I’m interested in a relatively low-priced consumer electronic item being offered by a company whose products I’ve ordered in the past (good quality).
They started an Indiegogo campaign to raise money for this new item (very successfully, as the campaign has taken in something like 2000% of the target). Even though they raised all this dough and the item is due to start shipping this month, for some reason ordering for now is only through the Indiegogo site.
While the company appears trustworthy, I’m leery of contributing for a “perk” without a guarantee, even for a 20% discount.
Are such pseudo-orders trustworthy, notably if the company has a good track record as opposed to Bob’s Fly-By-Night Perpetual Motion Machine Co.?
I have no idea what item you’re refering to, but “ordering” from a crowdfunding site, even one from a group you’ve had good experiences with in the past, is not like ordering a finished product from a retail store. The items on these sites are unfinished and not in mass production. Even a product that receives significantly more than they’re asking for can still suffer a last minute breakdown. At that point, your chance of receiving a refund is slim. Most of the people offering items on crowdfunding sites are riding a very, very, thin margin. If the project falls apart, there often won’t be anything left for refunds or returns.
I’ve been happy with my crowdfunding experience, but I follow some rules:
Only crowdfund through Kickstarter, where the project only gets their money if they succeed at their goal. This means that projects have to be realistic about what they’re attempting and how much it will cost. (A project that needs $80k isn’t going to workout if they only receive $8000.)
Have a portfolio of concrete work experience behind them. Relevant experience, I mean.
Only back projects when they actually need my money. If the project is already funded, I’ll wait and assess the project after it’s been released. I’d rather back something that is struggling to reach its goal than something that’s already finished.
Don’t think of it as a pre-order. It’s a donation, even if there’s a reward.
Don’t fall into the bargain hunter trap of spending a lot of money for “special” editions. If they actually are successful, you’ll be able to buy them when they’re out.
Accept that sometimes projects, even well-funded projects by sincere and talented people, sometimes, they just crap out. It sucks, but you can’t risk success without also risking failure.
Having said all that, I’ve backed 40 projects at kickstarter. Of that 40, only 1 has totally collapsed. There’s … let’s say 5 projects that are fading but still giving the occasional update. 1 project that’s still on track for a future success (Sunless Skies - I expect it to release in good order)
So over 30 successful kickstarters that have delivered to my satisfaction. That’s over 75% solid success and only 1 real failure. Personally, I think Kickstarter is a fabulous artistic development.
Oh - Rule #7: Release Dates are suggestions, not promises.
For further clarification - it’s an established company, the product is advertised on their website along with positive review excerpts from tech sources, and those interested are invited to “preorder” from Indiegogo.
I’m just not sure why at this late date they don’t just have a regular order procedure.
I’ll probably wait - a $20 discount on a $100 item isn’t that fabulous an incentive to order now.
Yeah … but the step between making a few items for tech review and making & shipping all the items they need for fulfillment is a doozy. Plenty of decent projects have fallen on the last jump.
It could just be that they want to keep all their “pre-order” info in one place. It might not make sense to set up a separate pre-order system, especially if they really mean to start shipping, soon. Their main retail store might not be operational, yet.
That’s what I’d do. If the item is released successfully, it will inevitably go on sale at some point.
I would feel better about a campaign from an established company because at least they have a point of reference for manufacturing costs and distribution. It seems like a lot of these fall apart because the people involved have no clue what it’ll cost to get some factory in China to make their widgets and either greatly sacrifice quality or else call the thing off.
I’ve only done a couple Kickstarter style programs, mostly for digital products where at least manufacturing isn’t a major factor. The ones I supported either came through or almost certainly will though one game was a disappointing garbage mess. My wife got in on the Fidget Cube campaign but, with millions of dollars raised, it seemed unlikely that they couldn’t meet their promises. I’m waiting on some dice but they’re going into manufacturing now and had a previous successful campaign for other dice so, again, they know what they’re doing.
All that said, $80+ would be a bit too rich for my blood for a single crowdfunded item.