IMPORTANT UPDATE
about 1 year ago
– Thu, Oct 05, 2023 at 02:11:36 PM
Hi everyone!
It's been an incredibly busy week but I've finally finished quality-checking all pins and packing all orders. ALL orders? Well, yes... ish. Please read 'til the end of the update, especially if you ordered a rose gold pin (Strawberry or Sailor Moon design).
1) Grading
First of all, something that I dreaded but unfortunately can't be avoided with this kind of pin: the flaws. While I love how the designs turned out, the flaw rate is quite high. It's not all that surprising, considering that there are so many factors that put them at risk for issues: Large metal surfaces (prone to bubbles or scratches), printed areas (especially print OVER the metal parts, which always is at risk of rubbing off more easily), a hinge, ... and every pins has 3 sides to consider (disregarding the soft enamel back).
Were I to grade them as I grade regular pins, only a few would pass as true A-grades, since almost all flip phone pins have at least some small flaws on at least one of the 3 graded sides. I did my utmost to make sure that you guys would get the best of the batch, checking and double-checking which pins had the most tolerable und unseeming flaws. Still, it was a question of "which" and not "if". I hope you can still love the pins as they come. Considering the design, I think they still turned out nicely, despite the flaws.
2) Rose gold pins
The above goes for common flaws, though. Unfortunately most rose gold pins have oxidated to a point that I cannot justify selling them at all, which is why I asked my manufacturer redo them and work with a different plating company. (This happened with another rose gold pin in the past, so it seems to be a recurring mistake with the current company...)
As mentioned above, all orders are technically ready for shipping now, though I would rather not ship out the ones including rose gold pins (Strawberry or Sailor Moon designs) until the replacements arrive. My manufacturer estimates the production to take up about another month.
If your order includes pins other than the ones affected and you would like me to ship those out first, I can do that, though I'd ask you to please cover the shipping fees for the additional package, since I am already covering a lot of costs for this project myself.
(I did ship out a few pins last week already, including rose gold pins that had still looked fine at the time of packing. Should those arrive oxidated, please let me know and I'll forward a replacement to you once they'll have arrived.)
...
Oof! All that sounds so negative, but I want to be transparent about the less pleasant sides of the project. Truly, the flip phone pins are really nice and entertaining to play with though, and I am happy we could make this project happen, despite the setbacks. I'll ship out the non-rose gold batch tomorrow, so they should get to their destinations within the next 2-4 weeks - I hope you'll enjoy them once they do!
And I'll definitely keep you all updated on the status of the rose gold pins' remake. I am sorry for yet another delay for some, but always grateful for your patience and support.
Have a wonderful rest of the week!
Vic
SHIPMENT SOON!
about 1 year ago
– Thu, Sep 28, 2023 at 10:28:49 PM
Hi everyone!
First of all, I am terribly sorry for all the delay. My manufacturer kept telling me the pins would be ready "next week!" for weeks until they were finally truly finished and shipped last week.
Now it's UPS that has been a bit of a pain – the first delivery date was supposed to be Monday, but it kept getting delayed to Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and now Friday – today!
So here's to hoping that they will really arrive today. If they do, I will get to packing right away so that the pins can be shipped over the course of next week. (I will continue to post updates on Instagram if they do.)
If your address has changed since this summer, please do let me know asap!
I am truly grateful for your patience and I hope you will be able to receive and love your flip phones soon.
Thank you for everything!
Vic
IMPORTANT: Flawed pin post, redo
over 1 year ago
– Mon, Jul 31, 2023 at 11:00:40 AM
Hi everyone!
I have good and bad news. Good news first: The flip phones arrived and they look gorgeous. I wanted to quality check them as soon as possible, but quickly realized an issue that bothered me a lot (here's the bad news): The pin posts are much too frail.
I secretly self-funded safety pin backings for everyone because, knowing the pins would be on the heavier side - I wanted them to be secured well so that everyone who wants to use them on bags and such could do so without worries. I did not expect the pins' posts to be the actual problem.
Since the back is hard enamel too, the manufacturer couldn't solder the backing on, as it is usually done, but had to glue it on. Needless to say, this is not very sturdy and by no means passed my quality-checking.
That's why I will request my manufacturer to redo the pins with a soft enamel back and soldered-on posts instead. I'm sure they'll be forthcoming since it was partially their fault, but in any case I'm willing to cover the extra expenses if it means that we'll end up with a sturdier product.
I'll order magnets and try to turn the first, flawed batch into magnets to save whatever can be saved. If you absolutely want the hard enamel back, despite the posts running high risk of breaking off, you can message me and I'll send your pins your way, at your own risk.
I am sorry for the delay this causes. I hope you understand me wanting to provide the best possible version of the product you pledged for.
I'll keep you updated.
Sincerely,
Vic
(Have pictures of the pretty pins anyway <3 : )
Addresses locking soon!
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Jul 27, 2023 at 12:57:53 PM
Hi everyone!
The time has come! The pins are on their way to me and are scheduled to arrive on Monday! Which means I'll lock the Backerkit addresses this Sunday to get everything ready to forward them to you asap! If you'd still like to make changes to your order (add tracking for example), please do so soon. <3
A small heads up: There was a plating error with the Pokémon pins, which is why they are not included in Monday's shipment and will arrive about 1-2 weeks later instead. If your pledge includes one of those, your order will be send out a little later than the rest. I'm sorry for the inconvenience!
Now, to finish, have a small preview of the flip phone pin in action - I hope you're as excited about them as I am!
Thank you for your support and read you soon!
-Vic
BackerKit surveys have been sent out!
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Jun 29, 2023 at 12:20:05 PM
Hi everyone, good news!
The backers' surveys have been sent out via BackerKit, so please check your inboxes for the email and submit your pin and charm choices. <3
Thank you!
Vic
And in the meantime, have an update of the Eevee pins! :D
