Shipping update
about 9 years ago
– Wed, Oct 21, 2015 at 12:15:28 AM
Alright, I have some more information regarding book shipping.
The containers of books for the US/EU/ROW, as well as the pallets of add-ons that I prepared (signed bookplates, DVDs, prints, etc) have all arrived safely at their respective warehouse/fulfillment destinations.
Shipping for EU/ROW will begin this Friday, 10/23. I'm told they'll ship via FedEx, and you will receive tracking numbers when your order ships.
However, the orders for US customers won't begin shipping for another couple of weeks. The reason for this is that upon receiving the books and doing some test packaging with the boxes they had, the fulfillment center did not feel the standard packaging would provide sufficient protection for such a heavy/valuable item (remember, the box set is 15lbs). So they made the decision to custom order heavier-duty boxes to protect the books as much as possible during transit.
It's a decision I entirely agree with, however it does mean that we now have to wait for the custom packaging order to be made and delivered before they can start sending the books.
I know this is a bummer. I'm especially disappointed because it means that we will technically be missing my estimated "October 2015" ship date for these orders, which until now we were mostly on track for. However bearing in mind that these are $80 book sets, and that they are of an incredibly limited nature (the ones that are currently printed are the only ones that will ever exist), I'd rather take the extra precaution if it means fewer of them arrive damaged and need to be replaced.
Later this week I will be releasing the digital copies of the books for download. Every Kickstarter backer that pledged for a physical copy of the book will be eligible to download a digital copy this week. I understand it pales in comparison next to the beautiful physical set you'll be receiving, but at the very least I want to make sure that (even though it's 99% stuff you've already read) every backer has a chance to avoid any spoilers regarding content of the exclusive extended ending, commentary or any other book content.
So once again, I apologize for the delay, but I really do believe it's in the best interest of the product. I will continue to update you regarding US shipping as well as Canadian shipping the instant I have any new information.
Fun Fact: The hardest part about drawing the extended ending to the Ethan and Lucas saga was remembering to draw everyone with only four fingers again, a habit I discarded when jumping into Ctrl+Alt+Del 2.0!
Micro Update #2
about 9 years ago
– Wed, Oct 14, 2015 at 08:12:29 PM
US containers should be delivered to the fulfillment warehouse on Friday Oct 16th. Likewise, I'm told the container for EU/AUS/ROW orders should arrive at the warehouse in France on the same day.
That puts them arriving right before a weekend, which means they'll get there and then sit, but next week work should begin in earnest on prepping and fulfilling orders.
The Canadian shipment is lagging behind a little bit, as previously updated.
You will receive tracking numbers for you orders when they've shipped.
Once I know the books have started shipping, I will post the digital book downloads via Backerkit. That way, nobody needs to worry about having the extended ending spoiled for them if other people receive their books first. (They are your books, and you can read them how you please... but it is my recommendation that you read the Ethan and Lucas saga in its entirety, and come to the end as a culmination of the experience, especially if you haven't read through it in a number of years. But if you want to skip right to the last pages, that's cool too :D)
I'll update again when I know the books are definitely at their respective warehouses. Apologies for the amount of updates I may post over the next couple of weeks, but I want to make sure you guys know exactly what stage of this thing we're at.
A micro update...
about 9 years ago
– Tue, Oct 13, 2015 at 10:21:33 PM
I have confirmation that the two shipping containers full of books for US customers have arrived in port stateside, and was ready for transfer to it's final warehouse/fulfillment destination, which is expected to happen this week.
I'm still waiting for an update on the containers for EU/ROW and CAN.
I'll be posting small updates this week and next, as soon as I get any information, you will get that same information.
The update I dreaded...
about 9 years ago
– Wed, Sep 30, 2015 at 11:17:01 PM
Here it is, the update I had hoped I would not have to make. We've experienced... a delay. :(
Due to some complicated issues involving customs and importation of goods on this scale, the details of which are really beyond the scope of this update, the books for Canadian backers will be arriving a week or two later than initially estimated.
Of the 5000+ orders, this delay will affect fewer than 600 of you, though I'm aware that is likely of little consolation to those of you in Canada. This is on me, and my relative inexperience with the complex process of moving freight in bulk from one country to another.
It's sorted out now, and the books will ship to you without issue (though at a greater cost to me than initially anticipated), they'll just lag behind their US/ROW counterparts a little bit. In the grand scheme of things, if this is the only setback this project suffers, I'll take it. Still though, I sincerely apologize for the delay some of you will experience in receiving your books.
As usual, and the closerwe get to shipping dates, I will update you with whatever specifics I have available (exactly when the books start going out, etc).
Shipping Update
about 9 years ago
– Wed, Sep 23, 2015 at 07:53:37 PM
I have a little more information to share on book shipping, but I want to stress that these remain estimates only. The books are still on their respective ships.
Right now, we are expecting the books to arrive at their respective warehouses on October 15th.
Processing/packing is expected to begin immediately and take a week (Oct 16th-22nd).
Shipping times will vary, obviously, but we expect the majority of books to be in customer hands within the two weeks following that (by November 5th).
As I said, these are just our best estimates at the moment to provide you with an overall picture of the process, and things can still change a little bit. As we hit these milestones in reality, I will post updates so you know exactly where we stand.
I also have some information regarding the shipping carriers. Within the US, orders will be shipped via USPS, so mail forwarding in the event of last minute moves should see your books to their correct destinations.
For the rest of the world, I'm told the books will be shipped via Landmark/Bpost. I'm not personally familiar with these carriers, but I've contracted Ideaspatcher to handle the fulfillment of the bulk of this Kickstarter, and thus far they have been extremely responsive and helpful to me, and so I trust that they have it handled.
Remaining for me personally to handle in regards to fulfillment are the following rewards:
- Remaining cameos
- Pencil and Ink Sketches
- Digital Book Distribution via Backerkit (which I will launch when the books begin shipping)
At this point all Zeke Plushies, Snuggle Bundles, Applied Education Posters, and pledges where the only physical reward are Signed Prints (ie, the $25 and $55 levels) have been mailed. If you've ordered one of these items, and have not received it, you should message me via Backerkit so that we can sort it out for you.
And finally, there remain 40 of you that pledged to the Kickstarter, gave me money, and yet have still (after months of pleading) not provided me with an address to ship your rewards to. I have sent reminders, and posted updates. These go to the one email address I have for you, and if they are not being received, I have no other way to contact you short of hoping you happen to swing by and read these updates.
If you do not recall receiving an email asking you to fill out a pledge survey, going to that website, confirming your rewards and providing a shipping address, please visit http://ctrlaltdel.backerkit.com with the email attached to your Kickstarter account to make sure you are not one of these 40 people.
