KickstarterForum.org

Hi guys,

First post topic we are doing here. We hope you all can help us out a bit.

We will be launching later this month and are finalizing rewards. Our product is on the high side (~$600) and is relatively heavy (~22lbs) so shipping is a concern for us.

On the Project Page, Kickstarter asks that you include domestic shipping in the reward. We have reservations about doing this:

1) We don't want to ask people who support us locally to also pay shipping. If they can pick it up or if we can make other arrangements for people to pick up, we don't want to charge a flat rate to everyone.

2) Even if they are not local supporters, we plan on having "local pickups" in other areas.

3) Price. $600 is already somewhat of a sticker shock. $650 seems a bit too high for the market. Shipping will most likely vary depending on location and we want to be fair with everyone.

Can we get away with saying "plus shipping" and include the options for backers in the comments/FAQs?

International:

We really want to include the International audience. Though we have our concerns. Again, we need to make sure we make a profit. Also, we have heard that it can be a headache with customs. We want to have a smooth delivery, while also maximizing our backers. Are there any good suggestions for International options? Should we not include international for now?

Thank you all for any suggestions you can provide. We really appreciate it!

I think you can definitely get away with putting something like "Shipping not included, please see our campaign page for shipping options" and just make sure that you message every backer individual to ensure that they understand. It's always a tricky compromise as you add more manual steps but it seems like you think it'll be worth it. I would allow international to have the option to contact you for rates and then just be honest with them about it. If they're willing to pay, great. If not, at least they had the option. That's how we've done it on our campaign so that we could deal with US and other off-continent countries separately (we're Canadian).

@matt

Thanks for your input. That's what we've been thinking of doing. As you said, it does add an extra step or 2 but we believe it is better for everyone that way.

I like your suggestion about having the international community contact us. We may in fact end up doing that.

Also, just noticed you followed us on Twitter! Thanks, we have followed you back. Good luck with your project! You look like you are well on your way to a successful campaign.

Would agree in saying +Shipping in FAQ. Don't want too much sticker shock with a higher priced item.

Yeah,,, We had the same concern.
We also struggled with the shipping issue (international and domestic) for a while, but finally decided to include it. just to save the confusion.
We also added a note regarding the shipping cost in our project page
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1680004454/ringo-the-natural-wooden-rocking-and-rolling-rhino
- check it out, maybe it can be helpful.

good luck!

RingoTheRhino
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1680004454/ringo-the-natural-wooden-rocking-and-rolling-rhino