Quick update to share something I learned from the fulfillment team today! (It's nothing bad, don't worry π)
Of the 300 orders that have now gone out, about 135 went out as split orders due to an inventory error (basically their system being unable to locate some tiny teeth stock).
The folks processing orders- not knowing any better -shipped what was showing up on their screens because the system was allowing them to ship some items separately. Thankfully the higher ups caught it and fixed it this week, and won't be charging me for the additional postage needed to ship out the 2nd half of those 135 orders.
So if you received your package this week but it was missing some items: this is probably why! The rest of your order will be on the way shortly, no need to panicπ
I should also have a list of every order affected by next week as well, so on the off chance there are some genuine order discrepancies that need to be addressed, I can do that then.
To summarize: if you received a package but it was missing items, hold off on shooting me an email-- those items are on the way now! Thanks! π
Short update today, but I just wanted to pop in and say shipping on Pintopia 2024 (NOT cryptid crush) has finally begun!
There was a mistake on my end where the twinkle star bat keychain wasn't recorded properly so only orders without that item went out yesterday, but we fixed the keychain issue now so that everything is fair game and another 100+ orders went out today π
As usual if you haven't received your shipping notification yet, don't fret! It will likely take up to two weeks for everything to ship out, so give us some time to get to everyone and keep an eye on the community tab for more shipping updates.
I'll be back when the team is close to finished, and again when it looks like everything is shipped on my end. If you haven't received anything by that point, then you're welcome to shoot me an email so I can investigate π
First off I'd like to apologize for my absence. The truth is I let all the vitriol and scam accusations get to me during the fulfillment of Series 2 and became extremely reluctant to give any dates or estimates that I couldn't 100% confirm.
Why was it so hard to give concrete dates?
That's another matter altogether, and I'll get into that now.
There has been mishap after mishap with the fulfillment team, from minor miscommunications to complete radio silence on their end as they blow through their own established timelines and leave me holding the bag. Much of this was the result of an ongoing software migration that had Tiny Teeth falling through the cracks-- orders not being exported or not being tasked so it was like they didn't exist at all.
Some of it was the result of more misunderstandings-- about what needed to be shipped and when, what orders were preorders to be fulfilled later in the year, what orders could be fulfilled now, etc.
And some of it I have no explanation for except sheer negligence on the warehouse's behalf.
The most frustrating part of all of this is the inventory is there. It's been there since the beginning of April, ready to go and yet no one is packing it, so here we are. For the sake of transparency, I'm including some snippets of the current inventory report in this update but you can also check out the full document here.
Committed inventory (the middle column of numbers) is inventory that will be going out to you guys as soon shipping begins. At the beginning of May we finally had a meeting where I expressed my exasperation and they seemed apologetic, seemed to take my concerns seriously and give me some tangible explanations as to why they keep dropping the ball at every turn. Things have been getting better since then, with Tiny Teeth orders now going out promptly and various members of the team updating me on exactly what they're doing and how long it will take at regular intervals.
I thought Pintopia would start shipping this Monday-- this is what fulfillment told me originally, but apparently there was an issue with backerkit orders failing to validate in their system. They fixed this on Tuesday, and then Wednesday there was an issue with some mismatched SKUs that we fixed that day.
Now its Thursday. I continue to hound them for updates and this is what I received.
I share it this way so that you know, this is the extent of what I know. I'm not stringing you, the backer, along while I do some underhanded dealings on the backend and keep pushing out the date to buy myself time. I'm just as exasperated and upset as you are when my estimates- the estimates fulfillment shared with me -are not met. I'm sick with anxiety over the whole thing to the point of physical illness and I promise I'm doing everything in my power to speed things along.
Rest assured you will receive your items. We've now fulfilled over 5000 orders between series 2 and the tiny teeth shop and I 100% believe that once fulfillment begins on Pintopia the team will make quick work of it. Its not if that's the issue, its just when. So bear with me a little longer.
If I continue to work with this warehouse after the current round of fulfillment (and that's a BIG if) there will definitely have to be some more stringent requirements around turnaround times and the handling of large order volumes. We'll see. Right now my focus is solely on getting Pintopia orders out the door and after that I can worry about the future π
Hello Cuddle Club! I have lots to share in this update, some tentative ETAs and my shipping plans going forward.
First I'd like to talk about production! We're almost there with everything complete and at the warehouse except for hoodies and plushies.
Plushie production is finished and they're being quality checked now. Unfortunately their would-be departure also corresponds with the Chinese Spring Festival holiday, so they won't be leaving the factory until about mid-February. I plan to pay for expedited shipping though, so they should arrive in early March.
The hoodie timeline should be similar, if they aren't finished sooner due to there being less of them. I'm not particularly concerned about these guys slowing anything down.
That said, everything else is sitting and waiting at the warehouse ready to go, so I decided I'll be shipping orders that don't contain plushies or hoodies asap! In order to do that I need to lock down addresses soon, so please make any final address adjustments now.
If you need my help with this for whatever reason, please email me at [email protected]
I can also help with other order adjustments, like removing items, failed payments, etc. Just reach out and I'll get you sorted π
I'm eager to get folks their items, so I will be moving quickly over the next couple weeks to get everyone ready to go and all qualifying orders exported to the fulfillment team. The quicker folks reach out, the better so please don't hesitate to email me if you need any help and please keep an eye on your inbox.
Thank y'all so much, and here's hoping the next update is one announcing that pins and sweaters are on the move!
This is, unfortunately, a rather boring update but necessary nevertheless. I mostly just wanted to check in, let you know that production is progressing slowly but surely on our plush friends and go over what's already arrived at the warehouse.
I've updated the pintopia checklist to reflect all the packages that have arrived this week, what's been paid for, and what's currently in production. Here are the highlights:
Bat and wolpertinger sweaters are almost complete and should be leaving the factory any time now.
Pins should also be leaving the factory any time now.
Lanyards arrived at the warehouse earlier this week.
All keychains are finished (and mistakenly sent to my house, but its no biggie-- they'll be on their way to the warehouse shortly π )
Fairy Floss Bat shaker keychains have been finished and delivered.
Sticker samples should be ready in the next week or so.
Hoodies are in production-- no ETA yet.
Plushies are in production-- no ETA yet.
Aren't these keychains the most precious thing? π₯Ή
The colors on the lanyards also came out beautifully!
Lastly please note: I've been in migraine city for most of this week but am finally on the mend so I will be touching base with everyone who has reached out about adjusting their order/address/etc asap. If you don't hear back from me within the next 24 hours, please feel free to resend your message! π