Wave 1 shipping update. 8-11-21
over 2 years ago
– Thu, Aug 12, 2021 at 10:21:37 PM
Greetings Game Topper Nation!
I hope you are well!!! I have several things to communicate, so I'll just get to it. First, Thank you all very kindly! I cannot express our gratitude properly for you and the community we are developing!
This is mostly a long and boring detailed update, so if you want the quick update... We are mostly on or ahead of schedule. Some Wave 1 units have been shipped early and the rest of Wave 1 units are regularly going out and should be mostly fulfilled by the end of Sept. We hope Wave 2 items will be shipping in November/Dec as estimated. Mat pledges were estimated for November, but after we are done with Wave 1 topper pledges, if we have enough stock, we may exceed expectations on that estimate.
Overseas EU/Australia orders are still estimated for the end of 1st Qtr 2022.
I always want to be transparent and provide quality intel. This is a challenge and it is not always forthcoming as it is in a constant fluid state. If you don't see an update, it generally means we are on course. If I have important info I'll do my best to keep you updated.
For those that like all the nitty gritty...
Wave 1 fulfilment:
We have started Wave 1 fulfillment about 3 weeks earlier than expected, however that does not mean all Wave 1 shipments have left yet. When we estimate a start date for a wave, that does not mean all orders magically go out on that date. We can process about 100 units a week when we have all products on hand. So it takes some time to get through the segments. More wave 1 product is arriving very soon (SEE below) and we expect to mostly completed by the end of Sept. We expect to have the Canada segment going out soon too.
Important note:
Wave 2 Items that have not arrived yet will be shipped at a later date. ie: Leg Kits, Dining Covers, new XL Mats, Cardboard Covers, Dry Erase Markers, Game Haul bag, Game Topper Large Accessory Bank,
Please let me explain better.
We were able to ship some wave 1 topper pledges (Hoozaah, Over 40 units have left the building!!!) if they included mats that we had in stock. Say for instance, there is a topper pledge with a new mat that hasn't arrived yet, like The Great Wall Mat (which is awesome by the way!) In this instance, the order would not have been pulled and shipped until that product arrives. We are still waiting for some wave 1 items that should have been here 2 months ago.
(Please bare with me, I'll try to explain this very complicated fulfillment cycle better.)
As you probably are aware of the world is experiencing the worst logistical crisis I have seen in my lifetime, and I went through the energy crisis, and I think this may be worse. (yup I'm old, my kids ask me how it was to discover fire and the wheel.) We are having some difficulties too.
Some interesting reading and a link to shipping and board game manufacturing delays...
https://www.reuters.com/business/china-us-container-shipping-rates-sail-past-20000-record-2021-08-05/
Shipping crisis:
As you know most of or toppers product is made in the USA, but we do import or Mats and Storage bags and now Leg Kits.
Our recent overseas order which included new large topper storage bags, and new styles of Watson, Holmes, Hudson, and Lestrade and our coasters for the bottom of the cupholders was completed in April. That would generally be more than enough time to be here by June. To make a long painful story short, after being bumped 3 times, the 3 containers finally just arrived in Georgia and have to be transloaded to 2 trucks. This shipment should have cost us about $15,000.00 to $18,000.00 and is now costing us over $54,000.00. We expect to receive these items in MN late next week.
I'm not one to whine too much, but there was no way for us to forecast this steep increase. We feel that you you put your trust in us and backed us and this is just an unfortunate cost/risk that we must absorb and take responsibility for. So we are not going to pass these increases in costs to you.
We clearly stated that shipping fees to your door are good faith estimates and subject to change in the Kickstarter.
This was due to last years unforeseen problems with our order to Australia that cost us over $5400.00
We ate it and did not charge our Aussie friends extra.
Going forward, If our shippers charge us more we may not always be able to just eat it. We make zero money on shipping.
We have a significant cost problem with our main Shipper, UPS that is Starting October 3rd to Jan 10th, the "large package peak season surcharge" is going up to $60.00 per package. We factored some in for this, but not that much.
(Note: our relationship with UPS is very solid, We have top tier rates and our new packaging solutions have performed admirably with very low failure experiences with this shipper, so it is not a realistic option to be using other solutions like FEDX and other options as that has already been fully explored.)
I honestly don't know what to do about it, it is just what it is. We have adjusted the shipping rate for new Late pledges. Anybody have some cheese to go with my wine?
Bottom line is, We are always working very diligently to do the very best we can for our backers and those of you that have come to know us realize we care deeply about this being a good experience for you.
Again, this is my attempt at being transparent with you so you can see the difficulties that do go with this type of fulfillment.
Cost and availability of product:
As you have seen everywhere, the cost of goods are through the roof and the availability of goods is horrible constrained. We have experienced a 14 percent increase in our Topper Packaging, 16 percent on aluminum, 50 percent in Walnut, 50 percent plus in mold injected accessories, 7 percent in mats, plus the huge shipping costs just to name a few. I could tell you stories. It is a very difficult time to be a manufacturer.
That all being said, we are doing well, I do not want to alarm you. I'm just saying this is what we are dealing with. We are grateful we have very solid partnerships and we are working together well in this mutually difficult time.
Wave 2 fulfillment:
We have all our orders in so that we can fulfill the wave 2 items (listed above). We generally need 90 days on most items I always block 120 days. I honestly do not know when everything Wave 2 will arrive. In a perfect world, we should see theses orders by OCT. That would allows us to be on track with delivery estimates. We do not live in a perfect world, and given the current logistics problems, I think it would be safer to say we will receive most wave 2 products by middle of November allowing us to complete domestic and Canada pledges before the end of the year.
As we know more we will keep you updated. We are on it and there are a lot of moving parts. but I'm optimistic that our partners can deliver, but there may be some things beyond our control.
International pledges:
Canada will happen alongside USA orders.
Overseas EU/Australia - We still plan to deliver by end 1st Quarter of 2022. Stay tuned.
Conventions:
This was a truly agonizing decision for me. Due to product availability or lack of it to sell at conventions, and staffing issues that would allow me to attend well, we have made the difficult decision to forgo the most recent conventions. Gen Con, Geekway and Origins.
We are still discussing BGG Con and PAX, but it's look more and more like they won't happen either.
Our first priority is managing and taking care of our backers so that is going to be our focus. Hopefully, the world will be in a better situation in 2022. We miss you for sure!
Of course if you have any sales related questions or specific requests please contact me via email at [email protected] and for shipping, address related questions, or any damage claims at [email protected] and we will be happy to help you!!!
Please continue to share your pictures on the Game Topper Nation Facebook page and share the love for Game toppers. People can still late pledge and all the support you can give would be much appreciated!!!
Again, sorry to be long winded in text. I'm not a great writer and agonize over how to communicate all the details. I want you to know, all is well, and I think we are going going to do remarkably well for our backers even in these difficult times. We are in this together.
We are very grateful for your support and all the kind words of encouragement!!!
Burky and team.
Game Toppers Wave 1 US Fulfillment Information!
almost 3 years ago
– Fri, Jul 16, 2021 at 09:22:22 PM
Hello Game Topper Nation!
We have been very busy with everything to prepare for our production and fulfillment, but we just wanted to sent out a brief update with some important information. While we still have a lot of items in various stages of production, we are about a month away from the bulk of Wave 1 fulfillment!
We expect to really begin massed fulfillment in the second week of August. Just a reminder, Wave 1 is only for the pledges in the campaign which specifically stated they were wave 1. Those pledges were US and CA only, and used our existing Topper product in our Watson and Holmes sizes.
In mid August is when all of our new mats will be arriving in the Watson and Holmes sizes, which allows us to fulfill the wave 1 pledges. However, there are some US pledges which we already have the majority of the items in stock and we are actually going to begin shipping those pledges slowly over the course of the next month. This is a fairly small number (about 40 or so), so don't be too disappointed if you don't receive a shipping notification just yet.
Also we wanted to let you know there are a couple of small items that have longer production times than first estimated in regards to wave 1 fulfilment. The printed cardboard coasters and Castle Player Shields are the main ones. Rather than delay our entire Wave 1 fulfillment we are going to be shipping pledges without this items, which will ship at a later date. Many of the wave 1 backers have items shipping in wave 2 already, so we will just include any of the delayed items at that point. If you didn't have any wave 2 items, we will still ship the remaining items out as we receive them.
When you receive your wave 1 pledge, if you have any questions or concerns you can always reach out to us at [email protected] and I will do my best to answer your questions.
Game Toppers 3.0 Pledge Survey Lock Date Extension & Email Catchup
almost 3 years ago
– Mon, Jul 05, 2021 at 08:57:12 PM
Hello Game Topper Nation!
Josiah here. I am now back in the office and so we wanted to put out a brief update about the pledge surveys.
I will be working through all of the emails I received while I was gone as quickly as I can. I know Burky responded to many of them already, but I will be looking over to answer any unresolved questions or any that may have been missed. If you still have not heard back from me by the end of the day tomorrow (July 6th) just send me a fresh email to [email protected] and I will get back to you ASAP.
In light of the emails that still need to be gone through, we are extending the deadline to complete your surveys until 10:00 AM Central time on Wednesday July 7th. We will also be processing the credit card charges on Wednesday as well. At that point we will lock the surveys and any further adjustments would need to be done manually by us at that point.
Once we charge your card, you will receive a confirmation email of the charge or notification if there was a problem with your payment and the steps you can do to correct it. Declined charges can happen for a number of reasons. It could be incorrect information was entered, perhaps the card has expired, or your CC provider decided the charge was suspicious. In the last case some of you may receive calls from your CC to verify the charge and then often once it is approved the charge goes through.
If you have any concerns during this process you can always email me ([email protected]) and I will work to get the issue resolved for you.
Once again, thank you all so much for your support. We couldn't do this project without all of you. We will reach out again soon to keep you updated on the production and shipping processes. Until then!
-Josiah
Congratulations Josiah and last chance to save on KS specials. Shipping update and fulfillment update 6-29-21
almost 3 years ago
– Wed, Jun 30, 2021 at 11:53:23 PM
Greetings Game Topper Nation
It’s been a while since I checked in with ya all. I hope you are doing well!
There has been lots going on! My son Josiah got married and is on his honeymoon.
It was very beautiful and lots of fun! Super excited for him and Sarah. He will be back to work July 5th.
I’ve been pulling double duty while he has been gone. Apologies if the response time is a little slower than normal. I have been covering the [email protected] (Josiah) emails, but there are some questions especially related to overseas shipping and combined shipping that he is better equipped to help with. I nonetheless should have responded to all. Thanks for you patience. Please continue to let us know if there is anything we can help you with.
Kickstarter Surveys
We are at 80 percent completion of surveys.
We are and have already placed many orders, but it would help us immensely if you have not filled out your survey to do so ASAP.
We intend to lock down the orders July 5th or 6th. At this time many of the stretch goals will be modified, or go up in price, or go away completely.
It is always our intention to reward our backers who support the campaigns with amazing discounts. Because of the complexity of our campaigns our preorder store is quite a challenge to accomplish. We are thrilled we were able to launch within 2 weeks and give everybody some extra time to take advantage of these KS specials.
A few items I want to highlight.
Acrylic covers.
This is an amazing deal for 29.95 and even better at 20.00 for packages.
All wave 1 orders will get the covers with full color logo as we have them in stock for these orders. Wave two will have frosted logo. We cannot substitute based on preference because of stock and meeting our fulfillment timelines.
Game Haul Game Topper bag.
These are awesome! Normally sold for 59.00. You can get on the Kickstarter for 39.95 and only 20.00 shipping included with a topper package. That deal is going away so it’s not too late to take advantage of that! (If you have an current survey filled out you can still modify it. If you need help finding your survey I will have a link below to use with your Kickstarter email to retrieve. If you have any difficulties we can add it for you too.) https://game-toppers-30-upgrading-every-game-you-play.backerkit.com/
Lord Burkton and JJ Burkton Mat bundles.
These Stretch Goals are going away, so if want this incredible deal, now is the time.
Fulfillment update:
Currently, everything is on line for the wave 1 Aug deliveries to begin.
There are a lot of moving parts and all our vendors are navigating difficult supply chain logistics, but given the foresight we implemented prior to the campaign we should be good.
There has been some minor confusion about what is considered wave 1 and wave 2. In a nutshell, anything that is new, like leg kits, dining covers, new mats, player shields, Game Haul bags, Game Topper accessory bank, these will be fulfilled later that is why there was an extra shipping fee if you wanted to take advantage of the stretch goal for wave 2 items.
After our wave 1 package and topper deliveries are fulfilled, we intend to start shipping out in- stock game mats. If for instance, say you selected a double mat bundle and got an existing style that is in stock, (like the Adventure or Viking Etc) it would ship sooner than the Nov est, but then say one was a Cthulhu mat, it is possibly would not ship until wave 2 if we run out, as we have to combine those shipments.
That being said, we did order a fair amount of stock of the new mats in Watson and Sherlock Holmes that are on the water now and should be received by the end of July to help accommodate Wave 1 shipments that have a new game mat styles in Watson and Holmes size. (weshould have had the 1 months ago)
Likewise we will ship out any XL leaf bundles and Accessory rail bundles that we have in stock.
I wish I could tell you we had enough for everyone, but we are short on Watson standard XL leaves, but will have a good amount of rails. We will do our best. These item come in separate packages for shipping safety and have separate shipping costs so that has already been factored in.
Shipping
We wish we could combine all of these different products in one great big package, but the overall weight and size would cause it to go into oversize categories of over $500 shipping which is why these must be handled this way. We have had some people be alarmed at shipping cost which we are always very concerned about. We do our very best to combine everything we can, for instance, the packages, if all of those items were shipped separately would cost over $250 and we are able to do it for the 149. (We actually are subsidizing over $20- $30.00 on each package.)
Shipping right now in the world is absolutely nuts. Our order of storage bags and game mats that come from overseas, (almost all of our other product is made domestically) our cost is normally $5000-8000 for a container. Our order was completed April 28 for pick up, just got picked up June 21 and I am paying $18,000 per container. This is close to 30,000 hit.
Just brutal. Likewise domestic large package surcharges add 31.00 each and in Oct expected to be 50.00.
So obviously with the Kickstarter margins being so low, I will need to make some adjustments after July 6th.
Wave 2 timeline still looks pretty good, my only concern is the Dining Cover availability and extra mats some storage bag shipments, getting delayed in Asia. Right now, I’m not worried I think we have time and topper orders are mostly in place. We’ll keep you in the loop each month about our progress.
All in all I am very excited to get all these great gaming upgrades into your hands!
Please do let us know if you need any help!
Thank you all again for all your love, encouragment, support, kind words, and patience! You are the best!
Burky and team!
[email protected]
Live Game Toppers 3.0 celebration and Pledge Manager Launch Q & A today 12 noon CDT 6-4-21
almost 3 years ago
– Sat, Jun 05, 2021 at 06:32:28 AM
Greetings Game Topper Nation!
Quick reminder:
Come join us Live today 12 noon CDT to celebrate the ending of our 3rd Kickstarter and the Launch of the Pledge Manager! We will answer any questions you have about your surveys and have a fun time together. https://youtu.be/DLAFvxre8iA
See ya soon!
Burky
