Hey all!

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 :)

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.

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!

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.

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.