The details
The full rules, for anyone who wants them. The short version is on How it works.
Project stages
Every project page shows its current stage. Here is what you can do in each one.
| Stage | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Coming soon | Read the project and see the expected price range. Nothing is open yet. |
| Pledging | Pledge for as many units as you would like. |
| Developing | Follow the updates. There is nothing to buy at this stage. |
| Group buy | Order the product, choose your options. |
| Closed | Ordering has stopped. The final price is set and any money owed back to you is sent. |
| Production / Shipping | Wait for your parcel. You get tracking by email. |
Some projects skip pledging and open straight at the group buy, starting at a manually unlocked price.
Some projects sell their leftover units after the group buy, as an in-stock extras sale. Those units usually cost more than the group buy price.
Pledging
A pledge is a deposit on a unit. You can pledge for up to 10 units typically, and you pay the deposit for each one.
When the group buy opens, we email you a private link. Order through it and your deposits are taken off the price.
The pledge price covers the number of units you pledged for. On public projects, any extra units cost the same as for people who did not pledge.
Why it matters
Pledges tell us how many units to plan for. Each project counts them at its own rate, because not every pledge becomes an order, and that count sets the starting price of the group buy.
Please only pledge if you plan to buy. A pledge that never becomes an order makes the project look bigger than it is.
Price tiers
Most projects use tiers. A tier is a number of orders and the price at that number. When a tier is reached, everyone gets the lower price, including the people who ordered first.
During the group buy, everyone pays the starting price. When it closes, the tier it reached sets the final price, and anyone who paid more gets the difference back.
You never pay more than the price you ordered at.
Example
| Orders | Price each |
|---|---|
| 50 or more | $89.00 |
| 100 or more | $79.00 |
| 200 or more | $69.00 |
The group buy opens at $89 and ends with 210 orders. Everyone pays $69, and the people who paid $89 get $20 back for each unit.
Public projects
Anyone can pledge, and anyone can buy in the group buy.
People who did not pledge pay a small markup on the product and its options. The amount is set per project and shown on the project page.
Private projects
Anyone can read the page, but only people on the project's list can pledge or buy. Pledging puts you on the list.
To buy, enter your email on the project page and we send you a code. Private projects have no markup.
What you pay, and when
| Charge | When |
|---|---|
| Pledge deposit | When you pledge. It is taken off your price in the group buy. |
| The product and your options | When you order in the group buy. |
| Sales tax | At checkout, for US addresses in states where we collect it. |
| Shipping | At checkout on most projects. Some projects invoice it later, when the real cost is known. |
Payments are collected by Stripe.
Money back
| When | What you get back | When it is sent |
|---|---|---|
| You pledged and did not buy | Your deposit, minus the card processing fee. Or the full amount as store credit. | After the group buy closes |
| The price dropped | The difference, with nothing taken off. Or keep it as store credit. | After the group buy closes |
| We changed your order to a lower total | The difference. | After the group buy closes |
| The project was cancelled | We email you what is refunded and when. | By email |
Before a refund is sent, we email you a link to keep it as store credit instead. If you do nothing, it goes back to your card. Your bank usually shows it within 5 to 10 business days.
The card processing fee
When a pledge is refunded to your card, Stripe, our payment processor, keeps the fee it charged on that payment. We take off exactly what Stripe charged, nothing more. It depends on your card:
| Your card | Stripe's fee | On a $35 deposit |
|---|---|---|
| US card | 2.9% + $0.30 | $1.32 |
| Card from outside the US | 4.4% + $0.30 | $1.84 |
| Card in another currency | 5.4% + $0.30 | $2.19 |
Keep the refund as store credit instead, and nothing is taken off.
Group buy payments pay for manufacturing, so they cannot be refunded once the group buy has ended.
Store credit
Store credit pays for part or all of an order, on the project it came from and on other projects that accept it.
- It cannot be turned back into cash
- Choosing credit instead of a refund cannot be undone
- Your balance is on My Orders
How long we hold store credit is in our terms (5 years).
Changing an order
Need to change your order? Contact us before the group buy closes and we will email you a link to change it. The link works for 48 hours.
If the new total is higher, you pay the difference. If it is lower, the difference comes back to you after the group buy closes.
Shipping
Shipping is priced by zone. The zones and prices are on the project page.
Some projects invoice shipping later, because the weight depends on what people pick or the parcel is far off. You get the invoice by email and pay it from My Orders.
Linked projects usually ship together in one parcel, with one shipping charge.
Dates
Dates on a project are estimates, and we keep them current. If a date moves, the timeline on the project page says why.
A group buy can be reopened after it closes. Orders from the first run still count toward the tiers.
Your orders
Go to My Orders and enter the email you ordered with. We send you a secret code, and you are in. There is no account and no password.
Privacy
We collect the minimum the law requires, never share customer information, and never send marketing emails. Payments are processed securely by Stripe.