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As Kickstarter becomes a more and more popular – and exciting – way for designers, cardists, magicians and card players to get their new decks out into the public arena, so too has it brought about a few problems for both project creators and backers outside of the US. Mainly the issues of distribution, and Customs Charges.
JP Playing Cards believe they have the answer.
We’ve all read in various project’s updates section, that there has been a problem with distribution or they’ve been let down by whoever was supposed to take control of it etc. Backers in the UK and EU have very often been left waiting and waiting and waiting for their pledges, and when they do finally receive them, they are hit with a hefty customs charge on top of the cost of the pledge and whatever postage has already been paid. It’s also extremely time-consuming for project creators to have to individually post out decks all over the world. UK based JP Playing Cards are happy to offer a Fulfillment Service to any creator who would be interested in off-loading the hassle involved with the fulfillment side of their project to backers in the UK and the EU (European Union).
Speaking as a backer of a few playing card Kickstarter projects myself, this is exciting news. Customs charges on anything sent from the US into the UK or EU are based on monetary value. And so, whether we get stung for cash on our doorstep or not, depends on what value is written on that little customs form…..
Cold hard cash – I’d rather have it in my pocket, thanks…!
So let’s hear a little more about this then shall we…?
Paul Middleton from JP Playing Cards agreed to answer a few questions for us about this service which was first launched in early 2014.
iCollectPlayingCards – Hi Paul. Can you explain the process and how it all works?
Paul Middleton – In a nutshell, we despatch parcels and pledges to backers of Kickstarter projects. The project creator sends us a bulk shipment and we then fulfil the pledges (usually only UK and EU pledges). Those backers then benefit from (typically) quicker, more reliable delivery and no customs or import fees – as we are EU based.
iCPC – Where did the idea come from?
Paul – We realised it was a nice addition to the service we offered a year or so ago, with Kickstarter becoming such a popular route for designers to produce their own decks. Shipping and fulfilment is typically the most time consuming part of their work. For us, this step is vital – we put great value in items arriving to backers (and our customers on our own site) in perfect condition.
iCPC – This seems like a fool-proof service you are offering here – everyone’s a winner. How is it going so far?
Paul – It’s going well. We’ve fulfilled for Origins Cards, Seasons & Kings Wild so far and we’ve been contacted by others for future projects. Should any deck creators be interested they can drop us a line any time.
Many thanks to Paul for his time.
For full details of this service and it’s benefits, please visit JP Playing cards website and don’t forget to tell them where you heard about it :)
Please feel free to leave any comments or questions in the box below – and don’t forget to use the social media buttons to share this post if you liked it :)
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My husband is into card games based off of video games. Are they just as collectible as standard 52 card decks?
Hi Sarah. I can honestly say I don’t know – though I don’t see why not. People collect all sorts of things and if there’s a market for it then I suppose there’s no reason why they aren’t as collectable as a standard deck, and I know that there are other sorts of card games on Kickstarter all the time. Might be worth checking out – he could be sitting on a gold mine!! Thanks for your question :)
Hey great looking website. This truly is a niche that I’m not familiar with but I have to say that it looks as though your doing a great job.
Your writing really drew me in a and I did learn a lot about JP Playing cards. I wish you all the best.
Robert
Thank you very much Robert, though I have to say that the images of the playing cards are probably more appealing than my writing :D I appreciate your comment :)
Interesting stuff, I’ve never heard of Kickstarter before. Would I be right in thinking it is a base/service where people design and create their own cards – a sort of art service?
Thanks in advance,
Chris
Hi Chris. I see Kickstarter as a kind of Dragon’s Den on the internet. It’s not just for playing cards – it’s for all kinds of things. Music, books, plays, new technological inventions – anything that someone needs financial support for in order to be able to produce it. I’ve written a quick guide if you’re interested, I think it explains the basics: KICKSTARTER
Thanks for your question :)
As with any system that becomes more popular, issues will arise. I am glad to see that JP Playing Cards is addressing these issues and trying to make a better user experience.
Thanks for sharing.
Yeah Travis, that’s the thing – nothing runs totally smoothly, so it’s always great when solutions are put forward that are in everyone’s best interests :)