Mana - Platinum/Gold/"Sybil" - SHIPPING

[octave]

Seriously, why is there still no update from erik?

[sms69x]

but being who you are, expected.
Portuguese rationality, o dear.

The funny boy is back again!!
Also I would like to put this here just for you:
Neshhh... Tzzz... Quishmish... Badááá.. Lululu... Patinga..

Sorry mods to drag this out of way, if you think this is inappropriate please remove this post.

[Talisman]

but being who you are, expected.
Portuguese rationality, o dear.

The funny boy is back again!!
Also I would like to put this here just for you:
Neshhh... Tzzz... Quishmish... Badááá.. Lululu... Patinga..

Sorry mods to drag this out of way, if you think this is inappropriate please remove this post.

Love it!!!

[Mike Ratledge]

Enough! Guys, I am very tolerant of people expressing their opinion, popular or not, but at a certain point the noise level needs to be muted, for the sake of civility.

I received nothing free from Erik. I - obviously - helped with his campaign. I am just as much in the dark as anyone else, getting no response from Erik as most everyone else has stated.

My observation is that he just had his son go through surgery and could do better responding, as I have already noted here and elsewhere. Beyond that, I have have no clue. Bruno can state what he wants, be it nonsensical to some. I find it amusing myself. Then again, I am a veteran of forum flame wars going way back, so maybe my threshold of pain is higher than most?

[sms69x]

So this guy don't have time to address his most important duties but found time to post something (stupid in my opinion) on facebook just 25min ago... How responsable and honarable this guy can be??

[Justin O.]

there is probably a lot of guilt and maybe shame that he has to struggle with in order to update his backers and that isn't easy for the best of us to face on a good day, people keep saying 'just update us already' and I am in that same boat because I want information, but I don't believe it is that easy for Erik on an emotional level. I don't believe he is a bad guy, and so I suspect there is a lot behind the scenes that we don't know about that is playing in to the fact that he hasn't updated us, regardless of whether that is fair to us or not (Which I believe it isn't). I hate seeing everyone get up in arms here with each other, as amusing as it may be, when it's clear the point of frustration is just the way Erik is handling everything. I have faith we will get word from him eventually, and hopefully some of the reasoning makes sense. But this speculation is causing more problems than it should be, and I don't believe anyone has any facts at this point.

[4.of.Clubs]

This guy from United Cardists has been drip feeding them out for about 6 weeks now, they are selling them at a higher price all over the place on ebay.... they were produced and it would appear that they are double profiting by selling the ones we pledged for....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Erik-Mana-No3 ... 1847426755" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;…

People from kickstarter are getting mad at UC now.

[Mike Ratledge]

This guy from United Cardists has been drip feeding them out for about 6 weeks now, they are selling them at a higher price all over the place on ebay....

People from kickstarter are getting mad at UC now.

Interesting, since I have sold two and given two away... "This guy"? Hmmm...

When I found out it was controversial, I quit making announcements, although I paid for a 30 day listing on eBay.

I suppose that I have waited long enough. Let me ask Dave ("Pokerstud52") what he knows. That's what I understand Erik did, move them to him for distribution, but that is here-say.

[Mike Ratledge]

...

Those 12 + sets were in recompense for time and effort, goodwill and positive input from UC, and they will benefit UC overall. They are not Mikes, as such, as he has shown, and you should not be so ungracious as to think so and your negative inference says more about you than you can appreciate..

Aha! Now I see why people think this, I didn't respond yet because I hadn't seen it.

They're mine. TG - you have heard of add-ons for pledges, right? Nobody knowingly caused a controversy here, beyond Erik being not responsive.

[TGunitedcardists]

...

Those 12 + sets were in recompense for time and effort, goodwill and positive input from UC, and they will benefit UC overall. They are not Mikes, as such, as he has shown, and you should not be so ungracious as to think so and your negative inference says more about you than you can appreciate..

Aha! Now I see why people think this, I didn't respond yet because I hadn't seen it.

They're mine. TG - you have heard of add-ons for pledges, right? Nobody knowingly caused a controversy here, beyond Erik being not responsive.

This is what I don't understand. If you have a dozen or more and the rest of us haven't received ours yet.

Like I said, the top tier for $475 was for 6 platinum and 6 gold and 12 Lividia decks.

Add-ons weren't possible for platinum and gold. The max was 6 sets, yet you have 12+ by adding on? Only add-ons were coins, uncuts and Lividia decks...

[SpecialK]

...

Those 12 + sets were in recompense for time and effort, goodwill and positive input from UC, and they will benefit UC overall. They are not Mikes, as such, as he has shown, and you should not be so ungracious as to think so and your negative inference says more about you than you can appreciate..

Aha! Now I see why people think this, I didn't respond yet because I hadn't seen it.

They're mine. TG - you have heard of add-ons for pledges, right? Nobody knowingly caused a controversy here, beyond Erik being not responsive.

This is what I don't understand. If you have a dozen or more and the rest of us haven't received ours yet.

Like I said, the top tier for $475 was for 6 platinum and 6 gold and 12 Lividia decks.

Add-ons weren't possible for platinum and gold. The max was 6 sets, yet you have 12+ by adding on? Only add-ons were coins, uncuts and Lividia decks...

Mike could have easily pledged with 2 accounts. RS5 and RS6 gives him 12 sets and 14 Sybils + add ons. Or two RS6, though that seems a bit less likely. Either way, I'd love to know if all the top pledges got their decks, or just Mike. Whether intentional or not, having your decks plays a role in how you approach the situation on the forums and on kickstarter.

[Cbkimble]

TG, you've heard of multiple accounts, right?

I for one would like to know how those who did receive their pledges were chosen.

[Mike Ratledge]

While that's true, I traded recompense for decks in this case. For now, until I hear from Dave, at least, they are "on the shelf". I suppose if someone buys one before the auctions expires on eBay, I will be shipping it/them.

I do have multiple accounts, mine, UC's, and access to my wife, but I don't normally use them to make purchases. It happens once in a while, many people have two just for that reason.

[4.of.Clubs]

TG, you've heard of multiple accounts, right?

I for one would like to know how those who did receive their pledges were chosen.

Gambler's got them. http://www.playingcards.net/Mana-Sybil- ... _1618.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Sher]

I have received mine as well. They arrived sometime in December, while I was away on vacation. It includes my pledge on the three deck set from the second KS campaign. Maybe they are fulfilling large orders first, as it may be the easiest to do logistically.

EDIT: I made this post before reading back several posts. Someone has already suggested what I had said. Apologies for being repetitive. Hopefully everyone eventually gets their decks.

EDIT #2: I just realized I only received half of what I pledged. I pledged the same tier with another account and sent it to my boyfriends address and he hasn't received them yet. Oh well. Half is better than nothing.

[snsdmonkey]

EDIT #2: I just realized I only received half of what I pledged. I pledged the same tier with another account and sent it to my boyfriends address and he hasn't received them yet. Oh well. Half is better than nothing.

This coincidence seems to suggest that certain people may have had preferential treatment by Erik.

[Wilko]

It annoys me that he has the time to post pictures on his Instagram account but hasn't got the time to update the people who backed his project and effectively put mo ey in his pockets.
This whole thing stinks.
I have backed many projects on Kickstarter and this is the first time I have been conned. The whole KS model doesn't really appeal to me anymore so I am very selective as to what decks I decide to back. Mainly because I want to pay for something and receive it (within a reasonable timeframe). Backing a project and being quoted a delivery time of 9 months down the line to me is not great. And this is someone being upfront about the timeframe for delivery. Do I miss out on some nice decks, sure. I can live with that though. I'll support people who have a good history of delivering but that's it and I certainly won't wait for 9 months to get my decks.
It's been over a year now for these mana decks. On we go. Hoping to get the decks we have paid for sometime before the end of this decade.
For me the time the playing card community shifted towards KS funded decks of cards things went downhill. I understand that it gives some people a great opportunity to realise their dream of producing a deck of cards but there are too many bad decks and a far too saturated market now.
Rant over. As you were!!!

[Cbkimble]

I'll support people who have a good history of delivering but that's it and I certainly won't wait for 9 months to get my decks.

While I can certainly understand where you're coming from, I dont mind waiting, especially if it's a reputable creator who has successfully fulfilled campaigns, for my decks. I know things happen. Mistakes can be made but keep your backers updated on what's going on. I don't care of it's " hey everyone, still having issues with the fulfillment company. I'm doing everything I can to get these decks out to you. I apologize. Please bear with me."

Now he's shipping Buskers, which is good for them, but leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Its almost like he's trying to make everyone believe it really is the fulfillment company but I'm not buying it.

I still think he screwed up with the tucks by using an outside company, not in house at EPCC, and overextended himself b/c he had to pay for the tucks a second time. Instead of using the funds to ship decks to a minority of his backers, he shipped the largest packages, mainly distributors, and to a select few.

All in all, he's lost all credibility with his backers and he'll likely never have another successful campaign.

[vasta41]

At the bottom of the campaign page, there's an option to report the project to Kickstarter. I did with this option:

Post-funding Issues
The creator is not communicating and the project status is unclear.

Maybe if more people report it too, Kickstarter can persuade Erik to update us.

Good idea- I just did it. We all should. Strength in numbers, people!

[octave]

For me the time the playing card community shifted towards KS funded decks of cards things went downhill. I understand that it gives some people a great opportunity to realise their dream of producing a deck of cards but there are too many bad decks and a far too saturated market now.

That's exactly my point! I like the fact, that kickstarter produced some really nice decks for us (KW,uusi,also mana's decks...), but the majority are just boring. I'm completely fine with that, everybody can back for what he likes, but the oversaturation of the market kind a put me of from collecting more decks. I'm only pledging for one or two projects per year now, and rather shifted my interests to performing. It simply reduced my motivation to collect cards unfortunately

[Justin O.]

Without Kickstarter we wouldn't have Stockholm, KW, Uusi, Thridway, Dead on Paper... virtually all of my favorite contemporary decks are from Kickstarter, and it continues to be where the best decks happen, even if they all come from a handful of designers, and I think that's worth all of the crap we see on there. When things shifted to Kickstarter is when this comunity saw it's best work. It created a space for EPCC and LPCC to become what they are and it helped to define what is still a golden age for Playing Cards with some of the best artists able to make cards instead of just sell digital prints off Etsy...

I backed Tokaido, a board game that was supposed to ship a year or so ago, and we are still waiting; I can have a little patience on the Mana project, they are just going to go on a shelf in my case anyways, there is no rush from me, I just hope they look amazing once they do arive.

[Mike Ratledge]

Just reporting what I know: Dave Hofmeister ("Pokerstud52") fulfilled Buskers. He didn't and hasn't been involved with these, he pledged for them and got them about a month or so ago, like the few of us that have. Straight from Dave's word to you, as I said yesterday, "I will inquire"...

[bamabenz]

Mike,

Do you know/remember who fulfilled the decks you received?

/bama

[Mike Ratledge]

Mike,

Do you know/remember who fulfilled the decks you received?

/bama

Actually, I don't remember. I'm sure I looked, just so I knew what I was opening. At the time it was not a subject of controversy. I seem to recall that the return address was Niagara Falls NY, but even that is a fuzzy recollection. I do remember that it had either "Erik Mana" or "Mana Sybil" as the name, but that is standard procedure for all fulfillment centers - putting the campaign name instead of "Lake Michigan Mailers", for example.

[Sher]

Mike,

Do you know/remember who fulfilled the decks you received?

/bama

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I still have the box at home. I'll go check the return address once I get the chance.

[BenMorrisRains]

I'm fairly confident I will not be receiving my $100+ dollars worth of cards. It is what it is.

[Mike Ratledge]

Enterprise Niagara Inc.
1855 Maryland Ave
Niagara Falls, N.Y. 14305

[bamabenz]

Enterprise Niagara Inc.
1855 Maryland Ave
Niagara Falls, N.Y. 14305

Cortera has some info about this company at that address:
https://start.cortera.com/company/resea ... e-niagara/

But there's also this BBB page about a company located at this address.
http://www.bbb.org/upstate-new-york/bus ... omplaints/

And here's an old rent listing from the property management company:
http://www.amendolapm.com/1855-maryland-avenue.html

Since Erik wrote that the decks arrived there on September 22, it sort of looks like somebody is running multiple businesses out of that warehouse space.

But I wonder what sort of folks Erik got into bed with and maybe there has been no update because Erik has a dispute with these folks (or they no longer a going concern) and now he has no possession/control of the decks.

So add to the checklist when deciding to back a campaign: its vital to know who is fulfilling the campaign.

/bama


/bama

[Gareth]

Since Erik wrote that the decks arrived there on September 22, it sort of looks like somebody is running multiple businesses out of that warehouse space.

It could be multiple businesses, or quite possibly the business is handling others mailing services, meaning this address could be used for hundreds of different businesses including itself. Hence the BBB listing could be for anyone really.

The Street View on Google Maps is from 2011 and appears very similar to that in the property management ad. Whether that Cortera listing is meaningful with all the different addresses - but not this one - is hard to tell.

But I wonder what sort of folks Erik got into bed with and maybe there has been no update because Erik has a dispute with these folks (or they no longer a going concern) and now he has no possession/control of the decks.

There's a heck of lot of conjecture going on in that sentence - without actually knowing any more we're likely to end up just getting into an echo chamber of backers' worst fears.

[vasta41]

Can we change the title of this thread? It really f@cking pisses me off and is a LIE.