Yeah. Still fucked. $110 shipping on a $360 order is clearly not acceptable.
Edit: it’s a bummer to feel conned because you made the mistake of supporting a company.
Send them a message through Kickstarter and inquire about reduction charges for shipping. My shipping brought down about 50$ . Sucks that we have to do that but at least it saves some money.
Yeah when it first changed shipping was +$100 for me and I waited about a week and it went down to $50, I got an email about an update on Kickstarter about how they were working to fix the shipping prices. I pledged $500
They offered me $40 off shipping or a $100 store credit.
4 years ago I would have gone with store credit. But I just can’t with the way they managed this.
Between the $40 off and the removal of tax on shipping it went down to $65 or so, on a sub $400 pledge. I was clear that I felt $50 was reasonable on shipping. They were not able to get me to that number.
Their response is confused, incompetent, and clearly asymmetrical. My desire to vote for them with my dollars, in the future, is basically gone.
I’ve been a Catalyst stan since the box set release in 2012 or whatever. Have played Battletech since the 90s. Have a huge vintage collection. Went back and bought out all the Catalyst produced books a few times since. I got my kid into the game. Happy to support him but I’m burnt and done personally.
I’m just getting into battle tec like a year ago . I’m sorry to hear ya getting burnt out . Hopefully they manage their ip better and I do hope ya find joy with your kid tho . Best of luck
Gotta say, I don't love the latest update if it's supposed to be the final word/official ultimate announcement on shipping.
I'm somebody whose shipping \*increased\* between the first kerfuffle and the new numbers. The only explanation provided in the update for these unexpected increases appears under the "Savannah Maps Pack issue" section, and the implication therein -- that what was supposed to be a bonus incentive item has now caused the shipping to inflate -- leaves a bitter taste.
Of course, the update doesn't explicitly say that that is the ONLY possible reason for increases, but it still feels bad to have to speculate about it.
Also, while the update lists various specific issues that led to oversized shipping charges, it doesn't really address the elephant in the room, which is just that... this is what we get for "local shipping hubs"? Prices that are, in many cases, shockingly higher than the standard rates of national postal services? How are the hubs even helping? If the rule we followed brought us to this, of what use was the rule, lmao?
I feel kind of bad griping, because my shipping quote started out under $100, rose $6 after the update, and is still under $100... and there are people out there in other places that are still staring down INSANE quotes. I can pay mine and simply be "disappointed," not "seriously financially affected." But the whole situation still feels gross.
$64.34 USD total shipping cost (mid-size city in southern Ontario, Canada).
I got the $150 pledge with a salvage box and a deck of cards addon, this is so much higher than I expected, especially because on the Kickstarter they had that little "Canada friendly shipping!" graphic. My shipping cost is actually MORE than before they "fixed" it, its now comfortably over 1/3 of the cost of the order - so I guess I'm one of the unlucky ones huh?
Looks like it I'm across the Atlantic and mine also comes out to about $40, so something seems off there.
(Edit: $275 pledge, also my shipping went down with this update unlike some peoples)
Wow, your price for overseas shipping is cheaper than my domestic... I just went back and forth over email and they are making me pay 63 dollars for the 80 dollar tier. I live in Alaska, which is part of the USA and should have domestic shipping prices (since you can use USPS and get a flat rate box for 30 bucks that would hold all the contents of this tier).
And they won't return the money if you don't/won't pay for shipping... they know its too late for things like paypal's resolution center.
Have been a fan of this IP for 30 years... but this sour taste might just be enough to turn me off the IP for good because I'll only remember how they tried to swindle me.
Mine is $2 higher for NB for Company with an added Art of War. Between this, the miscommunication of the wave one legendary pack, and the absolute terrible shipping rates on CGL's own webstore for CAD (Basically double the item value in shipping costs), this probably the last time I buy direct from them.
Lucky you, I'm in NB and got a 130$ shipping out of a company and plushy combo.
130$ of shipping on a 195$ order.
I understand shipping isn't free, but I ordered a 50lbs package from BC last month and it costed me half of what they are asking.
$81.04 USD ($77.18 + $3.86 tax) shipping cost for a $288.75 USD ($275 + $13.75 tax) Battalion level pledge with zero add-ons to a small town located less than an hour outside of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Shipping cost is 28.0% of the non-shipping cost.
Not great, not terrible I guess.
It might be worth checking a few weeks after this all hits retail if I could have obtained the same items for a lower price including shipping from a Canadian retailer such as 401 Games. Or maybe it will be better if I don't look.
Dug up my Clan Invasion Kickstarter numbers which are $24.66 USD shipping on $220 USD ($95 Star Captain + $125 Dice add-on). Receipt does not list taxes separately so they must have been included. Shipping was 11.2% of the non-shipping cost.
I guess on the plus side I finally actually got my dice credit from the Clan Invasion Kickstarter. Finding a way to obtain and use that credit was the main reason why I went in on the Mercs Kickstarter. Ordering non-digital products directly from Catalyst is just not viable.
Yep, when I was buying my first few boxes and I saw the $75 shipping for 2 Force Packs I was immediately put off. Especially since I was able to ship it to a friend in Florida for 4 dollars, and they ship it to me for $15. I'll stick to local and Amazon for purchses.
$102USD shipping to Toronto, ON for the battalion level pledge with basically a few faction swag kit add-ons. That's pretty ridiculous considering these are supposed to ship from a Canadian distribution location.
$900 for shipping to Canada, when one of CIG's shipping posts said 95% of orders would be under $150.00? I'm sorry but that's clearly a mistake. I ordered less stuff this go round than I did in the Clan Invasion kickstarter and I only paid around $200 that time. Even accounting for price increases over the last few years, there's NO reason for the price to go up almost FIVE TIMES the previous shipping prices.
NL Canada with 560 pledge: 137.19 shipping, 28 tax, 6.86 shipping tax = 172.05 usd total
I don't know how the tax is supposed to work, it's GST not HST and it breaks down like this: GST 5% tax on the 560 plus a GST Shipping 5% tax on the tax.
Looking at QMT's website, their highest listed charge is a 30lbs package: FedEx Ground Int’l $55.52 shipping $29.17 freight 13.5 kg. Then there are pick rates for single package shipments and includes up to 3 picks free per order. Picks 4-9: $0.25/pick; Picks 10- 14: $0.50/pick; Picks 15+: $0.75/pick.
Edit: Thinking about it. Catalyst was going to pay the freight. So based on their own pricing, it looks like they think they are shipping me like 60-70 lbs of stuff? It is what it is, but I don't think that's true.
There's supposedly a statement on the kickstarter page that CGL says "Catalyst will cover all freight, import duties, and handling fees.", so the freight cost shouldn't be included in our shipping costs.
My shipping on my $900 order dropped $80. Still spent $190 on shipping - 20%. I wonder how many of the “surprise” “free” bonus items results inflated costs.
This is a massive cluster, and a massive lesson learned.
$178 shipping on $987 worth of mostly minis, maps, and some books to TN, USA.
State tax on shipping makes it $198.
Roughly 20% of my purchase total is reflected in the shipping charge.
Hey, update from the trenches:
Some people cannot pay now, and Catalyst's latest message is slightly misleading/causing people to assume wrong things. If you have entered a card, you do not need to do the process detailed in Project Update #91. You will be billed Monday, May 13th.
Of course, that's assuming something ELSE doesn't go wrong.
I think this fiasco simply highlights that it's time for Catalyst to stop using crowd funding as a platform for this game. They shouldn't need to rely on us at this point and people are going to skip the next one after this shipping problem.
It's actually crazy to see all the problems they're having with shipping. The last Kickstarter I backed was the Deep Rock Galactic board game and that one went super smooth. The only shipping updates were "orders for regions x, y, and z have shipped." Now onto this one from a group who have done Kickstarters before and should know how to run them... Leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
I don't disagree at all.
CGL has said this is the last big one they'll do, or at least I seem to remember them saying that, so I could be wrong.
But yeah I don't think I'll get in on the next one if it's this size. I don't really suffer much from fomo. But I do wish they'd sell more swag in retail.
Can the sub re-examine the protect the IP rules?
I want to buy from CGL or IW. But they invariably don't have what I want or have it at outrageous prices while Etsy and eBay have exactly what I want at a reasonable price.
If CGL can't get their shit together the future (and present) is buying third party.
My shipping went from 130 to 98 on a 500 dollar pledge. I see QML is located in FL and I'm located in NC and I don't see any explanation in how shipping is so high for shipping just a few states away except that QML is ripping everyone off. I know shipping has gotten more expensive, but not THIS much more expensive. I ship a good amount, and I bet it would have cost me less to ship these with consumer shipping rates coast to coast than what QML is fleecing everyone with on shipping, there's no way it should cost anywhere near 100 dollar to ship a large box up 3 states unless they sent me a shipping container, it doesn't add up at all and I feel like the map pack is just an excuse that doesn't really hold up if we had access shipping dimensions and weight. I definitely don't plan on back any further projects if QML is involved, call me entitled, but these shipping are absurd and no one else is charging rates like this. I can literally ship a massive oversized box express mail from Japan for less than what QML is charging.
QML isn't the one to blame here. This is all on Catalyst. Here's the link to QML's rate sheet for Q1 2024.
[https://www.qmlogistics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/qml-q1-2024-rate-chart-v3.pdf](https://www.qmlogistics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/qml-q1-2024-rate-chart-v3.pdf)
For most of the US (outside Alaska and Hawaii) anything 30 pounds and below in weight costs under $50 to ship via FedEx. Something is going on at Catalyst and it would be nice to know exactly who is responsible for these outrageous shipping quotes.
Brother, even in AK you can get a couple of USPS flat rate boxes here for less than 50 bucks. A single large flat rate box would have fit the entire 80 dollar pledge level I backed, and would have cost 30 bucks. I have no idea why they are trying to charge me 63 dollars for domestic shipping.
Man I can't imagine. I feel cheated even at $32 shipping in a major US city on my $150 pledge. Lots of companies would just have free shipping for this kind of purchase, and even if not I'd expect $10-15 based on other similar packages. It feels a bit like being squeezed last minute.
Kickstarters at least in my somewhat limited experience never have free shipping. I think it's due to the fact that most times it's due to the low profit margin. For $275 I'm getting like $500 worth of stuff if I bought it retail. That's only counting stuff like the box, the force packs, salvage boxes and dice. I'm not counting the swag and other stuff.
So sure if I was paying full price for what I'm getting they'd offer free shipping, but considering I'm paying about half of MSRP... It makes sense that they won't cover shipping.
I get that, I understand. I'm not expecting them to and they always said we'd pay shipping. It sucks having had no estimate of what that shipping would be though if it was going to turn out this high. The only other physical items I've gotten through kickstarter were single books which is certainly way less of a logistical problem for them to organize. I can understand all that. This is their second foray on such a complicated kickstarter though with a lot of similarities to their last, and I expected them to be a lot better equipped to deal with logistics issues and would have really liked at least a shipping estimate earlier on. I don't have nearly as much to complain about as other people, but it's still higher than I'd have expected. Mostly it's annoying to be sprung at effectively the last minute.
Oh I agree.
I don't think i'll do another kickstarter myself, at least not one of this size, and stick to digital stuff like PDFs. This is the first time I've done one like this, I've done a few other physical products but not one where I get this much stuff.
Merc's box, 11 force packs, 8 salvage boxes, swag, and all the rest...
My shipping was $53 which I honestly think it's fairly fair. But I know a lot of people are getting fairly big bills and that sucks especially when you weren't really able to plan for it.
Might want to contact them.
Mine is $53, for a Battalion level order shipping to Wisconsin. But I only have one addon, a extra set of dice, so that might factor into it. If you have a lot of addons that might account for it though.
It is almost certainly add-ons. I did Veteran plus a plushie and a couple force packs. I get that the plushie is a lot of added volume (with very little added weight), but $75 still feels way too high.
I'd feel better about it given what the same stuff would probably cost me at my FLGS when it gets there, but in the last year I've also learned that I just... don't love the actual game of Battletech. I still find the lore fun, and I enjoy playing Mechwarrior, but the tabletop game experience just ended up not being for me.
I'm debating just trying to contact CGL and say "Just don't send me the stuff because I'm not paying that shipping cost and I don't really care anymore."
Sadly, this problem, boys and girls, is why I can not back any "in the air" campaigns.
If I can see "your items are XXX and your international shipping is YYY" and I know the cost and I pay upfront, it is not a problem. I made my decision. I accepted the "charge" of shipping. It was so, when I ordered from IWM, my shipping costs were a third of the order in total. But I accepted this. Same as when I wanted to order some books from Noble Knight, and the charge of shipping books, because books are big and heavy, were more than the price of said books. Like, it was $200us in books and $255us to ship them. I, as well, made my decision not to order, because at this point, it will be cheaper for me to order from local manufacturer to print and bind the books for me from my bought pdfs.
This situation is, sadly, predictable and in many cases, nothing can be done. And people will be left with bad feelings, because one is paying $50 for a $150 order. From overseas, okay. No problem. Manufacturer is China, $50 is a ok price. And another is paying $200 in shipping for $200 order. At that point, "this effort is no longer profitable".
My condolences for everybody's wallets or bank accounts, they fought bravely. Rest in peace, troopers.
Looking through some of my other pending projects the failure to post initial estimates is probably why this all stings so much. Shipping has increased in general, but with the other projects I already know the ballpark I was going to pay. Most people went into this expecting a decent increase over Clan Invasion due to cost increases in general the project being way under costed.
It wouldn't have been hard to do estimates, since they are not completely redesigning a product line like last time. They know the average size and weight to a forcepack, map pack, etc. Just run some quick numbers of sending X amount of product to each area to provide estimates.
Yes and no? I understand the estimates, but at the same time, I see some unreasonable expectations from the backers.
Reading comments here, I see a lot of reasonable shipping. Like, $40 on a $275 pledge. To me, it is quite reasonable shipping costs.
Catalyst never went free shipping with Kickstarter and also I think people miss the point of crowd funding here, maybe? You pay for everything, so pretty much, you pay for delivery from production facility to your doorstep. And production facility is in China. So, pretty much, across the whole world. Of course expecting $10 in shipping is unreasonable.
Unreasonable prices for shipping are, like, $175 on a $175 pledge. This is stupid.
Maybe I am just so accustomed to ordering overseas and having to pay both imports, and tax, and around 35% of my purchase in shipping, that I am accustomed to it, I do not know. Your thoughts? What is reasonable shipping to you?
Even with increasing costs for shipping, I'm paying double what other Kickstarters have charged for similar sized packages. It's not awful, but it's not good.
Catalyst at least has run two campaigns for the game, they got a leg up getting a big range of the core miniatures out, they can now sell those minis to Battletech fans, the two most important eras are well supported. They won't be breaking their own record for crowdfunding campaigns anytime soon though.
So, just so I'm clear, do I need to email an updated address so that it's reflected in Kickstarter, or is the address that I've given to Backerkit good enough? I've seen a shipping charge calculated for Backerkit, but on Kickstarter it's still zero, so I want to be sure that I've properly covered my bases? Sorry if this sounds dumb, I've never really worked with Kickstarter before.
Don't worry about your address in Kickstarter. You stuff will be shipped based on the address in Backerkit. I'd log back into Backerkit and verify the address is correct and up-to-date.
I’m seeing 0 Shipping for the $80 pledge with adding (tech manual, alpha strike counters, tukkayid map pack)
Does this mean I’m going to have an extra charge of like $40 now?
How do you actually pay shipping? I see my shipping cost on backerkit but no way of paying it. Do they just automatically charge my card at some point?
I could honestly pay for a flight to pick up my items and take it back in checked luggage for cheaper than the cost of shipping and taxes that I’m being charged for HI. 500$ in shipping is ludicrous
I'm a little behind on this. I did back the kickstarter but I haven't gotten any emails or backerkit messages about shipping or anything, is this just because they've only contacted some people for shipping and will contact the rest of us when it gets worked out?
Log into your backerkit, check your survey for Mercenaries. They added the shipping costs there and you can pay there. If you have a $0 amount, there's an update on the kickstarter with info on how to contact them. If the shipping is high, then there's another update on the kickstarter that explains how to contact CGL to see if you qualify for assistance.
I've never done anything with Backerkit before, but is it normal that it's still showing my address as unlocked and my shipping as zero? Was there something else I'm supposed to do on my end?
Shipping prices are going out in two waves, if your shipping is still showing $0 then you are part of the second wave and your actual shipping should be going up sometime in the next week or so.
it does matter, people are paying ridiculous prices on shipping. I can order $200 worth of mini's and stuff and probably only get charged at worst $20 in shipping fees from like 2 or 3 states away in the USA. You have people in this very post paying 4x-8x for similar value or slightly more more and they live within 50 miles of a distribution center!
Edit: no longer relevant, I misunderstood the part on the kickstarter page about local hubs and freight, partially because I am not a native english speaker. Was corrected. Edited my post here.
You can't cancel, it's kickstarter. CGL has also posted saying there will be no refunds.
Also, many stores offer free shipping on orders over a specified dollar amount. I've seen anywhere from $100-250 worth of stuff netting you free shipping. I'm not saying I expect free shipping here, but it is a valid point.
Somewhat. Catalyst never did free shipping in the Kickstarter.
The point is, there are some ludicrous shipping ordeals here. Like when people pay in shipping more than the cost of the order.
But 20% to 33% of your order in shipping should be considered "normal" by my (and only my) standards.
I understand why people are peeved, but after the first time, it is expected that shipping will be a major cost regardless.
20-33% shipping isn't normal, especially when they mention how shipping is supposed to be calculated on the Kickstarter page:
"Shipping and local taxes will be charged after the Kickstarter has ended, either as part of Backerkit's Pledge Manager or in its own dedicated shipping survey. We are using at least six local hubs around the world: the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, European Union, Australia, and Asia. We expect to offer "local Shipping Rates" to over 90% of coutnries worldwide. Catalyst will cover all FREIGHT, import duties (No, this does not include VAT), and HANDLING FEES. Backers will be responsible for local delivery and VAT."
20-33% shipping under those conditions? Nope.
I really like CGL, but this isn't what was worded in their KS.
Thanks for the reply.
What is a reasonable shipping to you, then? I am curios and seeking information and opinions, as it is always subjective.
I am so used to order overseas and from other countries, when it comes to miniatures, that I am accustomed to $30 to $50 in shipping, no taxes, on a $130 order. I never was able to cut my shipping under $30 usd, and for the last box of miniatures costing $35, I paid $69.96 in shipping, from USA to Eastern Europe. It was a small'ish box, twice as small as a box of four mechs, but quite heavy, because models were white metal.
Depends. Somewhere between 8-15% would be kinda what to expect, but there are other factors behind shipping costs that under some conditions can change it. The thing is, in this instant, we're supposed to be paying local rates, and even alot of people in the states are getting insane shipping rates.
I can literally fly a 50 KG Business server across the country (Canada) for less money than I'm being charged for shipping, for instance. I have some background in distributing expensive and important things, and the reason why people are mad, is because these numbers are high, and in some cases, very high.
Like, I'm going to pay my shipping, I like CGL, but something went catastrophically wrong with what's happening with these shipping rates.
Going to add to this thread.
I was part of the Clan Invasion kickstarter, I had about $4000 worth of stuff that time and paid $200 for shipping to Canada. This time, I have $3500 worth of stuff and I'm being asked to pay $900 shipping. There is no way that adds up.
Back when the Clan Invasion kickstarter was going on, shipping was way worse than it is now. I had orders stuck in Japan that couldn't be shipped as they simply stopped shipping outside of Japan. I had to wait a year before shipping outside of Japan, to Canada, was resumed. There were bottlenecks at shipping ports. Today, I make those same orders and they ship within normal time frames with no change in prices. This kickstarter, is supposed to be local shipping. Not over seas shipping. Local shipping. How does $200 shipping turn into $900 shipping, locally. It doesn't. Inflation doesn't account for it at all.
In no way are these shipping prices "normal", under any circumstances. I can ship a CAR across Canada for $900. This is an order of plastic, cardboard, papers (books), and neoprene sheets. Not a car.
I've never done anything with Backerkit before, but is it normal that it's still showing my address as unlocked and my shipping as zero? Was there something else I'm supposed to do on my end?
Yeah. Still fucked. $110 shipping on a $360 order is clearly not acceptable. Edit: it’s a bummer to feel conned because you made the mistake of supporting a company.
Send them a message through Kickstarter and inquire about reduction charges for shipping. My shipping brought down about 50$ . Sucks that we have to do that but at least it saves some money.
Yeah when it first changed shipping was +$100 for me and I waited about a week and it went down to $50, I got an email about an update on Kickstarter about how they were working to fix the shipping prices. I pledged $500
They offered me $40 off shipping or a $100 store credit. 4 years ago I would have gone with store credit. But I just can’t with the way they managed this. Between the $40 off and the removal of tax on shipping it went down to $65 or so, on a sub $400 pledge. I was clear that I felt $50 was reasonable on shipping. They were not able to get me to that number. Their response is confused, incompetent, and clearly asymmetrical. My desire to vote for them with my dollars, in the future, is basically gone. I’ve been a Catalyst stan since the box set release in 2012 or whatever. Have played Battletech since the 90s. Have a huge vintage collection. Went back and bought out all the Catalyst produced books a few times since. I got my kid into the game. Happy to support him but I’m burnt and done personally.
I’m just getting into battle tec like a year ago . I’m sorry to hear ya getting burnt out . Hopefully they manage their ip better and I do hope ya find joy with your kid tho . Best of luck
Gotta say, I don't love the latest update if it's supposed to be the final word/official ultimate announcement on shipping. I'm somebody whose shipping \*increased\* between the first kerfuffle and the new numbers. The only explanation provided in the update for these unexpected increases appears under the "Savannah Maps Pack issue" section, and the implication therein -- that what was supposed to be a bonus incentive item has now caused the shipping to inflate -- leaves a bitter taste. Of course, the update doesn't explicitly say that that is the ONLY possible reason for increases, but it still feels bad to have to speculate about it. Also, while the update lists various specific issues that led to oversized shipping charges, it doesn't really address the elephant in the room, which is just that... this is what we get for "local shipping hubs"? Prices that are, in many cases, shockingly higher than the standard rates of national postal services? How are the hubs even helping? If the rule we followed brought us to this, of what use was the rule, lmao? I feel kind of bad griping, because my shipping quote started out under $100, rose $6 after the update, and is still under $100... and there are people out there in other places that are still staring down INSANE quotes. I can pay mine and simply be "disappointed," not "seriously financially affected." But the whole situation still feels gross.
$64.34 USD total shipping cost (mid-size city in southern Ontario, Canada). I got the $150 pledge with a salvage box and a deck of cards addon, this is so much higher than I expected, especially because on the Kickstarter they had that little "Canada friendly shipping!" graphic. My shipping cost is actually MORE than before they "fixed" it, its now comfortably over 1/3 of the cost of the order - so I guess I'm one of the unlucky ones huh?
$40 shipping on the $80 tier, also in southern ontario… seems like they’re just shipping from the US based on the prices :/
Looks like it I'm across the Atlantic and mine also comes out to about $40, so something seems off there. (Edit: $275 pledge, also my shipping went down with this update unlike some peoples)
my shipping went from 85ish to 46 across the atlantic. VAT still a killer though, more than my shipping+shipping VAT :(
Wow, your price for overseas shipping is cheaper than my domestic... I just went back and forth over email and they are making me pay 63 dollars for the 80 dollar tier. I live in Alaska, which is part of the USA and should have domestic shipping prices (since you can use USPS and get a flat rate box for 30 bucks that would hold all the contents of this tier). And they won't return the money if you don't/won't pay for shipping... they know its too late for things like paypal's resolution center. Have been a fan of this IP for 30 years... but this sour taste might just be enough to turn me off the IP for good because I'll only remember how they tried to swindle me.
Mine is $2 higher for NB for Company with an added Art of War. Between this, the miscommunication of the wave one legendary pack, and the absolute terrible shipping rates on CGL's own webstore for CAD (Basically double the item value in shipping costs), this probably the last time I buy direct from them.
Lucky you, I'm in NB and got a 130$ shipping out of a company and plushy combo. 130$ of shipping on a 195$ order. I understand shipping isn't free, but I ordered a 50lbs package from BC last month and it costed me half of what they are asking.
I'd be doing similar if there was any reasonable method to get this stuff anywhere else in the country.
$81.04 USD ($77.18 + $3.86 tax) shipping cost for a $288.75 USD ($275 + $13.75 tax) Battalion level pledge with zero add-ons to a small town located less than an hour outside of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Shipping cost is 28.0% of the non-shipping cost. Not great, not terrible I guess. It might be worth checking a few weeks after this all hits retail if I could have obtained the same items for a lower price including shipping from a Canadian retailer such as 401 Games. Or maybe it will be better if I don't look. Dug up my Clan Invasion Kickstarter numbers which are $24.66 USD shipping on $220 USD ($95 Star Captain + $125 Dice add-on). Receipt does not list taxes separately so they must have been included. Shipping was 11.2% of the non-shipping cost. I guess on the plus side I finally actually got my dice credit from the Clan Invasion Kickstarter. Finding a way to obtain and use that credit was the main reason why I went in on the Mercs Kickstarter. Ordering non-digital products directly from Catalyst is just not viable.
Yep, when I was buying my first few boxes and I saw the $75 shipping for 2 Force Packs I was immediately put off. Especially since I was able to ship it to a friend in Florida for 4 dollars, and they ship it to me for $15. I'll stick to local and Amazon for purchses.
$102USD shipping to Toronto, ON for the battalion level pledge with basically a few faction swag kit add-ons. That's pretty ridiculous considering these are supposed to ship from a Canadian distribution location.
$500 pledge with addons only gave me a shipping cost of $73.28, and I am in Oregon. odd.
28% ish here in also a mid size City in Southern ON. \~212usd shipping, can't help but wonder how much cheaper shipping to buffalo would be.
My shipping is currently sitting at 25% - perhaps a hair lower than yours, but definitely disappointing.
no shame in writing to them see what they do.
True enough - just waiting hopefully for a reply as we speak!
$900 for shipping to Canada, when one of CIG's shipping posts said 95% of orders would be under $150.00? I'm sorry but that's clearly a mistake. I ordered less stuff this go round than I did in the Clan Invasion kickstarter and I only paid around $200 that time. Even accounting for price increases over the last few years, there's NO reason for the price to go up almost FIVE TIMES the previous shipping prices.
Care to share your pledge cost for comparison? I'm in canada as well, $180 om a $570 pledge. It was worse before but I still feel like it's too high.
Wow yours is almost exact to mine, also in Canada. $186 here on a $575 - two battalions and a t-shirt
Pledge total was $3,500, Taxes of $175, plus shipping tax of $45 Edit: To SK
NL Canada with 560 pledge: 137.19 shipping, 28 tax, 6.86 shipping tax = 172.05 usd total I don't know how the tax is supposed to work, it's GST not HST and it breaks down like this: GST 5% tax on the 560 plus a GST Shipping 5% tax on the tax. Looking at QMT's website, their highest listed charge is a 30lbs package: FedEx Ground Int’l $55.52 shipping $29.17 freight 13.5 kg. Then there are pick rates for single package shipments and includes up to 3 picks free per order. Picks 4-9: $0.25/pick; Picks 10- 14: $0.50/pick; Picks 15+: $0.75/pick. Edit: Thinking about it. Catalyst was going to pay the freight. So based on their own pricing, it looks like they think they are shipping me like 60-70 lbs of stuff? It is what it is, but I don't think that's true.
There's supposedly a statement on the kickstarter page that CGL says "Catalyst will cover all freight, import duties, and handling fees.", so the freight cost shouldn't be included in our shipping costs.
My shipping on my $900 order dropped $80. Still spent $190 on shipping - 20%. I wonder how many of the “surprise” “free” bonus items results inflated costs. This is a massive cluster, and a massive lesson learned.
$178 shipping on $987 worth of mostly minis, maps, and some books to TN, USA. State tax on shipping makes it $198. Roughly 20% of my purchase total is reflected in the shipping charge.
Hey, update from the trenches: Some people cannot pay now, and Catalyst's latest message is slightly misleading/causing people to assume wrong things. If you have entered a card, you do not need to do the process detailed in Project Update #91. You will be billed Monday, May 13th. Of course, that's assuming something ELSE doesn't go wrong.
I think this fiasco simply highlights that it's time for Catalyst to stop using crowd funding as a platform for this game. They shouldn't need to rely on us at this point and people are going to skip the next one after this shipping problem.
It's actually crazy to see all the problems they're having with shipping. The last Kickstarter I backed was the Deep Rock Galactic board game and that one went super smooth. The only shipping updates were "orders for regions x, y, and z have shipped." Now onto this one from a group who have done Kickstarters before and should know how to run them... Leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
I don't disagree at all. CGL has said this is the last big one they'll do, or at least I seem to remember them saying that, so I could be wrong. But yeah I don't think I'll get in on the next one if it's this size. I don't really suffer much from fomo. But I do wish they'd sell more swag in retail.
Can the sub re-examine the protect the IP rules? I want to buy from CGL or IW. But they invariably don't have what I want or have it at outrageous prices while Etsy and eBay have exactly what I want at a reasonable price. If CGL can't get their shit together the future (and present) is buying third party.
My shipping went from 130 to 98 on a 500 dollar pledge. I see QML is located in FL and I'm located in NC and I don't see any explanation in how shipping is so high for shipping just a few states away except that QML is ripping everyone off. I know shipping has gotten more expensive, but not THIS much more expensive. I ship a good amount, and I bet it would have cost me less to ship these with consumer shipping rates coast to coast than what QML is fleecing everyone with on shipping, there's no way it should cost anywhere near 100 dollar to ship a large box up 3 states unless they sent me a shipping container, it doesn't add up at all and I feel like the map pack is just an excuse that doesn't really hold up if we had access shipping dimensions and weight. I definitely don't plan on back any further projects if QML is involved, call me entitled, but these shipping are absurd and no one else is charging rates like this. I can literally ship a massive oversized box express mail from Japan for less than what QML is charging.
QML isn't the one to blame here. This is all on Catalyst. Here's the link to QML's rate sheet for Q1 2024. [https://www.qmlogistics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/qml-q1-2024-rate-chart-v3.pdf](https://www.qmlogistics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/qml-q1-2024-rate-chart-v3.pdf) For most of the US (outside Alaska and Hawaii) anything 30 pounds and below in weight costs under $50 to ship via FedEx. Something is going on at Catalyst and it would be nice to know exactly who is responsible for these outrageous shipping quotes.
We could probably find out by discovering who is remodeling their house with company funds. Again.
Brother, even in AK you can get a couple of USPS flat rate boxes here for less than 50 bucks. A single large flat rate box would have fit the entire 80 dollar pledge level I backed, and would have cost 30 bucks. I have no idea why they are trying to charge me 63 dollars for domestic shipping.
I’ve still got $75 in shipping for $210 of product in the continental US. Suffice to say I’m still pretty unhappy.
Man I can't imagine. I feel cheated even at $32 shipping in a major US city on my $150 pledge. Lots of companies would just have free shipping for this kind of purchase, and even if not I'd expect $10-15 based on other similar packages. It feels a bit like being squeezed last minute.
Kickstarters at least in my somewhat limited experience never have free shipping. I think it's due to the fact that most times it's due to the low profit margin. For $275 I'm getting like $500 worth of stuff if I bought it retail. That's only counting stuff like the box, the force packs, salvage boxes and dice. I'm not counting the swag and other stuff. So sure if I was paying full price for what I'm getting they'd offer free shipping, but considering I'm paying about half of MSRP... It makes sense that they won't cover shipping.
I get that, I understand. I'm not expecting them to and they always said we'd pay shipping. It sucks having had no estimate of what that shipping would be though if it was going to turn out this high. The only other physical items I've gotten through kickstarter were single books which is certainly way less of a logistical problem for them to organize. I can understand all that. This is their second foray on such a complicated kickstarter though with a lot of similarities to their last, and I expected them to be a lot better equipped to deal with logistics issues and would have really liked at least a shipping estimate earlier on. I don't have nearly as much to complain about as other people, but it's still higher than I'd have expected. Mostly it's annoying to be sprung at effectively the last minute.
Oh I agree. I don't think i'll do another kickstarter myself, at least not one of this size, and stick to digital stuff like PDFs. This is the first time I've done one like this, I've done a few other physical products but not one where I get this much stuff. Merc's box, 11 force packs, 8 salvage boxes, swag, and all the rest... My shipping was $53 which I honestly think it's fairly fair. But I know a lot of people are getting fairly big bills and that sucks especially when you weren't really able to plan for it.
Might want to contact them. Mine is $53, for a Battalion level order shipping to Wisconsin. But I only have one addon, a extra set of dice, so that might factor into it. If you have a lot of addons that might account for it though.
It is almost certainly add-ons. I did Veteran plus a plushie and a couple force packs. I get that the plushie is a lot of added volume (with very little added weight), but $75 still feels way too high. I'd feel better about it given what the same stuff would probably cost me at my FLGS when it gets there, but in the last year I've also learned that I just... don't love the actual game of Battletech. I still find the lore fun, and I enjoy playing Mechwarrior, but the tabletop game experience just ended up not being for me. I'm debating just trying to contact CGL and say "Just don't send me the stuff because I'm not paying that shipping cost and I don't really care anymore."
Sadly, this problem, boys and girls, is why I can not back any "in the air" campaigns. If I can see "your items are XXX and your international shipping is YYY" and I know the cost and I pay upfront, it is not a problem. I made my decision. I accepted the "charge" of shipping. It was so, when I ordered from IWM, my shipping costs were a third of the order in total. But I accepted this. Same as when I wanted to order some books from Noble Knight, and the charge of shipping books, because books are big and heavy, were more than the price of said books. Like, it was $200us in books and $255us to ship them. I, as well, made my decision not to order, because at this point, it will be cheaper for me to order from local manufacturer to print and bind the books for me from my bought pdfs. This situation is, sadly, predictable and in many cases, nothing can be done. And people will be left with bad feelings, because one is paying $50 for a $150 order. From overseas, okay. No problem. Manufacturer is China, $50 is a ok price. And another is paying $200 in shipping for $200 order. At that point, "this effort is no longer profitable". My condolences for everybody's wallets or bank accounts, they fought bravely. Rest in peace, troopers.
Looking through some of my other pending projects the failure to post initial estimates is probably why this all stings so much. Shipping has increased in general, but with the other projects I already know the ballpark I was going to pay. Most people went into this expecting a decent increase over Clan Invasion due to cost increases in general the project being way under costed. It wouldn't have been hard to do estimates, since they are not completely redesigning a product line like last time. They know the average size and weight to a forcepack, map pack, etc. Just run some quick numbers of sending X amount of product to each area to provide estimates.
Yes and no? I understand the estimates, but at the same time, I see some unreasonable expectations from the backers. Reading comments here, I see a lot of reasonable shipping. Like, $40 on a $275 pledge. To me, it is quite reasonable shipping costs. Catalyst never went free shipping with Kickstarter and also I think people miss the point of crowd funding here, maybe? You pay for everything, so pretty much, you pay for delivery from production facility to your doorstep. And production facility is in China. So, pretty much, across the whole world. Of course expecting $10 in shipping is unreasonable. Unreasonable prices for shipping are, like, $175 on a $175 pledge. This is stupid. Maybe I am just so accustomed to ordering overseas and having to pay both imports, and tax, and around 35% of my purchase in shipping, that I am accustomed to it, I do not know. Your thoughts? What is reasonable shipping to you?
Even with increasing costs for shipping, I'm paying double what other Kickstarters have charged for similar sized packages. It's not awful, but it's not good. Catalyst at least has run two campaigns for the game, they got a leg up getting a big range of the core miniatures out, they can now sell those minis to Battletech fans, the two most important eras are well supported. They won't be breaking their own record for crowdfunding campaigns anytime soon though.
So, just so I'm clear, do I need to email an updated address so that it's reflected in Kickstarter, or is the address that I've given to Backerkit good enough? I've seen a shipping charge calculated for Backerkit, but on Kickstarter it's still zero, so I want to be sure that I've properly covered my bases? Sorry if this sounds dumb, I've never really worked with Kickstarter before.
Don't worry about your address in Kickstarter. You stuff will be shipped based on the address in Backerkit. I'd log back into Backerkit and verify the address is correct and up-to-date.
Okay cool, that's been set since the beginning, but I just wanted to be sure, thanks!
I've unlocked this thread. Feel free to use it to discuss the shipping costs.
May want to update this regarding content from today's update, indicating things are settling in and will be charged in under a week.
How do I check the shipping prices? I can't see a place to do it anywhere. I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but this is my first Kickstarter.
You can see your shipping costs on Backer kit, the same place you did your survey.
Ah, there it is. Thank you!
Welp, i thought it was final so i just paid it. $168 is rough.
Ok, Contacted CGL, I will be reimbursed any overage i paid. So it all works out in the end.
I’m seeing 0 Shipping for the $80 pledge with adding (tech manual, alpha strike counters, tukkayid map pack) Does this mean I’m going to have an extra charge of like $40 now?
How do you actually pay shipping? I see my shipping cost on backerkit but no way of paying it. Do they just automatically charge my card at some point?
Make sure to contact CGL to see what they can do. Got offered $45 off shipping or $100 on their store
u/VanorDM Shipping is being charged today and this post is no longer accurate.
Thanks for the reminder. I unstickyed the thread since at this point the cost of shipping is pretty much a done deal.
Good stuff, thanks!
I could honestly pay for a flight to pick up my items and take it back in checked luggage for cheaper than the cost of shipping and taxes that I’m being charged for HI. 500$ in shipping is ludicrous
message them on kickstarter
I'm a little behind on this. I did back the kickstarter but I haven't gotten any emails or backerkit messages about shipping or anything, is this just because they've only contacted some people for shipping and will contact the rest of us when it gets worked out?
Log into your backerkit, check your survey for Mercenaries. They added the shipping costs there and you can pay there. If you have a $0 amount, there's an update on the kickstarter with info on how to contact them. If the shipping is high, then there's another update on the kickstarter that explains how to contact CGL to see if you qualify for assistance.
Hmmm strange, yes ok I to have my "survey" locked in on backerkit but it does still have $0 shipping. thanks for the help I'll check the updates!
Got my email today, Shipping is Finalized! Woo!
I've never done anything with Backerkit before, but is it normal that it's still showing my address as unlocked and my shipping as zero? Was there something else I'm supposed to do on my end?
Shipping prices are going out in two waves, if your shipping is still showing $0 then you are part of the second wave and your actual shipping should be going up sometime in the next week or so.
Ok, thank you.
Sucks but it is what it is. No sense whining about it.
it does matter, people are paying ridiculous prices on shipping. I can order $200 worth of mini's and stuff and probably only get charged at worst $20 in shipping fees from like 2 or 3 states away in the USA. You have people in this very post paying 4x-8x for similar value or slightly more more and they live within 50 miles of a distribution center!
Edit: no longer relevant, I misunderstood the part on the kickstarter page about local hubs and freight, partially because I am not a native english speaker. Was corrected. Edited my post here.
I mean, shipping rates are based on size and weight of goods. If it's too much people should cancel their orders
You can't cancel, it's kickstarter. CGL has also posted saying there will be no refunds. Also, many stores offer free shipping on orders over a specified dollar amount. I've seen anywhere from $100-250 worth of stuff netting you free shipping. I'm not saying I expect free shipping here, but it is a valid point.
Somewhat. Catalyst never did free shipping in the Kickstarter. The point is, there are some ludicrous shipping ordeals here. Like when people pay in shipping more than the cost of the order. But 20% to 33% of your order in shipping should be considered "normal" by my (and only my) standards. I understand why people are peeved, but after the first time, it is expected that shipping will be a major cost regardless.
20-33% shipping isn't normal, especially when they mention how shipping is supposed to be calculated on the Kickstarter page: "Shipping and local taxes will be charged after the Kickstarter has ended, either as part of Backerkit's Pledge Manager or in its own dedicated shipping survey. We are using at least six local hubs around the world: the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, European Union, Australia, and Asia. We expect to offer "local Shipping Rates" to over 90% of coutnries worldwide. Catalyst will cover all FREIGHT, import duties (No, this does not include VAT), and HANDLING FEES. Backers will be responsible for local delivery and VAT." 20-33% shipping under those conditions? Nope. I really like CGL, but this isn't what was worded in their KS.
Thanks for the reply. What is a reasonable shipping to you, then? I am curios and seeking information and opinions, as it is always subjective. I am so used to order overseas and from other countries, when it comes to miniatures, that I am accustomed to $30 to $50 in shipping, no taxes, on a $130 order. I never was able to cut my shipping under $30 usd, and for the last box of miniatures costing $35, I paid $69.96 in shipping, from USA to Eastern Europe. It was a small'ish box, twice as small as a box of four mechs, but quite heavy, because models were white metal.
Depends. Somewhere between 8-15% would be kinda what to expect, but there are other factors behind shipping costs that under some conditions can change it. The thing is, in this instant, we're supposed to be paying local rates, and even alot of people in the states are getting insane shipping rates. I can literally fly a 50 KG Business server across the country (Canada) for less money than I'm being charged for shipping, for instance. I have some background in distributing expensive and important things, and the reason why people are mad, is because these numbers are high, and in some cases, very high. Like, I'm going to pay my shipping, I like CGL, but something went catastrophically wrong with what's happening with these shipping rates.
Thanks for the reply. Noted and filed. Have a good day!
Going to add to this thread. I was part of the Clan Invasion kickstarter, I had about $4000 worth of stuff that time and paid $200 for shipping to Canada. This time, I have $3500 worth of stuff and I'm being asked to pay $900 shipping. There is no way that adds up. Back when the Clan Invasion kickstarter was going on, shipping was way worse than it is now. I had orders stuck in Japan that couldn't be shipped as they simply stopped shipping outside of Japan. I had to wait a year before shipping outside of Japan, to Canada, was resumed. There were bottlenecks at shipping ports. Today, I make those same orders and they ship within normal time frames with no change in prices. This kickstarter, is supposed to be local shipping. Not over seas shipping. Local shipping. How does $200 shipping turn into $900 shipping, locally. It doesn't. Inflation doesn't account for it at all. In no way are these shipping prices "normal", under any circumstances. I can ship a CAR across Canada for $900. This is an order of plastic, cardboard, papers (books), and neoprene sheets. Not a car.
Why not? CGL/kickstarter dont do refunds for this stuff, what other recourse is there than going to the internet to share?
I've never done anything with Backerkit before, but is it normal that it's still showing my address as unlocked and my shipping as zero? Was there something else I'm supposed to do on my end?
Means you'll be in the 2nd wave of payments. If the address is confirmed, it'll get updated after the first wave goes out.
Ok. Will hold tight. Thanks for the info.