When planning a project, one of the more complicated steps the creator may face will be calculating the costs of shipping their rewards.
As a backer, it’s important to keep in mind that the creator is making something new. For many creators this will be their first time managing a project with production and shipping costs, and they may have limited experience in anticipating changes that could translate into unexpected fees. We do urge creators to research and plan all costs involved in completing their project, and ask that they communicate realistic expectations for backers, but sometimes unavoidable issues (and unforeseen costs) are inevitable.
It’s important to keep in mind that even with a thoroughly detailed shipping plan a creator can’t control all external factors. It could be that the shipping partner they were planning to use has increased their prices, or the packaging they had intended to use is no longer viable.
It’s not uncommon, or against our rules, for creators to wait until after the project ends to charge shipping. This way they can ensure that they are charging the correct amount needed to cover costs. If at checkout the shipping fee was zero, or an unusually low amount, we recommend double-checking the project page for any information the creator may have shared about their shipping plan while their project was live.
If you encounter a situation where a creator charged shipping while their campaign was live, but is now announcing additional costs, we recommend reaching out to the creator directly with any questions or concerns. Since it’s up to each creator to determine costs for their project, and Kickstarter is not involved in this process, they are the best person to address any concerns. While we know these kinds of obstacles are not optimal, we hope that backers and creators can work together to understand and overcome them.
We expect creators to bring their project to a satisfying conclusion, and understand that in some cases the costs involved with shipping may be what’s holding things up. Kickstarter isn’t able to resolve disputes between backers and creators, so in instances where there are additional shipping costs you will need to work with the creator directly to find a resolution.