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[META] What things should I look for before deciding to fund a Kickstarter Campaign? (self.shittykickstarters)

PolythenePaul が 投稿

After seeing the number of high profile scams; funding a project, no matter how promising, seems like a risky business when there is no guarantee of an end product. So, my question is, what things should people expect from a Campaign before deciding to fund it? Should video evidence be supplied? Reputable people and data? What is the bare minimum a person needs to see before feeling completely secure in funding a Campaign and knowing they will see the end product?

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[–]Starfyre 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

If you want whatever you're pledging for in a timely manner, beware physical stretch goals. If it's additional cards or something similarly simple and in line with the main project, it's probably safer, but t-shirts and the like seem to regularly cause issues and delays.

If the company has previous projects, check them out. Skim a page our two of comments, being aware that Kickstarter backers are notoriously whiney over any and all perceived decisions/indecisions/actions/inactions/days. If a handful of people are whinging about how awful the campaign is but don't back it up, it's probably safe to ignore. If it's a lot of people with some detailed criticisms, pay more attention.

If it's a new group, go in raiding that you may never get the result. Be wary of anything without at least a working proof of concept or similar show of actual work in the project. Be super wary of someone saying they'll stay when all the funding closes. I know it costs money, but why should you trust someone who doesn't believe in their product pitch enough to try and get it started with their currently available capital? I'm not talking kicking off production, but show some effort, dammit.

There are tons of other things, depending on your comfort levels. You learn to feel it out and what look like warning signs for you may not be the same for someone with a higher risk threshold. I back a lot of things, though mostly from either proven groups or very small-scale projects. I don't mind a $30 pledge hitting issues, but for $150, I expect you to have your shit together.

Hope this helps. Sorry for any weird typos, I'm on my phone and swiping gets weird sometimes.

[–]Graceful_cumartist 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Well reputable people and solid plans that are realistic are usually what you want. But most of all you need to make clear to yourself that you are fine with that money gone. You aren't funding anything as much as giving away money and when you do that you need to be okay with no return on it.

[–]Hi-Comp_Hi-SR_Hi-AF 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Well for one they should know how much they need and how many units it will produce.

[–]JustAberrant 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

First off, I tend to group things into one of 3 categories:

  • Basically a pre-order: simple product or something similar to another successful project by the same creator. Basically pretty good chance they'll deliver. Lowest risk, but honestly not really what kickstarter is about imo.

  • Low chance of success or outright scam: this is probably like 90% of the projects on kickstarter, also mostly what this sub is about. Projects you know are impossible, or that the creator is clearly incapable of delivering what they are promising in their short, poorly worded pitch.

  • The "I give it a 50/50 chance" stuff. No, you're not guaranteed anything, but if the creator seems genuinely committed and capable, I'm willing to gamble. This to me is what kickstarter is all about, giving cool stuff with niche appeal a chance to happen when it probably otherwise wouldn't.

To more directly answer the question, what I tend to look for is:

  • Prior effort: have they already done a shit tonne of leg-work to make their dream come true, or have they invested the bare minimum effort just to get the project page up. History of the project and pictures of early prototypes do a lot to convince me that the creator is committed to making this project happen and has already invested a lot of their own time and money into it.

  • Detailed schedule: this shows that the creator has given thought to the timeline of the project and has an understanding of what steps are actually required. A timeline that read: "design, manufacturing, then shipping!" tells me they haven't really thought about what is involved in those steps.

  • Honest and thought out risks: every venture caries risk, and managing risk is a big part of business in general. Showing that the creator has spent some time thinking about what could go wrong again builds confidence.

EDIT: at the end of it all, you just have to keep in mind that it's Vegas and not a store. You're throwing money at stuff in the hopes that you get something cool out of it, and even "sure thing" projects can go down in flames. Personally if I feel the creator spent every dime trying to make it happen before finally failing, you won't find me in the comments demanding a refund.