kickstarter.com

Recommend not to use it

I know it is tempting to pledge for this cool, new item and get it at like 50% of the actual going to be market price. But after four years and more than 40 backed projects I highly recommend to not use Kickstarter because you want cheap stuff or heaving a problem with not getting what you paid for.First off: Kickstarter is a fundraising platform and therefore your money is an investment and not a payment for a product someone must then deliver to you. In fact there are certain legal Kickstarter rules creators are advices to follow, but: I have seen a lot of creators not following this rules. They did not communicate with their backers, did not update on progress, did not react to emails, did not address issues, did not tell the truth and in the end did not deliver at all. Which I am fine with by seeing my money as a investment in a possible product. Not every small creator is able to become a big company. I’m fine with that.But the real problem with Kickstarter is that in a lot of chases where a project went down the drain, there would have been a lot of situations when Kickstarter should have stept in, remind creators of their duty’s and/or even help them to fulfill a project. Or as seen from the other side, help backers to receive their products or get back at least a small amount of their money. But in all the years all the project I have seen going bad, never ever I saw Kickstarter stepping in or even react to any complainant on any issue in any project. They simply don’t do that. Often it would already had been helpful during the open funding process, but that’s probably the least expecting time for them to step in. The more a reject is findet, the more they get. 5% Kickstarter fee on every project. And there are some of them crossing the finish line with way more then a million bucks. I have been on one with over 13 million. Kickstarter then happily joins the party, grab the money and leaves the room without ever to be seen. They are not interested in bringing projects to life and helping aspiring creators to fulfill their dreams, they are just a huge company with the worst customer service I have ever seen!Two years ago Kickstarter locked down my account for a week or so because I have backed out several projects during funding, because I had to pay an unexpected bill. This was the only time I noticed „Kickstarter“ doing something. And they did it because I backed out, so they won’t get their 5% of my money. Some general advices:- most of the time you’ll get a better prototype that has flaws and bugs. Better wait for some later itterations and official release.- if the project will not make it to official release, there are good reasons for that.- A lot of projects have actually been cheaper later on in market than they have been on Kickstarter.- As Kickstarter charges 5% and creators try to keep prices low, they hide the costs in Shipping. I had quite a few projects with shipping costs of 70$ and above. - reseller will ship much cheaper or for free. - if the project went down the drain, let it go! Kickstarter does not provide any help and there are no legal ways to get your investment back. After all a lot of people think they save money by buying something before it floods the market. My experience is that I would have save a lot of money on failed projects, that I than could have invested in the sometimes little more expensive item when it is released and therefore would have gotten a working product with costumer support instead of a prototype with DIY mentality. Not to mention the money lost in stuff that are not working like they should.Help funding creative ideas! That’s a good thing!But I would never again do that on Kickstarter.

Date of experience: Apr 10, 2018