Hi everyone,

We’ve been reading the recent comments, and while we still completely understand the frustration, we felt it was important to make one clear update addressing the most common questions and assumptions directly -as it was also suggested. Some of the points below are not brand-new information, but clarifications and repeated answers gathered again in one place for those who may have missed them, forgotten them, or still had questions.

First of all: no, this project is not going to take another 1–2 years to complete.
We are not at the beginning of the process. We are in the final stretch, and that is exactly why we are working so hard right now to resolve the last shipping and logistics issues correctly, rather than rushing into something that would create even more problems.

We know many of you are tired. Please know that we are tired too. We are not happy that this project became so difficult, long, and emotionally exhausting. None of this has been easy on our side either, and we are human beings doing our best to bring this campaign to completion under very difficult circumstances.

❗ PLEASE READ EVERYTHING CAREFULLY.

We took the time to put it together thoughtfully so we could address as many recurring questions, new concerns, and misunderstandings as possible in one place. That is why this update was not rushed.

We have seen several people asking where we are located or where parcels are shipping from, so to clarify once again: We ship from Italy.

The pins are now safely on their way to us and are currently scheduled to arrive to us around April 6–7, based on the latest information we have.

This issue affects shipments going to the United States. It does not affect the rest of the world in the same way.

The shipping block and tariffs-related issue are tied specifically to U.S.-bound parcels, not all international orders worldwide.

These are not extra shipping-related costs.

The additional charges being requested from U.S. backers are import-related and mandatory. More details are explained below.

These are not invented charges, and they are not profit for us. They are tied to U.S. import policies and tariffs that would have had to be paid on arrival regardless.

For several months starting around July/August 2025, shipments from Europe to the United States were completely blocked for us. There was no viable shipping option available at all.

We are now only able to resume U.S. shipping because we secured a DDP (Delivery Duties Paid) solution with our courier. This was not part of our original shipping setup.

With this method, duties and import charges must be paid upfront in order for the shipment to go through. Without it, the parcels simply could not be shipped.

So to be absolutely clear: these are not duplicate shipping charges, and they are not something we created for convenience. Shipping fees and import duties are separate things.

We understand that some backers are in a different financial situation now than they were when they originally pledged. If you are unable to pay right away, your parcel can be held and shipped later once you are able to complete payment.

We are not trying to punish anyone. We are simply trying to work within the only viable shipping method currently available.

 Because of a combination of serious production problems, manufacturer-related issues, and personal hardships, all of which created delays, added costs, and setbacks we had to overcome step by step. 

Yes — we are much closer to the end than some comments are suggesting.

We are in the closing phase of this project, and that is exactly why we are asking everyone to read the updates carefully. Repeated assumptions such as “this will take another two years” are not accurate and only create more confusion for everyone.

 If you lost your survey email, or think you may not have received it, you can recover your survey directly here:

Survey Recovery Page

Please enter the email address connected to your pledge, and BackerKit will send you a new survey link.

If your card has expired, your address needs updating, or you need help understanding what you pledged for, please contact us directly through the proper support channel and we will do our best to help.

We want to emphasize again that we are not asking backers to cover every extra cost this campaign created on our side.

We absorbed major production losses caused by manufacturing problems, and we also absorbed shipping cost increases over time. We are not charging you those extra shipping increases.

What we are asking for here is not money for our mistakes, not money for our losses, and not extra profit. These are mandatory import-related charges that U.S. backers would have had to pay upon delivery anyway for parcels entering the United States from abroad. Those funds do not go into our pocket.

And as we have said before, crowdfunding campaigns like this do not create profit for us on their own. Our actual income comes later, through leftovers sales in our shops, only after campaign fulfillment is completed — which is also why it is fully in our interest to finish fulfillment properly.

This project very genuinely could have failed entirely. Instead, we kept going because delivering it to you matters to us.

That does not erase your frustration, and we know that. But it is painful to read comments suggesting that we do not care, that we are doing nothing, or that this project is somehow being dragged out on purpose. That is simply not true.

Please also do not mistake delays for comfort, ease, or indifference. This campaign has not funded some carefree life behind the scenes — it has required ongoing work, sacrifice, and personal cost to keep it moving at all.

We have carried this project through years of problems, production setbacks, personal hardship, and major extra expenses because we wanted to see it through to the end. We are still here, still working, and still doing everything we can to make fulfillment possible.

Comparing this campaign to unrelated creators or campaigns without knowing the full production, shipping, and logistical circumstances is simply not a fair or useful comparison.

We have also seen repeated comparisons to other creators and other campaigns. Respectfully, those comparisons are often not meaningful unless all the circumstances are actually the same — and they almost never are.

Different creators may be producing different numbers of designs, from different Countries, using different manufacturers, different shipping contracts, different parcel routes, different product complexity levels, different team sizes, and different levels of outside support.
Different creators may also have very different funding situation: not just in total amount raised, but in how much funding remains in proportion to what actually has to be produced and paid for. Some campaigns raise substantial surplus beyond their core production and stretch goal costs, while others do not. 

In our case, this campaign includes a large number of highly detailed designs and products, which naturally creates more production steps and more opportunities for things to go wrong.
That does not make your frustration invalid — but it does mean that comparing timelines or outcomes across unrelated campaigns is often misleading.

We also want to gently remind everyone that platforms like BackerKit and Kickstarter are not standard retail shops. They are crowdfunding platforms, which means backers are helping bring products to life that do not yet exist at the time of funding.

That is part of what crowdfunding is: supporting the creation of something new, with the understanding that production, delays, complications, and even total failure can sometimes happen along the way.

That does not mean creators should not be held accountable when problems arise  — and we are not saying that.  Creators should always do their best to resolve those problems whenever possible. We are only saying that crowdfunding is fundamentally different from buying ready-made stock from a regular store, and it comes with different rules, policies, and expectations.

In the end, please think about it: what this project will carry with it is its own story. A story of resilience, of pushing through hardship, and of still choosing to bring something creative and meaningful into the world, despite everything that tried to stop it.
And because of that, the products themselves will carry some of that story and character too. When you look at them, we hope you will be able to remember the resilience, patience, and determination that helped bring them into existence.
For those who supported this project through all of this, there is also something else in it: the knowledge that you were there, that you were part of it, and that your support helped something difficult but meaningful finally come to life. 

We truly do understand why people feel upset. Waiting this long is frustrating, and the added costs are frustrating. We are not dismissing that.

But we also want to say this honestly: problems happen. Frustration does not justify aggressive or passive-aggressive comments, false assumptions, or treating us as though we are creating problems on purpose, acting in bad faith, or trying to scam anyone. Criticism is understandable. Rewriting the facts is not.
We do appreciate those of you who have raised concerns or criticism in a respectful way, without insults or unfair accusations, even indirect ones.

We always put a great deal of time and effort into writing detailed updates, and it is disheartening to find ourselves repeatedly answering the same points that were already addressed. We understand that not everyone reads every update carefully, but that does contribute to confusion, repeated assumptions, and unnecessary hostility.

  

We also want to say this respectfully but clearly: many of the questions currently being repeated in the comments have already been answered in previous updates. One reason we are making this post is precisely to gather those answers again in one place as clearly as possible. We are also pinning this post so it can serve as a clear reference point going forward, and so we can link back to it whenever the same questions come up again.
 

Thank you to everyone who has remained patient, respectful, and willing to read the updates carefully, even if they are long and detailed. It means more than you know.

We are currently preparing a detailed clarification update that will address the most frequently repeated questions and concerns as clearly as possible, including several points that have already been shared previously and are now being gathered in one place for clarity. If anything still remains unanswered afterward, we will do our best to clarify further where needed. We kindly ask everyone to wait for the full post before drawing further conclusions, as it will address many of the points currently being raised. 

Hi everyone,
we finally have some important shipping progress to share regarding a specific batch of US parcels that has been on hold for a long time.

We’re now able to move forward with shipping a first batch of parcels that have been packed, labeled, and ready since July/August 2025!!

These parcels had to be placed on hold due to the sudden Tariff changes that temporarily stopped all carriers from shipping from Europe to the US. After a long period of adjustments and logistics changes, we’re now finally able to move forward again.

>Over the next few days starting from today we will begin processing these additional charges for the backers whose parcels are part of this batch.

❗ If a payment cannot be processed (for example due to a declined card), the parcel will unfortunately need to remain on hold until the tariff cost can be successfully covered.

>Backers affected by this will receive a direct email notification. Please check your inbox!
If any backer from this batch needs to update their shipping address, you’re welcome to reply directly to the email notification or contact us privately so we can help.

For transparency, we also want to clarify that the Shopify/BackerKit connection issue has still not been fully resolved on our side, and at this point we can’t yet say with certainty whether it will be... For this smaller batch of held parcels, we’ve been able to move forward through a different workaround so these orders don’t have to remain blocked any longer.

We’re also really looking forward to the enamel pins arriving, as that will help us keep moving forward with the remaining parcels as well🥹(hopefully with fewer complications ahead).


We know this has been an extremely long and difficult wait, and we’re genuinely grateful for all those who have been so patient with us. We truly wish things had been able to move sooner.
Still, this is an important step forward, and we’re very relieved to finally be able to start moving these parcels again.

Thank you for continuing to stick with us through all of this.

Hi everyone,
We wanted to share a quick check-in, as some time has passed since the last update.

First of all, we want to reassure everyone that fulfillment will still happen. The project is not cancelled and rewards will be shipped as planned. The situation with the new US tariffs and the technical Shopify/BK/Shipping platform issues we mentioned in the previous update are still being worked through, and that has still been slowing down the next steps.

For those of you whose parcels were already packed and ready before the shipping pause to the US (because not containing any pins): your packages are still safely prepared, held and ready to ship on our side.
The only remaining step for these orders is still processing the new tariff charges and re-print labels before they can be dispatched. We’re currently working on the technical side of applying those charges correctly to the specific backers affected, and we’ll share a dedicated update with clearer details about this very soon. We’re working to make this process as smooth as possible for everyone involved as much as we possibly can.

We understand that the uncertainty around the tariffs and the delays can be frustrating. Please know that we’re continuing to work through these issues and gathering the clearest information possible so we can provide a proper update soon.

This message is simply to let you know that we’re still here and actively working on it. We’re preparing a more detailed update and will share it as soon as we have clearer information to report.

We also want to apologize if our communication hasn’t still been as frequent as some of you would prefer. Between resolving ongoing issues and coordinating logistics, it hasn’t always been possible to reply to every comment, message, email or post check-in updates. However, we do read them, and we’ll continue replying where needed as soon as we can.

We also want to acknowledge that the current landscape for small creators has become increasingly complex and uncertain compared to when many of these projects first started. Changes in international shipping, tariffs, platform systems, and logistics have made things far more unpredictable than they used to be.
Being based outside the United States adds another layer of difficulty for us. We operate from Italy, where there are far fewer tools, integrations, and support systems available for creators working with international crowdfunding and fulfillment. Because of this, many of the alternative solutions that US-based creators can rely on simply aren’t available to us, and resolving issues can take more time and work on our side.

We’re also considering preparing a pinned recap update or a short Q&A covering the most common questions and key information gathered so far, so everything can be easier to find in one place.


Thank you for sticking with us while we work through these complications. We’ll be back with a more detailed update soon. If there are no major changes before then, we’ll still share another quick check-in update in a few weeks so you know where things stand.

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!! 🥹 

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 🐾