Presented by The Gentleman Wake. Designed by Widakk Design.
Hi all,
I received some advice from fellow creators and have decided to remove the VAT charges from Backerkit. I cannot guarantee that local postal services/delivery services will not require VAT on delivery, however this is the best bet to make the most folks happy.
Hope all of you are having a wonderful beginning of summer. We're back with a new update on the status of The Beetle Backs. As you all know this campaign has been fraught with a few difficult challenges from the onset--the biggest one being the delay in production due to Cartamundi's indefinite closure of custom playing cards production. This unforeseen complication caused the production to be moved to China's WJPC which has introduced a slew of additional logistical challenges as we navigate the importation of the Tuck Boxes (still being printed by Studio Pression in France) into China for production of the final decks. Additionally issues with our previous Germany-based fulfillment center--in addition to the decks now being produced outside of the EU--have made EU friendly fulfillment a near impossible challenge. More on this in a bit.
The Beetle Backs surveys are ready and should be going out to all backers soon with a select few being part of the smoke test. If you are a backer you should receive an email with instructions and a link to fill out your survey for confirming your address and add-ons as well as adding any additional items--all while supplies last.
Before the Surveys go out however there's a smoke test where 5% of backers are sent the survey pre-emptively to the launch in order to discover and iron out any potential issues or concerns with the Backerkit. If you receive your survey this week be sure to take a look and fill it out as it will help us make sure things are working well!
If you missed the campaign and want to secure your Beetle Backs decks then you'll want to place your orders on the Beetle Backs pre-order store which will be going live as this update goes out.
The largest challenge we face is now the fulfillment side. The Decks will now be fulfilled from the USA (Gambler's Warehouse) which will represent some inconvenience for EU backers. This decision was made because (1) the decks are no longer being produced in the EU and (2) our Germany based fulfillment partner has encountered some troubling issues (prolonged lack of communication) that were well documented by other creators. Rather than leave important aspects of the campaign to chance we are instead moving fulfillment to the USA. The biggest ramification of this move is that the cost of both shipping the finished products to the USA from China (rather than just from Belgium to Germany) and the cost of shipping the decks to backers worldwide is now much higher. The bulk shipping is, of course, a campaign issue and we will assume the additional costs involved in shipping the production quantities to the USA. Customers will also not be asked to pay any additional shipping charges related to their pledges. HOWEVER, because we no longer have a EU fulfillment partner and because the decks are being produced outside of the EU we can no longer offer EU-friendly shipping which means VAT, VAT Shipping and Duties (as applicable) will need to be paid for and those charges will be reflected in the surveys. We wish this was not the case, obviously. Although the Beetle Backs was a success, it was not the resounding success that we'd enjoyed in previous campaigns, and therefore the campaign simply cannot afford to pay these new VAT fees out of pocket. Ultimately our goal is to get backers the products they pledged for--and we remain steadfast in our resolve to achieve this, but we must do so in accordance with regulations.
Even though this is our 4th TGW campaign (our 6th including the Wyrmwood collab campaigns) we are still learning tough and valuable lessons. The market is continually changing as we strive to understand what backers want and what's possible. Moving forward we will no longer be collecting shipping fees up front, nor making any conclusions regarding duties or taxes. The instability of worldwide manufacturing and shipping make this a nearly impossible task. Instead we will offer estimated shipping fees during the campaign and collect actual shipping during the survey portion of the campaign. These changes will be in effect for upcoming campaigns like the Parlour V collection (with Stockholm17), Sanctuary and Villa Beluno (with Kevin Cantrell) and The Grave Witness (With Russ Gray).
This month we have two special interview episodes starting with youtuber/magician/kickstarter creator Pigcake (Sunday 5/26 at 8pm eastern) and then on Friday 5/31 at 6pm eastern we chat with Anthony Holt of Jocu Playing Cards about their projects past, present and future! We will also have some giveaways.
Best,
TGW
First of all, we've been radio silent as we prepare for Beetle Backs production and the launching of the BackerKit Survey. The last few months have been very eventful in the world of playing cards. Some industry wide developments have affected many card producers and projects, and The Beetle Backs' timeline is no different.
Cartamundi Announcing Suspension of Custom Playing Cards Production.
The biggest development affecting the timeline is the indefinite closure of Cartamundi's Custom Playing Cards Production arm. As a long time lover of Cartamundi products, it's especially saddening and disappointing to see this development come to pass. The issues with Cartamundi began in the late summer of 2023 with the announcement that Cartamundi were suspending custom playing cards production until (at the time) the new year. We ran the Beetle Backs campaign with the knowledge and hope that Cartamundi's timetable would allow for us to print the decks with Cartamundi, as I've done with every TGW release thus far. HOWEVER, additional delays occurred and sample decks were not prepared until almost February 2024. The samples, once received, were also of unsatisfactory quality. This, in conjunction with continued problems (this time with the debossing roller responsible for applying the linen texture on the cards), forced Cartamundi to indefinitely suspend Custom Playing Cards production. With no foreseeable timetable we are forced to look for other solutions with Beetle Backs printing.
We Have A Solution.
Luckily, we have already established a great back up plan--thanks to our ongoing Goldsmith project which was also negatively affected by Cartamundi's relocation and subsequent closure of the Custom Playing Cards Production arm of their business. WJPC, a trusted printer used by renown producers Stockholm17 and Thirdway Industries, has been chosen to print both Goldsmith and the Beetlebacks. Goldsmith production is well underway and we are preparing the artwork and files for Beetlebacks as I type this (The change in printing facilities necessitated some small alterations to the Beetlebacks artwork needed to maintain compatibility with WJPC's press systems and Widakk is working on those now). There may be some minor differences in the final product but rest assured that we will, of course, strive to make sure the artwork remains true to the vision that both Srdjan and I had for this deck release--mostly the changes affect the borders of the cards where the WJPC templates have stricter guidelines and tolerances for the artwork.
The Biggest Challenge.
Perhaps, the largest challenge we will face--in regards to EU backers--is the new logistical reality that the decks will now have to be imported into Europe from China rather than assembled in the EU. This may present some issues for us with regards to VAT and duties. We will do our 100% best to try and absorb all of this and mitigate any possible ramifications this may have for EU backers but this is a new endeavor for the TGW and there may be some learning curves along the way. I can only hope everyone is patient with us as we try to work out these issues. We are still far away from fulfillment but we will certainly keep on eye on this and report all developments to you.
Production Carries On.
Studio Pression in France has begun the process of preparing the Tuck Boxes for Beetle Backs. The Beetle Backs coins are already finished and sitting at Gambler's Warehouse. Wyrmwood has already begun production on the Deck Displays as well.
The BackerKit Survey is almost ready.
With the Cartamundi dust finally having settled, we're now concentrating on preparing the BackerKit Survey, which we anticipate will be ready later this month. Backers will be able to add additional items to their orders. In addition we will be launching our pre-order store for those who might have missed the KS campaign altogether. We expect the smoketest to go out to a few backers as soon as next week. We will report back once that's ready to go!
We hope you will continue with us on this fantastic--if challenging--journey! We know that the end product will be worth all of the trials and tribulations. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
Best,
TGW
Hope you all had a wonderful end to 2023 and wishing you an amazing 2024! On the Beetlebacks front things have started well, if slowly. The funds were transfered from KS a bit later than usual due to the holidays but we have now received the funding, minus the KS and processing fees. We are currently waiting for Cartamundi to ramp back up after the new year in order to get the final invoices for the cards production. Once we have that locked in, we will also place orders for the tuck boxes that correspond. Orders have already been placed and paid for the Beetle Backs coins. Now it's just a waiting game! It's still very early in the cycle but we hope things will move quickly and smoothly!
In the meantime, the preparation of the post-campaign surveys has begun. We will be using Backerkit as we have on all previous TGW campaigns. I hope to have the back end finished by the end of the month so that the survey smoke-tests can be executed in time for all the surveys to go out in masse by February. This will give backers a chance to finalize their pledges and add some additional goodies to their orders. Also, at that time, for any one who missed the campaign or simply wants to get involved a bit later we will be opening the pre-order store for NON-backers. These orders will likely be fulfilled commensurately or just after the campaign is fulfilled. Note that prices will be a bit higher since special pricing is in effect during the campaigns.
In any event, I'll report back again once we have more information and news!
FINALLY, as a gift for the new year and in thanks for being loyal TGW backers, here's a 20% off coupon code for TheGentlemanWake.com. It's good until Jan 22nd! Promo code: THANKS2024
Thanks again,
Best,
TGW
I want to take this moment to thank every single one of you amazing backers for your support in making this project a reality! We know times are tough and the fact that we were still able to achieve the amazing numbers we did is an absolute blessing!
THANK YOU!
Now the process to get you these cards begins! We have to take care of a few logistical and procedural things then start getting orders into manufacturers! This is a timeline of what's going to happen next to expect.
December 9th (Today) to January 2024:
December 22nd, 2023:
Spring 2024 to Winter 2024 (and hopefully sooner!) :
This has been quite a journey, and we are excited to get these products in your hands as soon as possible!
Thank you again!
Best regards,
TGW