Hello everyone,

Okay, so... My manufacturer decided they would wait to start manufacturing the Misery Tarot until after I had the sample of the Hot Housewives Tarot. Or at least until the sample was made. I don't really understand why, but here we are. As the title of this section spoils, though they had the print files November 20th, they never looked at them until January 23rd or 24th for reasons I will never know. 

So, if you have the math down there, you've come the conclusion I have: We've had 2 months to manufacture and we haven't even begun. For reasons I don't know. But I've been told the problem has been fixed and the main manager is back so things will be fixed. That said, I still haven't been given information for all my questions.

And as of now, we are hitting the Chinese New Year. This is part of why we can't just get a new manufacturer, they will all be closed. This means we simply won't begin manufacturing until, at the earliest, start of March. Chinese New Year shuts down everything business wise, every factory closes. This year it looks to be Feb 17-March 2nd or thereabouts (though I've heard from some places that workers are already on holiday), so they won't start and production on things that won't be totally finished before the New Year starts, and they always have a backlog leading into it because it's a busy time.

This puts us in a hard spot. As of now, it sounds like I'm not getting a sample at all. I told them I need clear eProofs to know that at least the foil will all be correct (right color, placed right, on the correct cards), and for clarity on the final pricing for a standard edition and a deluxe edition, now that they have all files in hand. 
 

Based on how slowly I'm getting information back, I need to be fair and likely very conservative with my estimates here. So here we go:
 

The good news is that The Hot Housewives Tarot, Oracle Dice, and Misery Tarot should all be on the same schedule here, getting packed and shipped out all at the same time, more or less. The good news continues in that they will be made and shipped in the next 4-5 months here. The bad news for us is that this means orders will not be in hand before May, and in fact for late survey fillers they may not even be in hand until late July or August. The bad news for me is that all these delays now mean that none of my three divination tools will be shipped before I wanted to launch the Goblin's Tarot in May. I had thought at least both Tarots would be. But that does not look possible anymore.

 

All of which is to say, the timeline got fumbled by the manufacturer. We don't have a sample and may not ever, instead just me looking at eproofs and okaying manufacturing. Because of the Chinese New Year, we won't begin manufacturing until March at the earliest, and probably be shipped out to people by July/August. I apologize, but it was and is completely out of my hands right now, and has been since November.

The Goblin's Tarot, slated for May, will have to be moved back until the current divination tools are all shipped. Because of these delays, I'll need to get a part time job to afford my own bills, but we have the funds for the manufacturing for all three divination projects alright. You're all still getting your stuff, we're just facing a new delay. With any luck, things may get streamlined and fixed here with the manu, and I'll let you all know if things will get moved up, time-wise.

For now, we hurry up and wait.

7DA
your pub gob

PS

For people who like enamel pins, we do have a small campaign up for Pintopia right now on Backerkit for new stained-glass, tarot-style pins following up our 2024 tarot-style enamel pin campaign. This one has a quick and great manufacturer who has already gotten most of the pins to me, and that I'm fulfilling myself, so it will have a very fast turnaround! : )