Wicked Kingdom Playing Cards by Wylie Beckert - Funded

[Bruno]

Well me and myselves for a few cannot get enough of your riotous art, so **More Of The Same In A Book**, would be sweet-light and darkly advantageous, yehyehyeh ....

[sms69x]

For almost an year now I've been eagerly waiting for these to go live, and finally I got the opportunity to pledge.

Couple of things that you should consider and revise in your project:
You should add a tier for a half brick (6 decks)
Your add-on chart is totally wrong for int'l backers. One deck for $23 or 4 for $62??? Where did you came up with these numbers???
Since we can only add decks to our pledge if we are backing $11 or more, this means that we are already paying for shipping once, and in the add-on you are asking for the full value of shipping, making this the first project that asks international backers to pay triplie shipping ((domestic shipping + Int'l shipping) + Add-on Int'l shipping (which also include the domestic shipping add-on)) [four times shipping??]!!
A simple example:
If I'm a backer for one deck:
$15 + $10 = $25
Now I want to add another deck:
$13 + $10 = $23
Giving a total of $48, and out of these $48, $20 are shipping charges!!! Unless you're shipping the decks in a bullet prove case lined with some extra smooth velvet these prices are totaly wrong, so you should consider to revise them..

[guru]

For almost an year now I've been eagerly waiting for these to go live, and finally I got the opportunity to pledge.

Couple of things that you should consider and revise in your project:
You should add a tier for a half brick (6 decks)
Your add-on chart is totally wrong for int'l backers. One deck for $23 or 4 for $62??? Where did you came up with these numbers???
Since we can only add decks to our pledge if we are backing $11 or more, this means that we are already paying for shipping once, and in the add-on you are asking for the full value of shipping, making this the first project that asks international backers to pay triplie shipping ((domestic shipping + Int'l shipping) + Add-on Int'l shipping (which also include the domestic shipping add-on)) [four times shipping??]!!
A simple example:
If I'm a backer for one deck:
$15 + $10 = $25
Now I want to add another deck:
$13 + $10 = $23
Giving a total of $48, and out of these $48, $20 are shipping charges!!! Unless you're shipping the decks in a bullet prove case lined with some extra smooth velvet these prices are totaly wrong, so you should consider to revise them..

Absolutely agree. This deck is poised to be one of the best (and most funded) on Kickstarter, but the Int'l shipping charges are a letdown. I believe these need to be looked at closely, and possibly revised.


Update: Just talked to a friend in US, and will get this redirected to him as I don't want to miss this deck.

[Justin O.]

Looks like I'll be approaching stretch goal territory soon, if anyone has any thoughts on what sort of upgrades they'd like to see...

Would like to add my voice to the choir that embossing and foil on the tucks are favorites of mine for streatch goals, also art on the inside of the tuck is such an awesome addition to a deck.
Alternative color versions are usually a fan favorite as well

[wyliebeckert]

Thanks for checking out the project, everyone! Regarding shipping and add-ons...

The unfortunate thing I realized when I was planning the prices for the tiers and add-ons is that international shipping from the US is CRAZY EXPENSIVE, even for fairly small/light packages. I've received some dire warnings from creators who got burned by underestimating international shipping, and as excited as I am to get this deck into the hands of backers outside the US, I can't risk losing money on international orders.

I did make sure that all the reward tiers calculate international shipping as the additional amount OVER domestic shipping rates (for example, I'm charging $15 shipping for two decks sent to Australia. It will actually costs me closer to $23 to ship that package, but I'm deducting the already-included cost of US shipping from that number). Long story short, international buyers are not paying double on reward tier shipping, and USPS is the only one profiting off the price difference.

The add-ons are another kettle of fish, since depending on which items are selected, combined shipping may or may not be possible (ie, an uncut sheet and a brick would probably have to ship separately, costing me the full shipping rate on each package). As it stands, each add-on item is priced at the reward tier cost including shipping, minus $2.

In retrospect, I probably should have created more diverse reward tiers, but I had concerns about keeping the interface simple and assumed most backers would just be picking up a deck or two rather than mixing and matching. I may have to add more combo reward tiers (as I did with the Postcard Pack + One Deck tier) to save backers the trouble of multiple add-ons.

I'll definitely add in a half-brick tier since there's some interest - I wasn't sure about adding more multiple deck tiers, since the Four Deck and Brick tiers have been the least popular so far.

Really appreciate the input; please keep it coming.

[Justin O.]

Amazing process walkthrough on the most recent project update: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wy ... 2?ref=dash" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For those curious for a behind the scenes of how this deck's art was created

[sms69x]

The add-ons are another kettle of fish, since depending on which items are selected, combined shipping may or may not be possible (ie, an uncut sheet and a brick would probably have to ship separately, costing me the full shipping rate on each package). As it stands, each add-on item is priced at the reward tier cost including shipping, minus $2.

Your shipping in the reward tier looks ok, the problem is with your add-ons, clarly you over-estimated it by too much. I understand that you can't loose money on shipping, but using this excuse to actually make some extra profit on it is something that you shouldn't do. You should take your time, like other KS creators did, to estimate how much would actually cost to add one deck to any reward, and work with that value. Now asking the full amount of shipping when we add something to the reward is just laziness and totally disregard for you international backers...

As I said, I'm very happy to be able to pledge for this deck (right now pledging for four), but certenatelly will not pledge more (would upgrade to 6 or 8) because of that over-expensive add-on shipping prices...

[wyliebeckert]

Your shipping in the reward tier looks ok, the problem is with your add-ons, clarly you over-estimated it by too much.

I'm going to try to find a more elegant solution for the shipping calculations over the next month... I've been looking into some other creator's campaigns to see how they handled it, and it looks like having a base add-on rate for each additional card deck AND a chart for adding up international shipping according to total number of decks will be the way to go (although if anyone can think of any specific campaigns that handled it particularly well, I'd love to check that out for reference).

I'm hoping to avoid backer confusion as much as possible if I'm implementing any changes to the pricing structure - I think a pretty good number of backers are new to the KS backing process based on how many inquiries I've gotten about how to add a deck, etc...

I'll have to do some calculations to get things figured out and find some better references for product weights (there was a lot of estimating involved in figuring my initial rates) which might take a bit of time... I'm assuming better late than never, though. I'll keep you guys posted.

[wyliebeckert]

A question that might help me jumpstart getting the add-on rates fixed: does anyone happen to know the exact weight of a Bee deck or an uncut sheet? Totally not spoiling the first stretch goal here, I'm "just asking for a friend"...

[JuFiN]

According to this amazon listing the shipping weight is 3.5 ounces
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001HKDZ4?ps ... QHCN0P1LZN

[ecNate]

According to this amazon listing the shipping weight is 3.5 ounces
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001HKDZ4?ps ... QHCN0P1LZN

I would say that's about right? Just don't forget to account for the bubble wrap and cardboard or envelope too, that adds up.

[shermjack]

Hey Wylie, when are you gonna add the half brick tier? I wanna pledge for it

[sms69x]

Hey Wylie, when are you gonna add the half brick tier? I wanna pledge for it

Second that

[wyliebeckert]

Hey Wylie, when are you gonna add the half brick tier? I wanna pledge for it

Sorry for the delay in adding those tiers, it's been a busy weekend here! Just added new reward tiers with 6- and 8- deck quantities.

The new tiers should represent some pretty significant savings over the base tier + add-on system for international backers looking to pick up multiple decks... hopefully that'll serve as a decent stopgap measure until I can properly address the issues with the add-on rates.

In other good news, we're only about $1500 away from the Bee stock stretch goal, so that upgrade is definitely happening! All decks will be Bee decks in another day or two if the funding pace remains steady.

[sms69x]

Early Bird just opened, I fanally changed for the 6 deck tier!! Thank you Wylie!

I would have gone for the 8 deck tier, but that $38 for int'l shipping killed it .Is the same to ship 8 decks as is it to ship 12??

[wyliebeckert]

I would have gone for the 8 deck tier, but that $38 for int'l shipping killed it .Is the same to ship 8 decks as is it to ship 12??

Sadly, yes - same cost on my end for both. International shipping is wildly expensive from the US : (

[wyliebeckert]

An update...

After spending a few days trying to puzzle out a more elegant solution for the international add-on shipping, I've come to the conclusion that I won't be able to make any changes this late in the game that will treat all levels of backers fairly while covering my own shipping costs AND remaining comprehensible (judging by my inbox, the add-on procedure is already pretty confusing to a lot of backers without complicating it further).

I think I'm going to have to chalk this one up as a learning experience. My apologies to any international backers who are missing out on their desired combo of rewards this time around - I'll definitely handle the add-ons more intelligently (or tailor the reward tiers so I can do away with add-ons entirely) on my next kickstarter.

The good news is I've checked and re-checked my shipping rates on the reward tiers themselves - international shipping rates, while high, are in line with the actual packing & shipping costs I'll be paying to get your rewards mailed.

[TGunitedcardists]

@Wylie Beckert

Most designers do their work digitally. Seems like the Wicked Kingdom deck was done by hand. What was the process after that? Did you scan the images and manipulate in Photoshop etc? From what you've shown, everything looks great and unlike a lot of the projects out there. Could you explain the process a bit more from when you finished by hand and the next steps you took? How much digital editing was done?

[cherrynukacola]

@Wylie Beckert

Most designers do their work digitally. Seems like the Wicked Kingdom deck was done by hand. What was the process after that? Did you scan the images and manipulate in Photoshop etc? From what you've shown, everything looks great and unlike a lot of the projects out there. Could you explain the process a bit more from when you finished by hand and the next steps you took? How much digital editing was done?

Have a look at the updates, they are VERY detailed about the process behind each image!

[wyliebeckert]

A quick update on the project: Funding has reached the 50K mark; I've added an art book tier to the reward selections!



The art book will be a 72 page softcover (6.625 x 10.25") volume featuring all of the art and writing from the Wicked Kingdom project, along with process write-ups, work-in-progress snapshots, and notes on the creation of the traditionally-painted artwork for the deck.

[sms69x]

So the project hit 60K and the streatch goal is a custom seal .. So if the deck was to be embossed or have some foil would it needed to hit what?? 120K???.. I guess the embossing and foiling and interior printing will not happen for this project... Too bad, it could add a lot to the deck..

[Justin O.]

So the project hit 60K and the streatch goal is a custom seal .. So if the deck was to be embossed or have some foil would it needed to hit what?? 120K???.. I guess the embossing and foiling and interior printing will not happen for this project... Too bad, it could add a lot to the deck..

Wylie had mentioned that it was cheaper to upgrade to Bee stock than it was to add embossing, I am still hoping for other features like embossing or interior tuck printing, this deck is already out funding competitors and blowing away it's funding goal, I really hope that Wylie decides to put some of that toward more features to improve the deck

[ecNate]

I don't think she believes that added cost on her end translates to enough higher sales and results in net loss, but I would argue she already has them priced high enough that adding these features would cause people to increase their pledge for a few more decks and bring new people in. Still I understand the concern.

A simple solution would be to add a new stretch goal for a Limited Edition deck available ONLY as an add-on. She could make this the same deck as the original, ideally a different back at least or even a few new cards, but the tuck could be full embossed with foil and interior printing. Because it would be an add-on and most of shipping costs already paid for from base deck(s), she could even get away with charging the same as the first because the extra few dollars it costs for the features can be offset by this. Even if she charged a few extra dollars for it I'm sure it would go over well and would be minimal extra effort, no real added costs and would greatly increase her profits. The only problem would be she can't really say up front how many it's limited to, but agreeing to never reprint that version again and making that version with numbered seals would fit the Limited (or Special) Edition title. Embossed with a little gold foil would look so amazing on this tuck.

Of course if she wants to keep it simple just add them as new stretch goals for the existing deck.

[wyliebeckert]

So the project hit 60K and the streatch goal is a custom seal .. So if the deck was to be embossed or have some foil would it needed to hit what?? 120K???.. I guess the embossing and foiling and interior printing will not happen for this project... Too bad, it could add a lot to the deck..

When I first launched the project, I didn't plan on adding any stretch goals/extras. After hitting the funding goal on Day 1, I added Bee stock and custom seal stretch goals, with the purpose of upgrading the decks as a thank-you to my backers for making the project such a success. Since these upgrades are freebies for everyone but me, I felt justified in setting the funding goals for them wherever I pleased

Regarding foiling/embossing: after giving the matter some thought, I've decided that this deck won't be foiled or embossed at any level, for a couple of reasons: first, because I feel the art & package design stand on their own; second, because I wasn't that impressed with the USPCC embossing/foil samples I got my hands on; third (and most importantly), because the cost of tuck upgrades are quite high - unless I'm misinterpreting the quotes I've received, even a basic upgrade like interior tuck printing would increase the production costs by 50-100%.

While it may lose me a few extra deck purchases, I don't think I'll regret keeping things simple. The point of this deck is & always has been the artwork, and as it's my first go-round with producing a deck, I figure the fewer variables, the better when it comes to getting everything printed & shipped in a timely manner.

Hopefully I'll be able to throw in some extras on my next deck if all goes well this time around for those of you who like things a little fancier.

[GregorKlingman]

I launched my kickstarter in the shadow of this beast of a deck, but I'm honored to be able to put my work in proximity to such an incredible artist. The composition, detail, and technique are staggering, and the added narrative is a serious bonus. I'm impressed and obsessed with this deck. Can't wait to get mine in the mail.

[wyliebeckert]

Just a note to say that the campaign for this one closes in 58 hours! Here's the latest card, the first of the jokers, just released today:

[Justin O.]

Absolutely love the image of the Joker Wylie

[Blaustein]

Hey Wylie, I'm not entirely sure where else to ask that, but the prices shown on the Backerkit page, are they in US currency? I wanted to know so I can mentally prepare for the self-loathing I'll inflict myself for ordering 3 decks, the art book and an uncut sheet. You know, since there's already the cursed 10$-ish transport fee for good old me living in Canada, and our currency being worth about 30% less these days.

PS: The decks look amazing. I bet even for cardistry they'll be excellent. You have me on board for any future decks

[wyliebeckert]

Hey Wylie, I'm not entirely sure where else to ask that, but the prices shown on the Backerkit page, are they in US currency?

Not entirely sure how the Backerkit prices show up to international buyers, but in USD the prices are $38 for three decks, $35 for the art book, and $50 for the uncut sheet (plus shipping, which unfortunately I don't have any way of combining for international orders ). Thanks so much for checking out the project!

[Blaustein]

Thanks, the price is in USD then. No worries about the shipping, we know dealing with those large-scale services isn't all that simple.