*If this has already been answered I'm very sorry, direct me there and I'll delete this.*
Hello all,
I'm Ashley. I have a few questions about card games and Kickstarter fulfillment.
I made a card game, 90 cards total, 120 total with the extension pack.
I'm having a hard time understanding how I'd see a profit if I crowdfunded on KS because most of it would go to order fulfillment. I've been using the Game Crafters and for 1 deck to ship to me it's about $14.59 not including the deck box. I know the the price goes down for buying in bulk but I can't estimate how many people will pledge.
I don't want to make a mess of things as this is my first card game. Is there any formula I should be using or a certain way to go about this?
ANY help would be wonderful.
Again, I'm sorry if a similar question has been asked.
It's a pretty good set of questions, actually.
I will point out up front that in this forum, you're less likely to catch attention for your game. We're collectors of decks that are "International Standard" - basically, the standard 52 cards used for playing games like poker, rummy or bridge, among others, consisting of four suits of 13 cards each, plus a varying amount of jokers, typically two. There are forums dedicated to game playing of all kinds - you'd find a broader reception there.
It's very difficult to make a profit on a Kickstarter project - not all are profitable, even if they are successful! You have to charge at least enough to cover your costs, and you have to carefully include ALL the costs - the item itself you're creating, commission for any artists you may have hired, postage and even mail/packaging supplies like packing tape and padded envelopes or boxes. You really shouldn't offer your game for less than the full cost of what it costs you to produce, unless you happen to be in the business of subsidizing other people's game habits!
It's part of what goals in Kickstarter are all about. You find a way to get the per-unit cost low enough to make it affordable to the backer and profitable to you, the creator, determine how many units you have to create at that per-unit cost, and create a goal that requires you to make that many units at a minimum - if you don't get enough backing, you don't make the game, as simple as that, but you also don't go broke in the process.
Many card deck creators, especially new ones, will attempt to work on order fulfillment on their own in order to reduce costs rather than hiring a fulfillment company that may or may not take the care with their products that backers will demand. It's not impossible, but it's a BIG challenge, especially if you find yourself with a successful project that's in high demand. Make certain you're allowing yourself enough time off from school, work, etc. to receive your finished product and get it shipped to everyone backing you, unless you like irate people complaining about slow delivery or threatening to file charges with their state district attorney for fraud.
And if you think that can't happen, that people won't pursue someone who fails to deliver, think again: it already has to one KS playing card project that was exceptionally slow to deliver, and resulted in the project creator losing thousands of dollars in court fines on top of having to fulfill the order he appears to have intentionally neglected. Look for articles about the Bicycle Asylum deck here and elsewhere online for more information!
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