so! last time i saw ya'll, i was discussing how the recent changes to how tariffs worked now caused certain items to have massively high tariff rates (as high as 43% for the batpacks). since then, i've been looking into options for alternate forms of shipping/alternate tariff payment platforms, and results have been... mixed.

the broker that chitchats uses applies the highest rate of tariffs (with individual tariff codes resulting in different tariff rates -- some may be in the high 30s%, while batpacks themselves are around a 43% tariff rate. the tradeoff is that they offer the lowest base shipping rate (around $14 ~ $16 CAD for US bound shipments) and they integrate for free with shopify.

one of the other tariff platforms i took a look as was zonos. zonos, in contrast to chitchats, has a different tariff broker who applies tariffs differently. with zonos, all items imported from china incur a flat 10% tariff rate, no matter what specific tariff code they are. (but this is currently only true while the section 112 tariffs are in place.)

at first, this seemed super promising! however, the caveats with using zonos are:

- impossible to integrate with shopify (which is how i ship backerkit orders) without paying for shipstation, which would be another ~$25 CAD a month monthly payment id have to make on top of paying for my shopify store (among other things).
- im less familiar with it, so i may make mistakes. the UI is also a bit clunkier to use than chitchats, as well.
- the tariff fee is billed to me after the fact by zonos, so i just have to assume that they'll apply the blanket 10% fee and hope that the rate doesn't change unexpectedly.
- canada post's shipping rates are more expensive. think about $26ish CAD per shipment -- even for smaller items, like pins and charms.

so, while the tariff fee may overall be lower, you guys will have to pay a higher base shipping fee (which will raise rates for people with just things like charm & pin orders) and the overall shipping process will be slower due to the less-automated and intuitive UI interface.

so, previously, i had assumed that there was no method currently available to ship items to the US without paying for duty fees ahead of time (DDP shipping). looking more into it, it seems as if the shipping service purolator still offers DDU shipping (delivery duties unpaid), which would allow me to just pay the base shipping rate & would rely on you guys to pay tariff fees directly to purolator when your items enter the states.

while this would completely relieve me of the responsibility of pre-paying tariffs, the caveats with this are:
- a higher base shipping rate than chitchats, but a lower base shipping rate than canada post (about $23 CAD per package).
- you guys would be responsible for paying duty fees once your items enter the US. this would be in the form of a duties invoice sent to you by purolator. i do not know what broker system purolator uses, so i don't know how much in tariff fees you would need to pay upon receipt (but i would assume it's similar to canada post since canada post owns purolator, so, currently, it would be around 10%).
- so, while your shipping payment to me may be lower initially (you'd only pay the shipping fee, id take off the tariff fee on my end completely), if you're unfamiliar with the process of paying duties fees yourself, it might be a little confusing/frustrating to have to pay a tariff fee later on. i would also be unable to assist with paying tariff fees administered by purolator.

so, just to recap, each of these options have their pros and cons. if you ordered solely tariff-free items, like stickers and prints, your order will still be shipped out via chitchats, since they're the only service that offers CUSMA compliance services.

if you ordered smaller items like pins & charms, using chitchats may still be the way to go, since the difference in tariff rates for lower price items will likely offset the higher base shipping rate of canada post.

but, if your ordered includes a batpack, shipping via canada post/zonos and/or purolator would likely incur a much lower tariff fee that's worth paying a bit more for shipping.

right now, i'm currently leaning towards using chitchats for smaller orders (stickers/prints/charms/pins/etc) and switching to purolator for larger orders that include batpacks. i like the idea of using zonos, but the uncertainty of of tariff fees remaining consistent + having to pay for another set of apps on top of what i already pay for seems like it just may be worth it to offload tariff issues onto a 3rd party service that presumably knows more about the process & current rates than me (purolator). but i'd love to hear what everyone else's thoughts are as well!

apologies if this post is a bit rambling/confusing; ive spent the better part of the last few days researching and testing out different fulfillment methods, and i am so burnt out, haha. i hope i was able to get the needed information across to you guys well enough, and i'm hoping we'll be able to 100% settle on a game plan for shipping before the end of the month.

hey everyone! i just wanted to let you know that anyone who ordered a single batpack -- or anyone else who had ordered solely ready to ship items -- will have their orders sent out today! you should have gotten a tracking email a few minutes ago.

unfortunately, i also have some bad news in regards to tariff costs associated with the batpacks.

when importing these new orders into chitchats, the service i use for shipping and tariff management, i was shocked to see that the tariff rate applied specifically to the batpacks was significantly higher than what i anticipated it might be. after reaching out for clarification, i was informed that the cancelling of the IEEPA tariffs and subsequent enactment of section 122 tariffs caused new tariff subheading classes to now additionally apply to certain items.

previously, the tariff rules were as follows:

so, my understanding of the new section 122 law was that the 20% tariff rate was now simply decreased to 15%. this is sadly not the case.

i'm really sorry, guys. i don't know how to properly get across that i have been trying my best to stay on top of these changing tariff rules & changes. on the official HTS code listing, it does not list specific subheading clauses & i was only able to find out what this additional tariff was by asking someone at chitchats. it's something i maybe could have known if i had more specific knowledge of tariff codes and import rules, but this is something i've had to abruptly learn and adapt to in less than a year, and it doesn't help that the rules are constantly changing all the time!!

this new duty rate means that people who ordered batpacks will see an additional $13/14 USD amount for their tariff fees. i'm sorry. i know it's a lot. :( i wish there was more i could do.

frankly, navigating these tariff rules has been SO exhausting. i got so excited to send the batpacks to you guys, but now i just feel dread at the thought of having to continue navigating these issues & the rising costs its putting onto you guys. if de minimus were still in effect, none of this would even be an issue. i can't even imagine how this is impacting businesses even larger than mine -- it's kind of mind boggling to think about.

anyway, that's all i've got for you guys right now. if you already ordered a single batpack and see an additional charge on your card, that's why. please let me know directly if you have any other questions!

for anyone who ordered a batpack & also other campaign/preorder items, you can see the new estimated amount on your survey & can make changes to your order if you like. your card will still be charged as scheduled on march 31st.

hey all! just wanted to pop in and let you all know that surveys are at about 76% completed, which is great! as a reminder, the deadline for filling in your survey is march 31st, and most people's cards will also be charged around this time!

if you were in the mini sticker tier OR the sticker lovers tier OR placed a pre-order that only contained ready to ship items (aka none of the new pins), your cards have already been charged for shipping and you should have gotten an email to confirm your shipping address! i'm hoping to have those orders sent out by early next week, just to start getting ahead of shipping things we already have in stock!

ALL stickers for the campaign have been ordered & the last of them will be on their way to me in a few days; after that, we just need to order the series 2 batty blind bag charms (they'll be lumped in with another charm order i'm doing soon), order labels for aforementioned bags, and get started on manufacturing the new pins! samples are done for the first three (i need to make a few changes before i'll be ready to show them), and i'll be ordering the cross-collab/returning backer reward pins + the stretch goal pins without sampling first, since they're fairly straightforward designs.

all this to say that things are moving along at a great pace! i definitely feel like i've learned a lot & improved upon my work flow and process since pintopia last year. it definitely does also help that i'm not moving countries mid campaign this time also, but STILL 😅 i'm feeling proud of myself haha!

have a great rest of your week, everyone! happy thursday! 🦇

first of all, i wanted to thank you all SO much for turning up to support the preorder store! between people filling in their surveys & buying from the preorder store, we've sold a TON of batpacks & also made some great progress towards unlocking the tangerine bat pin!

unfortunately, both flying fox and vampire bat batpack designs are now currently sold out for the time being. not to worry, though, they'll be back! & vampire bat will be one of the designs restocked for the series 2 batpack project in may, so if youre holding out for one, not to worry -- there'll be plenty of chances to snag one moving forward :)

for flying friends backers: surveys are a little over 50% of the way filled out -- THANK YOU!! 🦇❤️ the sooner surveys are filled out, the sooner I can get an estimate on how many pins i'll need to order! so be sure to check for your survey in your email if you haven't already :3

hey all! first off -- if you backed the flying friends project, your surveys have been sent out, so check your email! ✉️

if you DIDN'T back the project but still wanted to grab some goods... the preorder store is now officially OPEN as well!

you can preorder pins from the campaign OR you can choose from a ton of ready to ship items, including a limited quantity of original batpacks!! 🦇❤️

a lot of ready to ship items (including batpacks) have a limited amount available, so make sure you take a look and grab anything that's low stock earlier rather than later!

if you experience any problems with the preorder store and/or with your survey, please reach out to me directly at [email protected] !