Updates
Check out the latest news and keep up with progress
PROJECT UPDATE
Quirkory
CREATOR
11 days ago
Project Update: 📦 Pins Are Officially On Their Way to Us 🎉 (Photos Inside)
Hi everyone,
This is the update we’ve been waiting to write.
The enamel pins are officially on their way to us!!!! 😭🚚✨
After the final packaging stage of packaging was completed at the manufacturer, everything has now been shipped out and is currently traveling to us!! 🥹
This is the update we’ve been waiting to write.
The enamel pins are officially on their way to us!!!! 😭🚚✨
After the final packaging stage of packaging was completed at the manufacturer, everything has now been shipped out and is currently traveling to us!! 🥹
📷 And yes — we finally have new photos to show you as well 😍✨👇
Seeing them all packed together like this honestly hit us harder than we expected. 🥺
All the Trash babies lined up. All the colors. All the variants. Every single one individually bagged/packed and finally ready 😭
After everything this campaign has gone through… seeing them like this feels very real.
Seeing all the characters gathered like this and ready — every variant, every expression, every little detail we worked on — made the whole journey feel worth it.
Each pin is now:
• fully finished
• individually packed
• backing cards included for some variants
• customized blind bags for other variants
Now they just need to arrive safely to us. 🥹🤞
The shipment is traveling by sea, so transit time is naturally slower — as many of you already know.
As soon as they’re in our hands, we’ll:
– start our own quality checks
– organize all the pins inside the studio
– prepare for the next fulfillment steps
In parallel, we’re continuing to work on the Shopify / BackerKit integration situation mentioned in the previous update.
We’re actively evaluating the best path forward and possible workarounds.
Depending on the solution we move forward with, the fulfillment phase may require different processing steps and timelines.
Once the pins are here and everything has been checked and organized, we’ll provide a clear Fulfillment Roadmap based on the final setup in place.
We’re not sharing timelines just yet — we want to wait until they’re physically here and we’ve assessed everything properly. That said, we’re confident the remaining steps won’t take much longer once they’re safely in our hands.
But this is a huge milestone.
For a long time this project has felt like endless obstacles — new shipping regulations, manufacturer ghostings and delays, multiple added costs, system changes, technical blocks.
This part though? This is tangible progress.
They exist. They’re real. They’re coming home. And we're so incredibly excited 🥹
We’ll update you again as soon as they arrive in our hands.
Thank you for still being here with us.
— Inari & Mako 🐾
PROJECT UPDATE
Quirkory
CREATOR
24 days ago
Project Update: Where Things Stand (Fulfillment & Pins Update)
We’re currently dealing with a technical issue affecting all our fulfillment processes, including Bin Buddies.
As part of the relabeling process (following the new Tariffs requirements), we’ve run into an unexpected block that’s temporarily preventing us from moving forward with address handling and label creation for the rewards that were already packed.
We’re based in Italy, and we’ve always relied on a system where we export your Backerkit orders directly into Shopify, cause this is the only way for us to generate shipping labels and process international parcels through our shipping platform.
However, Shopify has just rolled out a major change in January 2026:
they completely removed the legacy app system that Backerkit (and other platforms like Zapier or Printful) used to connect directly to Shopify.
This means that the connection between Backerkit and Shopify is temporarily broken — and without it, we can’t generate shipping labels or send rewards, even if they're ready to go.
We’re working directly with Backerkit to fix it and will resume fulfillment as soon as it’s resolved.
Over the past weeks, we’ve been actively working to understand and resolve the problem, and we were hoping to have it fixed sooner. Unfortunately, it’s taken longer than expected, and Backerkit is still actively working on it on their end too.
As part of the relabeling process (following the new Tariffs requirements), we’ve run into an unexpected block that’s temporarily preventing us from moving forward with address handling and label creation for the rewards that were already packed.
We’re based in Italy, and we’ve always relied on a system where we export your Backerkit orders directly into Shopify, cause this is the only way for us to generate shipping labels and process international parcels through our shipping platform.
However, Shopify has just rolled out a major change in January 2026:
they completely removed the legacy app system that Backerkit (and other platforms like Zapier or Printful) used to connect directly to Shopify.
This means that the connection between Backerkit and Shopify is temporarily broken — and without it, we can’t generate shipping labels or send rewards, even if they're ready to go.
We’re working directly with Backerkit to fix it and will resume fulfillment as soon as it’s resolved.
Over the past weeks, we’ve been actively working to understand and resolve the problem, and we were hoping to have it fixed sooner. Unfortunately, it’s taken longer than expected, and Backerkit is still actively working on it on their end too.
Regarding the new charges related to the updated Tariffs requirements: these have not been processed yet.
We’ll share clear instructions and notify everyone before they take place.
At the moment, this step is also on hold, as our focus has been on addressing the newly emerged technical issue affecting the connection between Backerkit and Shopify.
We also want to acknowledge how exhausting this has been — for many of you, and for us as well.
We know it can feel overwhelming to read about yet another delay or unexpected issue, especially after such a long wait.
Unfortunately, the beginning of each year often brings major system and policy changes across platforms, and they’re rarely smooth or creator-friendly. For us, this is even more challenging because we’re based in Italy and don’t have the same range of alternative tools, platforms, or fulfillment options that US-based creators often have access to.
Despite all of this, our commitment to this project hasn’t changed. We’re still here, still working through every obstacle we can, even if progress and our communication have been slower and more complicated than anyone hoped — including us.
On the Pins side — some genuinely good news:
all the enamel pins are fully finished! The update here is that the dedicated packaging has now also been completed, and the manufacturer is currently finishing the final packing stage on their end, preparing everything to be shipped to us in early February 🎉 This brings us very close to the next major step!!
It's a big milestone we’ve been waiting for, and we’re really happy to finally be able to share it. We’re expecting further confirmation soon and have also asked for photos of this stage, which we’ll share as soon as we receive them 🤞
A quick note on communication: we do read all comments, emails, and messages, but we may not always be able to reply to each one individually.
Many questions overlap, and in some cases we’re still actively figuring things out. When we’re deeply focused on resolving ongoing issues and coordinating solutions, it also becomes harder to keep up with frequent replies and updates.
For this reason, responses may be selective, but this is never meant to ignore or dismiss anyone. And we also prefer to wait until we have clear and accurate information to share rather than replying prematurely/quickly.
We truly appreciate your patience and understanding.
Thank you again for sticking with us through such a long and complicated journey.
We know this hasn’t been the experience anyone hoped for, and we don’t take your patience for granted.
We’re continuing to push forward step by step, and as soon as we have clear confirmation or concrete progress to share, we’ll update you right away.
Bin Buddies still matters deeply to us, and we remain fully committed to seeing this project through to completion.
PROJECT UPDATE
Quirkory
CREATOR
2 months ago
Project Update: 🚚 Massive Update: DDP Confirmed, in-hand items' Shipping Restarts soon, Real Talk from Behind the Scenes 📷
Hey everyone!!
We’ve got HUGE news — and it’s the one we’ve been waiting for all this time after the recent USA shipping changes:
we finally received official approval for our DDP shipping contract!!! 🎉🎉
We’ve got HUGE news — and it’s the one we’ve been waiting for all this time after the recent USA shipping changes:
we finally received official approval for our DDP shipping contract!!! 🎉🎉
🙏 We know it’s long, but please grab a tea read this update to the end — there’s a lot you need to know.
What does this mean?
👉 It means we can finally resume shipping to the USA for all the in-hand products for this campaign — including all the ready-to-go Bin Buddies packages we had already packed and labeled!
Yes, you read that right:
Many of your rewards were already packed, labeled, and ready to leave our studio... but they were forced to sit still due to the new US import tariffs (aka the Trump Tariffs crisis we’ve mentioned before). 😩
---
Yes, you read that right:
Many of your rewards were already packed, labeled, and ready to leave our studio... but they were forced to sit still due to the new US import tariffs (aka the Trump Tariffs crisis we’ve mentioned before). 😩
---
Why couldn’t we just ship them anyway?
We’ve seen some of you asking:
“Couldn’t you have just sent it and asked us to pay the extra fees?”
We totally get the question, and we want to clarify:
This wasn’t just about charging more at the time.
💥 All couriers had completely suspended the usual (DDU) shipping method we always used (and that most likely everyone uses). It was no longer allowed at all for parcels headed to the US. We couldn’t send anything — unless we had a valid DDP shipping contract.
And... we didn’t have one.
It took weeks of documents, applications, rejections, back-and-forth emails, and so much emotional energy…
but in the end, we did it.
We now officially have a DDP contract and we’re finalizing the technical setup with our shipping platform. 🧠⚙️
---
“Couldn’t you have just sent it and asked us to pay the extra fees?”
We totally get the question, and we want to clarify:
This wasn’t just about charging more at the time.
💥 All couriers had completely suspended the usual (DDU) shipping method we always used (and that most likely everyone uses). It was no longer allowed at all for parcels headed to the US. We couldn’t send anything — unless we had a valid DDP shipping contract.
And... we didn’t have one.
It took weeks of documents, applications, rejections, back-and-forth emails, and so much emotional energy…
but in the end, we did it.
We now officially have a DDP contract and we’re finalizing the technical setup with our shipping platform. 🧠⚙️
---
🧾 About Customs Fees
This new DDP method means that Customs charges will now be pre-paid and added upfront to your Backerkit shipping cost.
This ensures smooth, fast delivery with no surprise charges at your door.
❗Even if you’ve already paid for your shipping in the past, this extra Customs fee will still need to be charged via the surveys before we can ship your parcel.
Without it, unfortunately, the package can’t leave — so please make sure to complete the payment in your survey!
We’ve done our best to keep these added costs as low and fair as possible, using the official import tariff percentages that apply to each product category. 💌
✅ Meanwhile, all European parcels containing ready in-hand products have already been shipped out — so this only affects US backers for now!
---
This ensures smooth, fast delivery with no surprise charges at your door.
❗Even if you’ve already paid for your shipping in the past, this extra Customs fee will still need to be charged via the surveys before we can ship your parcel.
Without it, unfortunately, the package can’t leave — so please make sure to complete the payment in your survey!
We’ve done our best to keep these added costs as low and fair as possible, using the official import tariff percentages that apply to each product category. 💌
✅ Meanwhile, all European parcels containing ready in-hand products have already been shipped out — so this only affects US backers for now!
---
What happens now?
Since so many Bin Buddies rewards were already labeled under the old system, we’ll need to re-label everything from scratch using the new method.
It’s more work — but honestly, we’re just relieved we can finally start fulfilling again.
We’ll begin re-labeling and shipping out as soon as the system is fully ready!
📸 But just so you see how close we were…
It’s more work — but honestly, we’re just relieved we can finally start fulfilling again.
We’ll begin re-labeling and shipping out as soon as the system is fully ready!
📸 But just so you see how close we were…
We were literally ready to go.
These shelves you see here? 👀✨
We had just bought and assembled them with care months ago, organizing every hoodie and jogger by size and design to make the process smooth and fast — because we were finally about to start fulfilling the apparel rewards!
These shelves you see here? 👀✨
We had just bought and assembled them with care months ago, organizing every hoodie and jogger by size and design to make the process smooth and fast — because we were finally about to start fulfilling the apparel rewards!
All the sorting, folding, packing... was done. Our studio was ready.
But then the new shipping restrictions hit. And everything had to pause. 💔
>Please also know this:
It’s not like we were sitting around doing nothing while these rewards were ready. We wanted to ship them. We were ready. But we couldn’t — and we spent all this time trying to find a way. The issues we faced were real, serious, and way beyond our control. We’ll begin re-labeling and shipping out as soon as the system is fully ready!
---
But then the new shipping restrictions hit. And everything had to pause. 💔
>Please also know this:
It’s not like we were sitting around doing nothing while these rewards were ready. We wanted to ship them. We were ready. But we couldn’t — and we spent all this time trying to find a way. The issues we faced were real, serious, and way beyond our control. We’ll begin re-labeling and shipping out as soon as the system is fully ready!
---
This campaign has been a rollercoaster...
We know the delays have been painful.
Trust us: they’ve been devastating on our side too.
The past couple of years have been a constant, unexpected battle — with logistics, health, and emotional struggles.
There were moments when everything felt hopeless.
When this campaign (and others) could have been abandoned.
But we chose not to.
We chose to keep going, even when it meant pouring in personal time, money, and emotional energy.
We even chose not to declare bankruptcy just to walk away from it all — even though we probably could have.
Instead, we kept going, sacrificing our own savings and personal dreams, like being able to travel (we’ve taken only one trip in our whole lives tbh!) or one day having a house of our own. That’s how much this project (all our projects) — and you — mean to us.
We’re still here, still working to bring this project to life 'til the end — and that alone should tell you how much it matters to us. 🥹
Because fulfilling such a huge campaign as Bin Buddies isn’t just a duty... it’s a dream we still want to complete. And we will.
---
Trust us: they’ve been devastating on our side too.
The past couple of years have been a constant, unexpected battle — with logistics, health, and emotional struggles.
There were moments when everything felt hopeless.
When this campaign (and others) could have been abandoned.
But we chose not to.
We chose to keep going, even when it meant pouring in personal time, money, and emotional energy.
We even chose not to declare bankruptcy just to walk away from it all — even though we probably could have.
Instead, we kept going, sacrificing our own savings and personal dreams, like being able to travel (we’ve taken only one trip in our whole lives tbh!) or one day having a house of our own. That’s how much this project (all our projects) — and you — mean to us.
We’re still here, still working to bring this project to life 'til the end — and that alone should tell you how much it matters to us. 🥹
Because fulfilling such a huge campaign as Bin Buddies isn’t just a duty... it’s a dream we still want to complete. And we will.
---
💬 Please be kind
If you’re feeling upset or disappointed, your feelings are absolutely valid — we just kindly ask that you share your thoughts with empathy, sensitivity, and respect, as always.
Even a critical message can be helpful and constructive —
as long as it’s expressed in a way that acknowledges our humanity and effort.
On the other hand, every message of support, every kind comment, every cheerful word —
they lift us up more than you can imagine.
They give us the strength to keep moving forward, even through the hardest days. 💛
We read all your comments and messages, even if we can’t always reply.
The supportive ones boost us — the harsh ones weigh us down more than they should, especially when they ignore how hard we’re trying.
We know it may sound repetitive to bring up our personal struggles, but we do it to remind you that we’re human too.
---
We also know that all our updates have still been quite sparse — and we’re genuinely sorry for that.
Communication is a huge struggle for us, and it’s something we’re still constantly working to improve.
So if you're ever wondering about an update, please feel free to ask us... just do it gently! It might even help us — giving us that little spark of urgency that we often lack, even with all the tools, reminders, and systems we’ve put in place.
Especially when there are no major updates to share, we often fall silent... but we’re still here, working.
---
And just so you know — we ALSO personally can't wait to finally fulfill this campaign either!! (And all our other "pending" ones)
Not just because it's a dream we want to complete, but because only once the rewards are all fulfilled... can we finally start listing these items in our shops.
And that’s the only moment when we actually start earning something from them.
Campaigns like this one are meant to help us fund the production (if all goes well) — not to make profit.
And lately, many of them ended up costing more than expected... which means we had to cover the difference ourselves, from personal savings.
So yes — we're absolutely looking forward to the day we can say: **it's done!!!**.
Not just to close a chapter, but to finally be able to move forward — as artists, as a small brand, as people.
---
More updates coming soon — including manufacturer's pins packing progress (with hopefully also photos of the progress attached 🤞) and new timelines! We plan to also make a "recap" update of the current situation soon~
We'll be making new updates on our other open campaigns as well! So please stay tuned 💝
Thank you again for sticking with us through all of this.
May your Holidays be filled with warmth, rest, and tiny joys🎄— to everyone who celebrates, and even to those simply enjoying a quiet moment. 🧸❤️
— Inari & Mako 🐾
Even a critical message can be helpful and constructive —
as long as it’s expressed in a way that acknowledges our humanity and effort.
On the other hand, every message of support, every kind comment, every cheerful word —
they lift us up more than you can imagine.
They give us the strength to keep moving forward, even through the hardest days. 💛
We read all your comments and messages, even if we can’t always reply.
The supportive ones boost us — the harsh ones weigh us down more than they should, especially when they ignore how hard we’re trying.
We know it may sound repetitive to bring up our personal struggles, but we do it to remind you that we’re human too.
---
We also know that all our updates have still been quite sparse — and we’re genuinely sorry for that.
Communication is a huge struggle for us, and it’s something we’re still constantly working to improve.
So if you're ever wondering about an update, please feel free to ask us... just do it gently! It might even help us — giving us that little spark of urgency that we often lack, even with all the tools, reminders, and systems we’ve put in place.
Especially when there are no major updates to share, we often fall silent... but we’re still here, working.
---
And just so you know — we ALSO personally can't wait to finally fulfill this campaign either!! (And all our other "pending" ones)
Not just because it's a dream we want to complete, but because only once the rewards are all fulfilled... can we finally start listing these items in our shops.
And that’s the only moment when we actually start earning something from them.
Campaigns like this one are meant to help us fund the production (if all goes well) — not to make profit.
And lately, many of them ended up costing more than expected... which means we had to cover the difference ourselves, from personal savings.
So yes — we're absolutely looking forward to the day we can say: **it's done!!!**.
Not just to close a chapter, but to finally be able to move forward — as artists, as a small brand, as people.
---
More updates coming soon — including manufacturer's pins packing progress (with hopefully also photos of the progress attached 🤞) and new timelines! We plan to also make a "recap" update of the current situation soon~
We'll be making new updates on our other open campaigns as well! So please stay tuned 💝
Thank you again for sticking with us through all of this.
May your Holidays be filled with warmth, rest, and tiny joys🎄— to everyone who celebrates, and even to those simply enjoying a quiet moment. 🧸❤️
— Inari & Mako 🐾
PROJECT UPDATE
Quirkory
CREATOR
4 months ago
Project Update: 🗑️✨ Bin Buddies – Final Pins Are DONE!!
F I N A L L Y!!!
All the Bin Buddies and TrashBox pins are now fully completed!! 🎉🥹
We can’t tell you how relieved and excited we are to say this out loud — it’s been a long, long journey, but we’re finally at this milestone!!! 😭
All the Bin Buddies and TrashBox pins are now fully completed!! 🎉🥹
We can’t tell you how relieved and excited we are to say this out loud — it’s been a long, long journey, but we’re finally at this milestone!!! 😭
Right now, our manufacturer is in the process of sorting everything out — separating the pins that go on backing cards, and those that will be placed in mystery bags (like the Trash Box!)
Once everything is packed and labeled correctly, they’ll ship the entire batch to us. Yay!! 🥹
Once everything is packed and labeled correctly, they’ll ship the entire batch to us. Yay!! 🥹
Just look at how GORGEOUS they turned out!! 🥹✨
We couldn’t be happier — and we hope you’ll love them just as much. 💖
We couldn’t be happier — and we hope you’ll love them just as much. 💖
📦 Shipping Update – USA & EU/ROW
Here’s the good news:
By the time we'll receive these pins, we should be able to ship to everywhere again without issues! 🎉
By the time we'll receive these pins, we should be able to ship to everywhere again without issues! 🎉
🇺🇸 For the United States, we’ve already signed all the necessary documents with our courier to activate the DDP (Delivered Duties Paid) shipping method — which will let us send packages again, and without unexpected customs charges for you.
🟢 Now we’re just waiting for the final green light from the courier! 🤞 Everything should go smoothly — but we’ll keep you posted as soon as it’s officially activated.
🟢 Now we’re just waiting for the final green light from the courier! 🤞 Everything should go smoothly — but we’ll keep you posted as soon as it’s officially activated.
🇪🇺🌎 For Europe and the Rest of the World, in theory, nothing has changed as of now.
So, once all the rewards are in our hands, they’ll be shipped out normally to Europe and the Rest of the World. ✌️
So, once all the rewards are in our hands, they’ll be shipped out normally to Europe and the Rest of the World. ✌️
In any case: Bin Buddies rewards will ship globally as soon as we have the pins in our hands. We’re finally getting there. ✌️
🧠 About September – Why We’ve Been Quiet
Our last update on this campaign was in August, and we had every intention to follow up sooner… but the truth is: we needed a real break.
We took the whole month of September off from social media and public updates, because we were running on empty.
Not just creatively — but mentally, emotionally, and socially. 🥺
We were simply out of energy. And we know that if we don’t stop sometimes, we risk crashing completely.
Not just creatively — but mentally, emotionally, and socially. 🥺
We were simply out of energy. And we know that if we don’t stop sometimes, we risk crashing completely.
That said, we haven’t been inactive.
We’ve been working in the background on logistics, courier communications, and keeping productions moving as best we can.
We’ve been working in the background on logistics, courier communications, and keeping productions moving as best we can.
And, if we haven’t responded to your email or message yet, please know: it’s not because we don’t care.
We’re slowly making our way through all the pending messages, and we will get back to everyone as best as we can.
(In the meantime, you might already find answers to your questions in the updates we’ve been posting — we’re doing our best to cover everything clearly here, too!) 💌
We were just trying to recharge while keeping things afloat.
This is something we’re always trying to improve — but it’s part of how we function right now.
>If we ever go quiet, it’s never because we’ve disappeared — it just means we’re working quietly, or we’re recovering. But we’re still here. Always.
And we hope you can continue to be patient with us, just as we deeply understand that not getting regular updates can be frustrating.
>If we ever go quiet, it’s never because we’ve disappeared — it just means we’re working quietly, or we’re recovering. But we’re still here. Always.
And we hope you can continue to be patient with us, just as we deeply understand that not getting regular updates can be frustrating.
We appreciate you — more than you know. 🖤
📌 If you don’t see an update for your specific campaign yet, please know we’re still preparing and writing those as we speak. These things take time and energy — especially when everything is interconnected — so please be patient with us and avoid sending additional messages or comments asking about it. Every update is coming, and we’re doing our very best to share them all as soon as we can. Thank you for your understanding regarding this too! 💜
❤️ To those of you who’ve stayed patient, supportive, and kind throughout all this — even quietly — we see you, we feel your warmth.
Thank you again to everyone for sticking with us through all of this. We know the delays have been frustrating, we TRULY do. And you don't know how much we’re so grateful for your ongoing support, patience, and trust. 💌
If you decide to leave a comment, we kindly ask — as always — that you do so with kindness and sensitivity. 🌷
And even a small cheerful message or some encouragement goes such a long way for us. It’s what helps us stay grounded and keep going, even when things get overwhelming. Thank you for being that light!
We can’t wait to start packing these lil’ trashlings for you soon!! 🦝🗑️💕
With all our love,
Inari & Mako
The Quirkory team~
Inari & Mako
The Quirkory team~
PROJECT UPDATE
Quirkory
CREATOR
6 months ago
Project Update: 🇺🇸📦 Important update for all our US backers/customers
We wish this wasn’t the update we had to write today, we're devastated. But sadly, like many other small businesses based outside the US, we’re being forced to temporarily suspend all shipments to the USA, effective immediately —until further notice.
This decision is not voluntary, nor temporary out of convenience. Due to new international trade restrictions, and following a formal notice from our shipping carrier, all DDU (unpaid customs) services to the U.S. have been suspended starting August 23, 2025.
This comes in response to the abolition of the de minimis import exemption pushed by the Trump administration, which will make every single international package — regardless of its value — subject to sudden and severe customs fees, often between $80 and $200.
Worse still, there’s no infrastructure in place for small businesses like ours to cover or pre-pay these fees the same and with DDU service removed by our courier, we physically cannot ship to the US for now — even if we wanted to.
This comes in response to the abolition of the de minimis import exemption pushed by the Trump administration, which will make every single international package — regardless of its value — subject to sudden and severe customs fees, often between $80 and $200.
Worse still, there’s no infrastructure in place for small businesses like ours to cover or pre-pay these fees the same and with DDU service removed by our courier, we physically cannot ship to the US for now — even if we wanted to.
👉 What this means for us:
As a brand whose customer base is over 89% U.S. based, it’s not just an inconvenience. It’s literally devastating.
💔 How this affects us — and why we’re heartbroken
If you've been following us for a while, you already know: the past two years have been incredibly hard and emotionally heavy.
But 2024… 2024 has been the hardest year of our lives.
We went through multiple heartbreaking losses, one after another.
Our 4 beloved companions got sick, one by one. We fought for them. We sacrificed sleep, comfort, and thousands in medical expenses to give them the best possible care — but we lost them anyway.
And with every loss, a piece of us broke too.
And at the same time, we were trying to keep our work alive.
If you've been following us for a while, you already know: the past two years have been incredibly hard and emotionally heavy.
But 2024… 2024 has been the hardest year of our lives.
We went through multiple heartbreaking losses, one after another.
Our 4 beloved companions got sick, one by one. We fought for them. We sacrificed sleep, comfort, and thousands in medical expenses to give them the best possible care — but we lost them anyway.
And with every loss, a piece of us broke too.
And at the same time, we were trying to keep our work alive.
Work, which had always been our one steady ground — suddenly turned into chaos too — and completely crumbled.
Our long-time trusted manufacturers, who had never let us down before, began failing us in ways we never imagined: delayed communications, endless waiting. We were left with months of silence, and no choice but to start over from scratch.
We had to test new unknown suppliers — and ended up with defective products.
We lost money, time, energy. We had to redo entire collections multiple times, spending every last cent we had.
Every last bit of our personal savings vanished in the whole process.
Our long-time trusted manufacturers, who had never let us down before, began failing us in ways we never imagined: delayed communications, endless waiting. We were left with months of silence, and no choice but to start over from scratch.
We had to test new unknown suppliers — and ended up with defective products.
We lost money, time, energy. We had to redo entire collections multiple times, spending every last cent we had.
Every last bit of our personal savings vanished in the whole process.
We were physically and emotionally exhausted — and as we kept trying to stay afloat, the multiple burnouts we were facing, eventually turned into physical illness.
Still — we kept going. We kept creating.
Because we kept telling ourselves:
Still — we kept going. We kept creating.
Because we kept telling ourselves:
“As soon as we get all the items, if WE just work extra hard, if we give it our all, we’ll finally be able to ship everything and get back on track.”
But now… this.
A decision completely out of our hands — cutting us off from the country where most of our customers live.
This new law is like a giant wall placed between us and you — our supporters, our community.
A decision completely out of our hands — cutting us off from the country where most of our customers live.
This new law is like a giant wall placed between us and you — our supporters, our community.
We’ve always been transparent with you, and today is no different:
👉 This is not just a shipping issue. This is about our entire livelihood.
👉 Not just our work, but our ability to survive — to eat, to pay rent, to afford care for our last living animal still with us (only our bunny Mini-kun is left).
And it’s not something we can climb over with just more effort.
It’s out of our hands.
🛠️ So what now? This is NOT the end.
It’s out of our hands.
🛠️ So what now? This is NOT the end.
We want to be very clear about one thing:
This is not permanent. This is not “the end”, for now.
We are still committed to doing everything in our power to make all the rewards happen, and we hold on to hope that things will work out. For now, it’s a pause, not a goodbye.
We’re working on trying to find solutions — actively — and we are fully committed to bringing this project and all our creations to life as much as we possibly can, even if this adds to the already huge delays.
Here’s what we’re doing already:
🌀 We're exploring alternative routes (like DDP or intermediate delivery hubs, PO box reroutes)
🌀 We're planning to speak directly with US-based fulfillment centers/warehouses
🌀 And yes — we will continue the currently ongoing production wherever possible. We are fully committed to creating every single item we promised, even if shipping will be extremely delayed.
🌀 Additionally, any new campaigns we had in the works will now be postponed, suspended, or blocked for US backers until there is more clarity. This breaks our hearts, but it’s the only thing we can do
We know this might sound like a lot of uncertainty — but please know this:
💬 We are not giving up. Not on you. Not on what we built. Not on this dream.
And beyond the immediate crisis, here’s what we are planning for the future, in order to stay afloat and avoid complete shutdown:
- We may set up US-based print-on-demand options for some of our creations
- We’ll soon open digital versions of many of our works — from wallpapers to coloring pages to art printables
- We’re planning to reopen limited shipping for certain flat items like stickers or prints using flat mail (which seems to be exempt — for now)
- Most importantly: we’re also working on coloring books through Amazon’s direct print service. This is something we had already started developing, and now more than ever it feels like the right path — turning our art into something therapeutic and accessible worldwide.
🌱 How you can help (if you want to):
We are a two-person, neurodivergent team. We work from a tiny room, trying to create beauty and connection despite the chaos around us.
And right now, we’re at risk of losing everything we’ve built — and everything we’ve survived to keep alive.
If you want to help us make it through this:
💾 Support our upcoming digital releases — we’re making many of our designs available in digital/printable form (wallpapers, sheets, planners, etc)
✉️ Grab stickers or prints — when we’ll reopen flat mail shipping for US customers (as soon as we’ve adjusted the shop)
📣 Engage with our posts on socials: leave a kind comment, send a message, or share our work — a kind word goes a long, long way... it means more than you know
🌍 If you’re outside the US — your continued support is more crucial than ever! And we thank you deeply for being here 🫶
🎁 Even symbolic support helps us keep going
Please stay with us. Your patience, your presence, your faith in what we do… it’s everything.
And we'll do our best to keep you updated, as clearly and as honestly as possible.
Right now, we’re hurting. We’re tired. And yes, we’re scared.
But we’re still here — because of you.
And we will fight, with all we have, to keep creating and delivering the magic you believed in when you chose to support us.
💬 Last but not least: thank you.
Right now, we’re hurting. We’re tired. And yes, we’re scared.
But we’re still here — because of you.
And we will fight, with all we have, to keep creating and delivering the magic you believed in when you chose to support us.
💬 Last but not least: thank you.
Thank you for believing in us. For staying, for waiting, for understanding.
We’re doing our best, even when we’re at our worst.
And this time — we really, really need your help to get through it.
This is not goodbye.
It’s a pause, while we fight to make things work.
From the bottom of our hearts:
Thank you for being here. Thank you for still caring.
With all our love (and all our hope),
Inari & Mako 🐄 💔🖤
quirkory
Inari & Mako 🐄 💔🖤
quirkory
Community Leaders
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