The world of freight shipping and fulfillment has remained in turmoil for over a year now, and there’s no end in sight.
Brandon Rollins is a Marketing Consultant at Fulfillrite. His main areas of expertise are online marketing and supply chain management, and he kindly offered to highlight a few specific things creators can do to prepare themselves for a shipping and fulfillment in such a tumultuous time.
***
You’ve probably heard about the chaos that is freight shipping right now.
Should that stop you from launching your board game on Kickstarter? Not necessarily, but there are some shipping-related factors to consider before jumping in.
The core Kickstarter fulfillment process is still the same as it was in 2019. The difference now is that certain parts are slower, more expensive, and less predictable.
The additional cost and time to ship are formidable obstacles, yes – but the fundamentals remain the same:
- Communicate often with backers.
- Plan for unexpected expenses.
- Build slack into your schedule.
- Hire help if you need it.
Beyond the basics, here are some specific tips you can use to help you navigate the unique challenges of fulfilling a board game Kickstarter in 2022 and beyond.
1. Use a pledge manager to collect shipping.
Every major postal carrier has raised their postage rates every year for the last few years. On top of that, the US saw an inflation rate of 7.5% in 2021. Meanwhile, manufacturing and freight delays have substantially increased the time needed to fulfill a board game Kickstarter.
It doesn’t make sense to charge backers in advance for shipping. Charging shipping as late as possible allows you to more accurately charge real shipping costs while not charging backers more (once you adjust for inflation).
Instead, provide backers with estimated shipping costs during the campaign and clearly communicate that shipping will be charged closer to fulfillment. Then use a pledge manager–an arrangement you should establish before even launching your campaign–like BackerKit, Pledge Manager, CrowdOx, or Gamefound to charge backers the remaining shipping costs.
2. Consider a manufacturer closer to you.
One of the biggest fulfillment costs right now is freight shipping. If you want to save on freight, it might make sense to manufacture in your own country instead of overseas. The lower cost of freight may make up for the increased cost of manufacturing.
If you’re in the US, you might consider Delano and Ludofact. You can also check out this website for a list of board game manufacturers in your region.
3. Regularly seek out up-to-date freight quotes.
The freight market – whether you’re shipping by sea, road, rail, or air – is extremely volatile. Your freight time/cost estimates have a very short lifespan.
If you’re working with a freight broker, ask them to regularly update freight quotes before and during your campaign. There are a variety of freight brokers; Jamey has mentioned that he works with (and recommends) ARC Global (justin.bergeron@arcglobal.us).
If you’re coordinating freight on your own through a freight marketplace, make sure you get a new quote every 30 days. It is not unreasonable for you to wait until the right time to ship from your fulfillment center based on the current freight shipping rates; just keep backers informed and leave plenty of buffer time in the schedule to allow for this flexibility.
4. Monitor sea shipping online.
If you know your sea shipping vessel name, you can watch it on MarineTraffic.com. This can make it easier to provide your backers with meaningful updates on the status of freight shipping (and let them track the shipments themselves).
Just be sure to clearly communicate the shipping process to backers–even though a ship may look like it’s arriving in port doesn’t mean backers will receive the game a few days later. The containers still need to be unloaded, processed for customs, picked up by a truck or train, and be delivered to the fulfillment center. That process can take months.
5. Notify your warehouse of incoming inventory ASAP.
Many shipping delays are unavoidable, but you may as well prevent the ones you can. One common one is not notifying your fulfillment center of an incoming shipment!
As soon as you have details about your freight shipping, notify your fulfillment center. This will let them hit the ground running as soon as the stock arrives, which reduces potential delays.
Here are some other tips from Fulfillrite to ensure a smooth fulfillment process.
6. Keep box size and weight in check.
Box size and weight matter more today than ever before. After all, the size and weight of your game is going to directly impact the cost of freight and postage.
For example, if your game is 10” x 8” x 3” and 4.1 pounds:
- $4,077 to ship 1,000 units from Hong Kong to New Jersey
- $22.80 to ship 1 game from New Jersey to California
If, on the other hand, your game is 10” x 8” x 2” and 3.8 pounds:
- $3,419 to ship 1,000 units from Hong Kong to New Jersey
- $13.54 to ship 1 game from New Jersey to California
Inches and ounces count. Even the slightest reduction in the weight and/or size of your game can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars in the long run. Ask your manufacturer for ideas on how you can reduce the weight and size of your game without compromising quality.
Quotes are from Freightos for freight (customs not included) and USPS retail prices for shipping as of 2/18/22.
Final Thoughts
Don’t let the chaotic supply chain scare you away from Kickstarting your game! There are steps you can take to keep costs in check and timetables accurate.
Need help fulfilling your orders? Click here to request a quote from Fulfillrite.
Brandon Rollins is a Marketing Consultant at Fulfillrite. His main areas of expertise are online marketing and supply chain management.
***
Thank you, Brandon, for sharing these insights! If you have any thoughts, questions, or additions to this post, I look forward to seeing them in the comments below.
