| African Stretch Fabrics on Kickstarter |
First, What is Kickstarter?
Kickstarter is the #1 Crowdfunding platform. Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet. I’ll let Kickstarter speak for itself:
“Kickstarter campaigns make ideas into reality. It’s where creators share new visions for creative work with the communities that will come together to fund them...When backers chip in funding and help spread the word, they too become part of these independent works.”
How Does It Work ?
It starts with a creator ( in this case, me) and an idea ( more stretch African print fabrics). I come up with a project objective and determine the cost to bring it to life. My goal is $8,200 in order to manufacture 10 new stretch African print fabrics and add Cotton Spandex to the catalog
Next up are the “backers”. Backers are individuals who make a monetary pledge in exchange for rewards from the project creator. There are different levels of rewards based on the dollar amount that is pledged. These levels are called “ Reward tiers”. There is also the ability to pledge without receiving a reward, similar to making a donation.
Each Kickstarter campaign is only “live”, or open, for a certain amount of time. I chose 14 days for this campaign. If my funding goal of $82,00 is met before the deadline, the project is deemed “successfully funded”. At that time, funds are collected and released to the creator. Then the rewards are manufactured and shipped to the backers
How Can I Pledge?
You can visit our project page on Kickstarter through the link below.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/daniellepierce/african-stretch-fabrics-fashion-x-function?ref=project_build
On our project page, you can view our video, see all of the fabrics, and get details about the rewards and timeline of the project.
NOTE: When pledging, you will enter billing information, but your credit card will NOT be charged until the end of the campaign ( August 2).
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose my fabrics ? At the end of the campaign, starting Aug 2nd, you will receive a Backer Survey where you will be able to make your fabric selections and confirm your shipping address.
When will I receive my fabric ? I am expecting shipment to begin in early October. There is always the chance that the ship date will be earlier, or a little later. I will definitely keep you updated about any delays or early arrivals.
Will higher pledge tiers rewards include lower tier rewards as well? No.
Can I pledge more than once? Each backer can only pledge to the campaign once. However, you are allowed to change your pledge amount and your reward tier. Instructions are available here : https://help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005126814-How-can-I-change-my-pledge-amount-
How does payment work ? In order to pledge towards a project on Kickstarter, backers must enter a valid credit or debit card onto the site. Your card will be charged when the project reaches its funding deadline. If the project does not reach its funding goal, your card is never charged.
Some backers may see a temporary authorization of funds at the time of pledging, before a project has been successfully funded. Authorizations generally drop after a few days, but this process can vary depending on your financial institution. If you notice an authorization that doesn’t drop, we recommend that you contact your bank for more details about their authorization procedure.
Kickstarter does not allow pledges through PayPal.
How secure is it to pledge on Kickstarter? Kickstarter’s payments partner, Stripe, meets and exceeds the most stringent industry standards for security. You can learn more about the technical details of Stripe's secure infrastructure here. Kickstarter does not store full credit card numbers – only the last four digits and expiration date. Saving your payment details for future use is entirely optional. For more information, please review Kickstarter’s Privacy Policy.
The credit card I used is lost, or expired. What should I do ? If you need to change your credit card information while the campaign is live (before it ends onJune 18th), you can follow these steps here : https://help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005132933-How-can-I-change-my-payment-method-before-funding-ends-
If not caught until after the campaign ends- if your credit card payment fails due to the card being expired or reported lost or stolen, you will be contacted directly to update your billing information. If a backer doesn’t resolve their payment issues within seven days from the project’s deadline, their pledge is dropped. So, you would no longer be considered a backer, and will not be able to receive a reward.
I’m not sure if I want to pledge. Will the fabrics still be available for purchase outside of Kickstarter? Yes, as soon as the fabric is manufactured, and all Kickstarter rewards are shipped, the fabrics will be available for purchase directly- here on AfricanStretchFabric.com
Do you offer wholesale options for designers or fabric businesses? During the Kickstarter campaign, we have a limited reward tier for wholesale buyers. After the Kickstarter campaign, we will not be able to offer this same wholesale deal. However, we will be able to offer volume discounts for bulk buyers.
These are just some of the questions we have gotten along the way. If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me at info@africanstretchfabric.com .