The Logistics of a Big Pin Club
Added 2020-07-10 13:55:54 +0000 UTCHello friends!
We wanted to have a quick discussion on Patreon product numbers, as it seems some customers are confused regarding why we swapped keychains last month for some tiers, or why they will occasionally get “IOU” notes in their packages for things like anniversary pins.
Our biggest hurdle in producing our Patreon club is lead time. It takes anywhere from 1-2 months to produce custom products like pins and keychains even in small quantity, and getting into the quantities needed for a club this size (about 7,000 pins a month), lead time is often closer to 2-3 months when shipping to the US is taken into account.
This means that we have to estimate our head count almost 3 months in advance. Did you know that a few days ago, we ordered Exclusive, Exclusive variant, and Ultimate exclusive pins for September? The reason is, if we don’t order it now (early July), September’s pins would not arrive in time for shipment to club members in late September. We ordered many of July’s pins on May 11. Some of them (specifically Kittea and its variant, the rest are here already) are still not here yet, and that was two months ago. We expect Kittea to be here by the end of the month, and they likely will be.
However, when you’re required to order three months in advance, it means we are working off predictions and estimates. We cannot know for sure how many club members there will be in September. We order based off growth patterns, but they can wildly fluctuate—like how some months the count stays roughly the same or grows by 25 members, whereas other months (not counting referral events) it’ll wildly jump up as a surge of 50-100 new members join. This makes estimating difficult, but we usually hit the mark on figuring how many we need given the data we have. It’s not a perfect science, though, and there is room for occasional error.
It is, unfortunately, not as simple as waiting until payment month and getting an accurate headcount. If we waited until July 1st and payment processing to order your July pins, you would be waiting until late September/early October to get them, and that doesn’t work for a club like this. Estimates are a necessity for prompt service.
Please be patient with us if you get an IOU card. We always deliver on our promises, even if it takes a little extra time. And as always, you’re welcome to reach out to our customer service at hello@fursonapins.com if you need any assistance.
Hope this helps clear up some of the confusion, and we’re looking forward to sending you July’s packages later this month!
Love you all!
Fursona Pins
Comments
I can wait for as long as I need too. Thank you guys for workin your tails off.
2020-07-11 04:46:43 +0000 UTCEmailed! My Patreon is acting up and I think it put in a different address then my actual address
2020-07-11 03:53:12 +0000 UTCIt’s awesome that you guys are doing this in general, let alone the 1200+ packaging and making new designs every day, and on top of that, you even put iou cards when things weren’t arrived on time, but a promise for the future. Thanks so much and unrelated, it was fun to help with the $3 random pins!
Disastrous Doodles
2020-07-10 22:17:33 +0000 UTCThank Y'all for doing what you do! As a merchant, I get the manufacturing thing too and with a big number like this is crazy. But the wait is worth it for hand crafted pins of this caliber. The IOU means that you care enough to let us know you didn't forget. Much love and appreciation for what y'all do for us! 💜
Tai Toon Studios
2020-07-10 18:32:24 +0000 UTCYall are fabulous for doing what you do! Keep up the good work! <3
K1NG CH4RLEZ
2020-07-10 17:02:13 +0000 UTC❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
2020-07-10 16:24:22 +0000 UTCWow! I had no idea it took that long for pins to be made, but it makes a lot of sense especially considering the quality. Thank you for all your hard work making these monthly packages even possible! I've been really enjoying it so far. It really gives me something to look forward to. If i ever get an IOU i will fully respect that!
2020-07-10 14:56:07 +0000 UTCYou guys are fantastic and I appreciate everything you do. The transparency and hard work makes me so happy I support this company! Thank you 💕
August Yassine
2020-07-10 14:20:59 +0000 UTCPersonally I do not recall a time where we have ever intentionally excluded a product without an IOU. Are you perhaps referring to a packing error? These happen, but they aren’t intentional. They’re simply the symptom of packing 1,200+ packages at once, sometimes the employees make a mistake here or there. In those cases we ask our customers to reach out to our customer service as we don’t know there’s a problem otherwise.
Fursona Pins
2020-07-10 14:19:57 +0000 UTCTheres been times where i wasnt even given the courtesy of an "iou". While I understand the frustrations of producing art, as an artist myself, you should be putting these reminders more often in your everyday posts about this and not just wait until people complain. I feel like when you do make updates on certain times being delayed, it gets barried under all of the other posts about promoting what's to come. This is just my critique as a long time customer and a fellow art seller, and shouldnt be taken personally.
2020-07-10 14:06:49 +0000 UTCOh wow, I just joined the Pin Club, and I honestly didn't realize just how much work goes into this! You guys are amazing!!💖💖
2020-07-10 14:04:18 +0000 UTCI got an IOU on anniversary pin and got it next month, I love the pin and will always do the wait. Even for black friday deals, the big fox, had an iou the pin came in a few patreon sets later but still waited. So keep up the good work!
2020-07-10 14:00:45 +0000 UTCI got an IOU card for my anniversary pin, and got it in my next months package! They mean what they say for sure.
2020-07-10 13:58:58 +0000 UTCI've loved every package I've received so far, and all the little extra goodies like the lanyards, wristbands and stickers really make my day ❤️ keep up the great work!
Cypress
2020-07-10 13:58:44 +0000 UTC
