6 Plush
7 Plush
IMPORTANT NOTE: As a head's up, backers receiving only 1 plush is the largest group. All above labels will be printed per group and tracking numbers will probably be sent before your package has actually been shipped, because it makes it easier for me to keep track of on the backend. This will likely trigger Backerkit to mark the campaign as fulfilled, since it automatically does it at 50% fulfillment. Until I have published an update confirming majority fulfillment, please assume we are still packing orders and don't worry!
Talvi and I have our system of packing pins down to a science, but we've never done plush so we'll have to find our groove before we see how long fulfillment will take 😊
Final Failed Payment Warning
My final attempt to recharge errored/declined shipping payments on my end is tomorrow, August 10th. After that date, any failed shipping charges will be left up to the backer to initiate. At the time of writing, there are 11 remaining failed shipping charges; 3 of which are still missing payment card information due to a Backerkit error, as mentioned in my previous updates.
You have until fulfillment is completed for all pledges to fix these payment issues. Otherwise your pledge will be considered a donation and you won't receive your rewards. Your time is running out, so please get them fixed ASAP! I'll post an official deadline for stragglers once fulfillment is wrapping up.
For those who missed out on the campaign or want more Patchkins, there will be a ready-to-ship 4-day flash sale on Backerkit before they're put in my shop with a higher price to account for fees. The dates are TBD, but it'll be after the majority of backers have received their pledges, so keep an eye on your emails for that announcement 👁️
As always, if you have any questions or need my assistance, please email me at [email protected]. I don’t get timely notifications for comments left on Backerkit updates, though I will check for them periodically.
Great news— Patchkins plush production is completed! They will be starting their boat journey to me in the next few days!
Upcoming Charges
Everyone who is still waiting on their pledge/preorder will be charged shipping on July 24th! You will still be able to edit your address until I receive the plush and prepare for fulfillment.
For my non-U.S. backers— Please review your shipping estimate! These calculations are based on using Pirate Ship's USPS International. I was advised by fellow creators to not use UPS since they apparently like to upcharge customs fees. But if you'd prefer to check if there's a cheaper-up-front shipping cost option, please email me at [email protected]. As a general note, I only really noticed UPS being slightly cheaper for pledges with 3 or more plush, but it couldn't hurt to check if you have that preference :)
Surveys Missing Payment Info
Due to an error on Backerkit staff’s end, there are a handful of pledges that were able to complete the survey without putting in payment information. Problem is, I need that to charge you shipping!
If this applies to you, you should've gotten an email within these past few months about it. As of now, there are 4 remaining backers who need to add payment information. I'll send another personal email today if this applies to you to give you a direct head's up.
You have until fulfillment is completed for all pledges to fix this. Otherwise your pledge will be considered a donation and you won't receive your rewards.
Unanswered surveys are reopened + Final chance to get your pledge rewards!
You have until fulfillment is completed for all pledges to finish your survey and pay shipping. Otherwise your pledge will be considered a donation and you won't receive your rewards. There are 3 of you remaining!
Customs Delays & Safety Testing
Given the customs rule changes for the U.S. on July 8th, the Patchkins might get stuck in the port arrivals backlog that could delay them a bit in getting to me— i.e. their usual 4-week shipping transit time might get pushed to 6-8 weeks.
However, per my manufacturer's recommendation on June 22nd, I did pay an extra $1,300 out of pocket in an attempt to be compliant with these new rules. At that time, when the rules were freshly implemented but still unclear on how to enforce (which this U.S. administration loves to do)— there was reasonable belief that there would've been a risk of the plush being destroyed at customs if I'd chosen not to pay it, which I absolutely did not want 😭
This is also why there’s been such a prolonged gap between the previous “they’re almost done!” update and this one. They were almost done, but adding the safety testing tacked on additional wait time.
For transparency: Patchkins are my first endeavor into plush making. When I was calculating the budget for this campaign, I asked around with other plush creators and did my own research to decide whether or not I should budget for child safety testing. The general consensus from multiple different sources was that, since I'm not a big company and my plush were promoted for legal adults on Backerkit, it was my choice to do it or not. So I decided against it— and then the rules changed.
All this to say, the Patchkins wash labels have them listed for ages 15+, because the plush were made before this customs rule change. But I have the documents that proves they've been safety tested and are officially safe for all ages. I'll be budgeting for the safety testing in my future plush campaigns and will adjust future wash labels accordingly.
If you'd like a better breakdown of the situation, my Pintopia cross-collab partner Kity has written a pretty thorough explanation of what small businesses/creators are dealing with in terms of these changes at U.S. customs.
(Totally not related whatsoever... did you know I have a Summer Trinket Sale live for 3 more days? 😅)
And just for fun— here are their mugshots on the safety testing report. Gizmo's gave me a good chuckle, they look like they've been framed and are so shocked about it!
As always, if you have any questions or need my assistance, please email me at [email protected]. I don’t get timely notifications for comments left on Backerkit updates, though I will check for them periodically.
Just popping in to share some production progress photos! I’m told that some are complete while others are going through quality check. As you can see, the many Echos were going through surgery last night 🤭
Our timeline seems to still be on track, but I’ll keep you all updated if that changes 💜
I will have a few random shop items for sale (including some new ones!), as well as leftover Patchkins stock that I have on hand that's taking up room in my office (stickers, enamel pins, keychains). I'm gonna need all the space I can get for the 715 plush that are shipping soon!!
I understand this sale is happening before most of you have even received these items yourselves, since we're still waiting on plush to be able to fulfill. Rest assured that all pledges including these items have already been sorted and set aside, so there's no risk of running out of stock for backers.
Additionally, to thank you all for your support and understanding— all orders still waiting on plush to ship will receive a 20% off promo code for my shop in your pledge package!
As always, please email me at [email protected] if you have any questions! I don’t get timely notifications for comments left on updates, though I will check for them periodically.
