Reply To: BattleTech: Mercenaries – CGL does a shipping booboo? Internet rages!

[jamescutts 6924xp 1]

If I remember correctly the last one was Games Quest? This time the distribution partner is QML, all of it will be shipping from China to various QML hubs around the world, Catalyst had said they are covering that distribution cost, aparently its 50% of it and over $1m.

Fedex is just what the Catalyst store uses for internation shipments, and does have very crazy pricing (ofter £100+), though that is nothing to do with the Kickstarter, I think does highlight their lack of inhouse skills when it comes to anything outside the US and knowledge of things like “local” shipping rates.

I was expecting them to add VAT at somepoint, after all we need to pay it and I would rather it hopefully be handled by the distributor than end up with import duties. Personally I was allowing postage to be about 20% of the pledge based of similar kickstarters I’ve had recently, so it fell into my expectations of that, still I was hoping the point of “local shipping rates” would bring that much more inline with say local courier delivery for a good carrier. I’d never expect it to be the same price as a online store, given i have quite a sizable order and its going to be a big box, plus online stores have a different operating model for their postage rates.

But I was expecting in the £10-20 range, which is what I’d pay for something like a medium sized parcel 24-48h deliver with the likes of UPS/Fedex/DHL “locally”

In fairness the Catalyst they never “promised” local shipping rates, just suggested they would be, it is afterall its a kickstarter so everything should be taken at face value. I do think there not helping matters by the lack of further updates and the potentially confusing information about how the shipping and distribution costs should be split with them covering distribution apparently.

My potentially “revised” shipping has dropped, $40 to me is reasonable, it’s not as cheap as i would like but i don’t think its excessive either for what i have coming, that said I do think sundancers example is bonkers, there’s no way that should be costing that much in shipping.

That said I think the biggest issue is this is going to be potential backers to future kickstarters thinking twice before pledging, I know I will probably just wait until retail in the future.