Q. Why isn't this thing set up like a normal store?

A. I'm too poor to buy inventory on the assumption that I'll sell everything. These are niche designs likely only to be of interest to friends and family and maybe some acquaintances or InRange discord denizens. The only viable way to get stuff produced on my income is to have it prepaid.

Q. Why not just have an etsy store?

A. Etsy isn't really compatible with the prepayment model. It's also kind of an algorithm nightmare as a seller. I had an etsy shop for three years and it went very poorly - I'm just not a good match for that market. As of 2024 I have actually not yet made enough of a profit on Birdpatch to balance out the money I lost trying to have a traditional art business on Etsy and at craft/art fairs.

Q. So, how many people work at "the birdpatch?"

A. Just one, me. Jane Bird. I also have a day job and usually get home between 8:00-9:30pm on weekdays and Sundays, so communications are likely to be slower than a proper ecommerce site. I appreciate your patience, this project is a lot of work for a small bird.

Q. How does this work on your end, Bird lady?

A. I run the website and campaign; Stripe handles my payment processing; Tactical Gear Junkie manufactures the patches and stickers once I place my order and then ships the goods to me; I package and ship everything to you!

Q. Who gets my personal information (address / credit card)?

A. Stripe, my payment processor, runs all transactions. I then have access to that and sort customer data in spreadsheets that I delete one year after the campaign is over. I pay shipping costs via Pirateship and mail via USPS.

Q. Is shipping included in the minimum cost?

A. Changes in USPS policy means that envelopes are no longer viable for patch orders, though they still will be fine for sticker-only orders. I currently use PirateShip and post all patches in bubble mailers. Sticker-only orders get envelopes. US shipping is free, or $2 for bundles. International shipping is much more pricy for me (first Technical patch run lost money on shipping abroad) and so anyone outside of the US does have to pay a once-per-campaign shipping fee.

Q. Will you ship internationally?

A. Yes! There is a change since the first run. I am now collecting shipping fees for international orders. You only need to pay a shipping fee once if you are ordering multiple items. All items will go out together. It is possible that this will create some more headaches, but we will give it a try!

Q. Does that mean you'll replace my order if it gets damaged?

A. See above, shipping has changed. And yes, I'll replace your order if it's messed up or lost! On the one occasion I miscounted and was one patch short on an order, I gave that person extra goodies from other runs and a full refund. Customer service is genuinely my lifeline here - if y'all aren't happy, my business sinks real fast.

Q. Why should I trust that you won't just take the money and run?

A. There is a 0% chance that this project will bring in enough money to make running away worth it. Plus, if I do that, I never get to see my stuff turn into patches and stickers, and that would suck. Plus, as of 2024 I have run three campaigns and hopefully have some kind of evidence of good practice!

Q. Do you 100% guarantee you'll pay me back if you don't meet a goal?

A. Unless something weird happens with the bank, yeah. I'll leave everything in stripe balance until it's time to order or refund, so no money will hit my accounts until it's time to order the whole deal.

Q. Does that mean ALL of my payment back?

A. I intend to. I am not sure whether Stripe will charge me for their cut (taken at time of payment), but if they do that's still doable. Those totals won't get too high given that the overall funding goals are fairly modest.

Q. Isn't this kinda like a worse version of kickstarter, but just for your patches and stickers?

A. Honestly, yeah. But without all that hassle. And having a separate campaign for each item sounds way too stressful. Plus, this isn't meant to be a mass-market kind of thing - if I ever start getting more than a couple dozen orders for anything I'll be pretty startled.

Q. How do I order multiples?

A. Every stripe page is "pay what you want" with a minimum. Just pay extra for each duplicate - e.g., $20 for two $10 patches or $9 for three $3 stickers.

Q. Are you only ever going to make printed patches and vinyl stickers?

A. As far as I can plan, yes. I could also do cheap sticker sheets. Maybe I'll order some as a bonus. I also hope to offer some PVC patches, but those will need to be designed with PVC in mind and will also require larger print runs to be viable. No longer accurate, the vendor I'm using has much better prices and I have made simpler designs that will fit embroidery!

Q. Who manufactures these patches and stickers?

A. I'm using Tactical Gear Junkie. They've been super easy to work with through the first run, and the patch quality is excellent. I was worried about how the designs would translate to printed patches but I've really been blown away by the quality.

Q. Why are the goals for [some] patches so high?

A. Most vendors won't do orders in quantities less than 10. A lot won't do quantities less than 25. It's a lot of work on their end, too. That makes meeting the goal harder, but it's the only way to keep it economical.

Q. Couldn't you just do a print-on-demand service?

A. There really aren't any sites that do one-at-a-time, print-on-demand work at a quality that I think is acceptable. Especially for patches. I don't want to sell people stuff that's going to fall apart after being left in sunlight or taken to the range a couple times.

Q. What if you get more orders than the goal? E.g, the goal is a run of 20 but 25 people want it?

A. That's great, honestly! A larger run is more cost-efficient. That means more inventory to sell later, and possibly quality upgrades and bonuses, depending on how the totals work out.

Q. If I miss the deadline of a successful product, is there any way to get one?

A. That depends on how many orders there were and whether anyone paid extra. If I have any left over after shipping out preorders, the remainder will go on sale at a markup. This means that the best way to make sure you get something you want is to preorder and to share the link with other people who might be interested. There is no guarantee that there will be any surplus, and the best price you'll get is on preorder. If you are on the InRangeTV discord, feel free to DM me. I can be more accommodating there, within reason.

Q. What if nothing ever gets funded?

A. I'll be sad. But we can try to keep that from happening. If you know anyone who you think would dig a design you have your mind set on, please pass the link on! Word of mouth is going to be the only real way forward for this project.

Q. What if you reach the money goal with fewer orders than the minimum production amount? E.g. Five people each give you $50 to put in an order of 25 patches.

A. Then I'll have some surplus to sell as inventory! If there's just a lot of extra money, then I'll be pleased as pie and honestly blown away. Also our cats will get extra nice treats.

Q. What if I like this concept and just want to send you money?

A. That's super generous, imaginary friend, but I'll settle for patch and sticker orders. All orders are pay what you want with a minimum, so let that be your decision.

Q. Do you take commissions or requests?

A. Unfortunately, no. I've tried commissions before (pet portraits, mainly) and found that that to be a pretty draining and sad experience. I don't like making things for money or taking money before I've made something. Everything on this site will be here just because I thought it would be fun, and I thought other people might, too. If I know you and we've talked outside of Birdpatch stuff, then I might consider commissions if the art style and vibe line up. You have better chances of getting a commission if you join the InRangeTV discord via Patreon and get to know me there.

Q. I placed an order but the total didn't go up, am I still good?

A. Yeah, the order totals are all updated by hand since I haven't ever coded anything fancier than a Ti-83. Eventually I would like to have that automated, it's a work in progress!

Q. Have I seen your work anywhere else?

A. Very possibly. I designed the KE Arms "Harmless Unless Provoked" Gila monster patch; the Woodland Brutality 2024 match logo; 20th anniversary Trooper division patch for High Desert Brutality 2024, the Doom-style posters for CQB Brutality 2023, and a few other upcoming Brutality and KE Arms designs. I also had some art make the rounds a decade + ago but have been quiet on that front since.

Q. Any chance you'll expand beyond patches and stickers?

A. Absolutely! I'd love to some day have a t-shirt run. Might also some day do posters or even watercolor prints if I dive into that part of my personal art history again...

F.A.Q.