The impact of shipping costs to overseas KickStarters (and business in general).

[Mezuka]

I've already gotten quotes that 750 minimum allows offset glossy coated printing at just under the cost-per-unit than a POD would be. Drop below that and it goes up like a rocket.

I used to manage magazine quotes for 5,000 to 50,000 units. As Morrus said 2000+ is better. Price per unit drops fast. Once the printer is running and adjusted, it drops incrementally. At low numbers (1000 or less) you are essentially paying to start the printer and not getting any benefit of producing a larger quantity for a fraction of the price.

 

[thirdkingdom]

You don't ship books overseas individually. You need a fulfillment partner to warehouse and distribute stock for you. Then you ship the stock to them in one go (saving you tons of money). We print in Lithuania, and have fulfillment partners in the UK and the US, which covers most of the world well enough. Fulfillment companies specialize in this, taking the shipping logistics out of your already too-long list of worries.

If you're doing low quantities and that isn't feasible, then DTRPG has print-on-demand fulfillment centers in the US and the UK.

May I ask who the printer you use is, @Morrus?

 

[delericho]

This is one of the reasons all my recent Kickstarters have been at a PDF reward level only. That, a lack of shelf space, and the fact that all my gaming has been online only in the last two years.

 

[Morrus]

May I ask who the printer you use is, @Morrus?

We currently use Standartu. They're popular with UK/EU game publishers.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Spent $200 on a board game kickstarter and just today got hit for another $50 for shipping. It’s some BS.

 

[Ulfgeir]

Well, If you are in the Sweden (think it is the same for the rest of the EU), not only very high shipping cost fo things from the US, but also have to pay custom fee and VAT... Yeah it gets very expensive..

 

[Morrus]

Well, If you are in the Sweden (think it is the same for the rest of the EU), not only very high shipping cost fo things from the US, but also have to pay custom fee and VAT... Yeah it gets very expensive..

Canada has the same problem. And don’t even look at the costs to ship to Brazil!

 

[schneeland]

Well, If you are in the Sweden (think it is the same for the rest of the EU), not only very high shipping cost fo things from the US, but also have to pay custom fee and VAT... Yeah it gets very expensive..

Yes, same here (Germany). The effect is that ever since the shipping costs from the US skyrocketed, I barely pledge for physical items anymore.

So the best thing a campaign can do is to offer a PDF at a reasonable price, and individual shipping for those people who really want it. Bonus points if you offer a pledge level for retailers (we have a shop here in Germany that has specialized in a broad selection of indie titles and sometimes pledges for a couple of printed copies, which are then shipped in a bulk, making it a bit cheaper).

 

[Sacrosanct]

Canada has the same problem. And don’t even look at the costs to ship to Brazil!

I've also heard from several people in Brazil that mail gets lost all the time unless it's the highest tier, which of course makes it even more expensive. IIRC, DTRPG has restrictions on mailing to Brazil.