Reply To: Large Kickstarters should be more open about shipping costs

[soulsorcererParticipant 1079xp 2]

I do not think there is a “spirit of KS”. It has always been a pre-order platform that wants to make money by providing certain benefits for the projects initiated. Just because crowdfunding began small does not mean that it was “meant” to be for small projects alone. It provides the same benefits for one-man basement projects and “large” companies alike. Visibility, community feedback, marketing, predictability, and more.  And it makes sense for both.

Often there seems to be this notion that “large” companies do not need crowdfunding. What part of crowdfunding do they not need? The marketing? The community feedback? Oh…you probably mean the money, right? Sadly – wrong!

Probably the only real large company in our niche hobby is GW. Just because there are several others that have steady releases doesn´t make them “large” regarding financial resources. In fact…most have trickle releases because they can not fund more at the same time. They need to earn money for the next releases! A bust will likely lead to people losing their jobs, the system dies, the company goes out of business! I am sure you can think of some names from the top of your head…easily!

So here comes crowdfunding. Instant feedback on actual demand…reliable numbers for production…more releases simultaneously. If it blows out of the water it means even hiring more staff. WIN-WIN. So where is the “abuse”?

Does that “shift” the risk towards the backer? Yes…but they get usually compensated for that. Does crowdfunding only have positive sides? No…and that is why not every company uses it. Does a company pay 10% to KS because it gets the money cheaper from a bank? Oh…so you want to launch a mass fantasy miniature range world wide with a huge number of products simultaneously because you miss “the old world”…what ever that means…and want a few million to get started….well splendid idea…please sign here and here 😉