Revised Shipping Costs & Other Housekeeping
almost 2 years ago
– Wed, Mar 01, 2023 at 11:14:40 AM
Hello, Beltalowda and Inyalowda!
A number of pre-order customers for this campaign and other THE EXPANSE fans have reached out to us with concerns about our estimated shipping costs. We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to find ways to reduce these costs for as many customers as we can. We’re excited to share this information with you today. More importantly, we wanted to take some time to explain our approach to fulfillment on our campaigns.
Plus some additional housekeeping information as we near the end of our BOOM! Deluxe Pre-Order Campaign. Buckle up, this is a long update!
Our Approach To Shipping
First, we want to assure you that the shipping costs BOOM! Studios charges our pre-order customers are our actual costs paid to ship your pre-orders to you. It includes the costs of having each order packaged professionally, the shipping supplies, and labor costs to have tens of thousands of packages shipped to various parts of the globe.
Some of you have asked if less expensive shipping options are available. We will ship your order using the least expensive method that also allows for timely and secure delivery. This means utilizing services that have a predictable shipping time and tracking options to confirm delivery. As an example, media mail in the U.S. has a number of strict restrictions (comic books and merchandise are strictly prohibited). Media mail also varies wildly in terms of delivery times and does not allow for tracking numbers resulting in it not being a viable option.
Additionally, through the course of the campaign, we have unlocked and added numerous Stretch Goals. A number of these, including challenge coins, slipcases, hat, and custom boxes, will increase the size and weight of your shipments, which in turn increases the shipping cost. BOOM! Studios will be absorbing these costs.
To ensure we pass along the lowest cost possible, we will charge for individual shipping for each of the three waves right before we begin processing orders. If the cost is less than what we’ve estimated, we will pass those savings along to you by charging the updated cost instead of the previously higher estimate. Conversely, we will not charge a rate higher than what we share below. If our costs come in higher than estimated, BOOM! Studios will absorb the difference.
Wave Shipping vs Single Shipping
A number of you have asked for a single wave shipping option rather than receiving three waves. We understand and appreciate the request, but we will not be offering a single wave shipment for a number of reasons.
The first reason is that our goal with this BOOM! Deluxe Pre-Order campaign is, first and foremost, to give everyone a terrific reading experience and introduce first time comic book & graphic novel readers to the magic of the medium. That means delivering each “chapter” to you at the same time as other THE EXPANSE fans get to experience DRAGON TOOTH when they purchase the collections through other channels.
Secondly, and more practically, we recognize we are delivering collectible items to diehard fans and we want to deliver them in the best condition possible. The less time each of these items is stored and handled, the less likely we’ll encounter damages.
Lastly, while single wave shipping reduces the cost of shipping charged by the carrier, it increases costs in other places including storage, fulfillment logistics, and overall complexity which would need to be passed along to our BOOM! Deluxe Pre-order customers.
International Shipping
For international customers concerned about additional costs incurred from customs and duties due to multiple shipments, we’re pleased to share that in working with our fulfillment partners, we will be able to ship your orders “Delivery Duty Paid” (or DDP). This means that any customs and duties charges will be paid by us as the shipper and is already factored into your shipping cost.
We’ve also worked with our fulfillment partners to find regional drop points to ship from further reducing the shipping costs.
Reduced Shipping Estimates
Finally, we are pleased to report that after working with our fulfillment partners, we’ve managed to reduce all of our shipping estimates outside of the United States. For international customers, you will see your costs have dropped 10-30%. We’re particularly excited for our fellow fans in the U.K. and mainland Europe!
We’ve checked and double checked a number of times and the U.S. shipping costs are an accurate reflection of our shipping costs. As mentioned earlier, if the costs come in lower as we get closer to fulfillment, we will pass along those costs to you.
We hope these savings are meaningful to you and allow you to secure the tier that is best for you. And if you’ve been on the fence about pre-ordering due to the shipping costs, we hope this helps make the decision easier!
Stretch Goal Recap
Given the incredible momentum of this campaign, we wanted to recap where we stand on Stretch Goals for anyone joining the party late. Wherever a dollar amount is listed as a qualifier below, you can meet that with a combination of Tier pre-orders and add-ons. Items will be automatically added to your order in BackerKit if you qualify.
Day One Bonus - The Rocinante challenge coin will be automatically added to your order in BackerKit if you ordered within the first 24 hours of the campaign. No action is required on your part. If you missed this first 24 hours, it is available as an add-on item.
All Physical Orders - Everyone who ordered a physical item(s) will also receive a copy of the Laconia challenge coin replica.
Softcovers - All softcovers have been upgraded with a spot varnish and french flap embellishments. All softcover orders will ship in a custom collector box, with the first two volumes shipping in Wave 1 & Wave 2 respectively followed by Volume 3 & the box in Wave 3. Each softcover will include a cover gallery and behind-the-scenes section.
Hardcovers - All hardcovers have been upgraded with an emboss, bookmark ribbons, and spot varnish embellishments. Each hardcover will also ship in individual slipcases with the first two volumes shipping in Wave 1 & Wave 2 respectively followed by Volume 3 & the box in Wave 3. Each hardcover will include a cover gallery and behind-the-scenes section.
All Pre-Orders $40 Or More - Pre-order customers will receive a free digital art pack including mobile and computer backgrounds and social media icons.
Physical Orders Of $55 or More - Pre-order customers will receive free digital editions in DRM-free PDFs of each issue as it releases along with a digital edition of THE EXPANSE: ORIGINS and THE EXPANSE (2021) graphic novels. The same customers will also receive 3 premium full color, metal bookmarks.
Physical Orders Of $100 Or More - Pre-order customers will receive a Rocinante-branded embroidered pilot beanie.
If you have any questions concerning your pre-order, please reach out to [email protected] for the fastest response.
To na kang setóp da mesach!
Your friends at BOOM! Studios