Production and shipping.
almost 2 years ago
– Thu, Jun 30, 2022 at 06:01:20 AM
We have been shipping early add-ons to the backers who have responded. Please check your spam and other general emails if you are waiting, as we have 83 unanswered replies.
Manufacturing is slowly starting to return as pandemic restrictions are lifting. We are facing another round of production issues. Material shortages, price increases, shipping increases and delays are ahead due to the shut downs and rising fuel costs. We are currently above 40% and growing of the original cost of production. This does not include the light, travel bag, or shipping increases.
We have looked at using plain (but solid) packaging and are working on a distribution network to try and ease some of the costs. We are at the MOQ (minimum order quantity) on all products so we are unable to adjust. Both manufacturing costs and shipping costs will need to stabilize and come down to move forward. Last year we committed to production, so the only option we have is to move forward when possible.
Thank you
China issues and shipping.
almost 2 years ago
– Sun, May 22, 2022 at 03:37:26 AM
At the moment China is still on lock down and its reported to be slowly opening again in some areas starting in June. The last shut down caused major delays, material shortages, and shipping price increases. We will have to wait and see what happens this time as we have no control over these issues.
What we have been doing is continued early add-on shipping as well as working on some shipping solutions. With the help of a couple of other companies who are interested in carrying the Studio X and have large distribution networks we can bring down shipping costs. We are still working on details and are waiting on China for answers before we can finalize.
With the current delays we urge you to send an email if you want your add-ons early. We have hundreds of unanswered emails so please check your spam/junk emails to make sure.
Another issue we are having is a few unhappy backers are going online, and posting that we have somehow scammed, or run off with the project funds. As we have stated many times we are in this for the long haul and will continue pushing when and were it's possible. We have had to get creative with the shipping as its a portion we can currently control and are doing our best. By these unhappy backers going online and trying to cause issues they are sabotaging our efforts to help keep the extra project and shipping costs down as much as possible.
It's taken months of work and effort on our part to make progress but cannot continue if we have backers sabotaging our efforts. Please read your kickstarter agreement as this is a project not a store. If you are unwilling to wait for a project to complete or understand the conditions of your agreement, kickstarter might not be for you but don't ruin it for others. All of us have suffered multiple issues due to worldwide pandemic and economic problems. We are a small company doing our very best under brutal circumstances but we are here. It would be very easy for us just to give up and throw the towel in but we haven't.
Thanks
Project update
about 2 years ago
– Tue, Mar 22, 2022 at 01:16:04 AM
Hello all
Since our last update not much has changed except we received new packaging quotes that are well above the original pricing using the main manufacturers packaging partner. Material, and labor price increases plus our low MOQ has driven up the pricing so we need to look elsewhere/adjust. We are unable to lower our MOQ (minimum order quantity) on the Studio X, light, bag and packaging as we started out at the minimum. The light has also become a bit of an issue as stated during the updates early on we are using an existing design and would be using extra stock in plain boxes. The chip shortages has cause issues with the manufacturers delivering full orders and over/extra stock isn't possible at the moment. Just to let everyone know the MOQ for the lights is 30,000 units and this is why we can only do overstock.
As stated in previous updates we cannot move forward until everything is sorted, properly sourced, and pricing stabilizes/comes down. With the upcoming surge in logistics, domestic, and international shipping due to gas prices we are at the mercy of the world wide economy. Yes it is unpleasant waiting but it's our only option.
Again, we are here and trying to move forward when possible.
Our online absence is due to some serious medical issues we have been dealing with as best as possible. We had to put social media and our business on hold for a bit and have not run off as some comments have suggested, we have the same life issues as everyone else.
Next week is Adepticon, and we assumed we would need to cancel our plans to attend. Fortunately our family has stepped up and will be helping us at the event. Please stop by and we will gladly answer questions, and deliver any add-on's at the convention if you plan on attending and email us ahead with info.
Thank you
Current issues.
about 2 years ago
– Thu, Jan 27, 2022 at 09:48:40 PM
Just before Christmas covid hit us and our family very hard. We are both still trying to recover as it seems to have long lasting effects, and with my wife's pre- existing health issues has been brutal at best. We were hoping to immediately resume early add on shipping just after the holidays but were in no shape to do so.
We have some help coming later this week and will get back on track with emails and shipping info for the early add-ons.
We are still waiting for both packaging quotes and an estimated run/que time and date. As we stated in our last update it will take a bit to sort with all the manufacturers and issues they are also having.
I've seen a few of the recent comments and understand the frustration. We will keep pushing forward when possible and are not about to give up. Yes the delays and issues have been rough and are extremely annoying but they are currently what we have to deal with to get it done.
Thank You.
Current progress.
over 2 years ago
– Sat, Dec 18, 2021 at 05:04:37 PM
The requests for bids, and products specs have been sent to multiple packaging manufacturers. There are two hurdles we need to get past for packaging, the first is pricing increase and the second is scheduling. The packaging needs to be sorted before we start production so all product can be immediately boxed up, loaded, and ready to ship out. The past and current shipping issues have left manufacturers with storage issues and they are/will charge a premium to hold product or won't start production. We are waiting for the quotes, samples, and production schedule's to move forward.
At the moment with the backlog, delays, and shipping issues we are being told it could be 2 or 3 months before it's sorted and back on track. Definitely not the news we wanted to hear but it's the information we have to give. We have talked to multiple creators, business owners, and manufacturers and everyone is experiencing the same issues.
Everyone was expecting the shipping rates to keep going up through the holidays and the 1st few months of 2022. They have stabilized a bit and even dropped some depending on location. Hopefully the delays will at least help bring the over-all shipping costs down to a manageable rate for fulfillment.
We have had a few requests for refunds and the project is well past being able to do so. If we were a large company and could, it wouldn't be an issue at all but being a small start up company we are doing our best just to move forward and deal with all of the pricing increases and changes.
We were looking forward to having the Studio X in everyone's hands by now and seeing them in action. Having to update over the last 6 months with project delays and issues has become something we do not look forward to but is the reality of the current manufacturing/world issues. Keeping the doors open and the project moving forward is our number one priority. We've received a ton of messages from backers who understand and realize the delays are just that and we really appreciate it.
The early shipping of add-ons has gone well and we have sent of hundreds of packages. The international shipping rates are still fluctuating quite a bit and with the holidays we will be holding any shipping until the new year. We also have roughly 325 unanswered emails, 68 emails waiting for responses to shipping, and 12 emails that are UN-deliverable. Please check your spam, other emails and make sure you have the correct email in your pledge/backerkit. Also please keep messages about the project either here on kickstarter or send to [email protected] sending them on social media and other messaging app's makes it very difficult to keep track of and respond.
2021 is almost over and the holidays are upon us. We hope everyone and their families have an amazing time and the new year really brings a change for the better!
