We will be drawing one lucky winner to win some Kittynaut merch. This survey is only open to backers/preorders, so definitely enter because there's a good chance you can be the winner. :)
Fulfillment status - Ongoing!
As you may have seen, folks are starting to get their bags! Yay! As of today, we have about 28% of the total ordersshipped (this is backers/wave 1+ 2 preorders combined). Not bad so far!
You might be wondering... what's taking so long? Well, there are thousands of bags and keychains and pins we need to quality check/clean. We are mostly sticking to big bags because they take up the most space (my house is slowly getting easier to live in by clearing out these clouds). There are a lot of steps before the order is packed up and shipped off and the Kittynaut team is going as fast as possible! Thanks for your patience as we continue on :)
CARE AND CLEANING of your new rewards
Please see our care guide below! It also includes instructions on how to transform the bag to backpack mode:
Some folks who have received their keychains have reported that there are some streaky-looking marks and scratch-like things on the windows (likely from the manufacturing process -- sewing machine feet, dies, etc) -- THESE CAN BE LARGELY REMOVED with a paper towel and alcohol! (I try to clean each one before I ship, but a little more elbow grease from you might be needed)
Shop Release
I have been getting a lot of questions from folks asking how they can get more accessories/inserts/bags. Not to worry! These will be releasing around when we are finishing up sending Kickstarters and Preorders.
The shop release is scheduled for most likely late February. I've not decided on an exact date yet because I really want to get Kickstarters and preorders fully squared away before doing that, but I also don't want to make folks wait any longer than needed.
If you are interested in the public drop for this cloud ita bag series, definitely sign up for our mailing list:
(We also are scheduled to attend Ohayocon and Zipcon in February (assuming the covid situation gets better? it's looking a bit dicey and I've not made a decision yet about what to do) -- we will be selling alimited number ofbags at these events IF we attend.)
Thanks!
That's all I have for now~ as usual, if you have any questions please contact us at hello at kittynaut dot com. We are horribly busy lately with clouds, but try to get around to replying to everyone's inquiries!
CLOUD BAGS ARRIVED - SHIPPING SOON!
over 4 years ago
– Mon, Dec 20, 2021 at 01:25:45 AM
BIG NEWS - They’re here!
I even made a tiktok about it (btw you can follow us @kittynaut if you wish! I mostly just post silly vids there). so yeah uh, we’ve got a lot of boxes to go through, and thousands of bag to inspect, grade, rework (if needed), and of course, package and ship.
And by we, I mean mostly me, my close family, and a few friends who got dragooned into this. :) It’s going to take time (weeks/months?) but we can do it!
Even though these are coming to me right before Christmas, please DO NOT set your heart on getting these by Christmas (because there are so many and the postal service is running slow lately.)
KEEP SCROLLING MORE INFO BELOW
CHECK YOUR SHIPPING ADDRESSES
A) Please be on the lookout for the 48-hour shipping address lock notice email that we will be sending soon!! Confirm that your address (and apt numbers, zip codes, etc) are correct and up to date! (If your address changes AFTER the lock, email us ASAP at hello (at) kittynaut (dot) com)
B) You will receive a tracking number email once your package ships! Please be patient, we are shipping thousands all by ourselves and we will go as fast as we can! This will also have the shipping address you provided in it (doesn’t hurt to double check this),
C) Backers outside the USA: Please keep an eye on your tracking in the case of holds placed on your package (these can be due to customs fees, depends on your country/their tax laws; just be aware of this because if you don’t get your package, they WILL discard it or return it ALLLL the way back to the USA)
How to UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS IF NEEDED (in addition to the lock addresses email)
It's easy to update your shipping address before we begin to ship these. All you need to do is access your survey via the link sent originally in your email. :)
(might need to go through some menus to get to the contact form; if you have trouble, email me at hello (at) kittynaut (dot) com
Sooo yeah! I think tha covers all of the important stuff. If you do need anything from me, just get in touch via email!
Cheers and happy holidays,
Kittynaut
Update -- Not shipping yet, but hopefully soon!?!?
over 4 years ago
– Tue, Nov 30, 2021 at 06:05:21 PM
Fulfillment is still imminent (allegedly)
Regarding your addresses:We HAVE NOT LOCKED DOWN ADDRESSES YET because we are not yet shipping yet. DON'T WORRY, you will get an email when we plan to lock them down and at least 48 hrs to make changes. We will respond quickly to needed address changes when bags are actually shipping!
Okay so... as mentioned last update, the bags have made it to the USA on time as expected. However, they have STILL not begun ground transport to me to begin fulfillment. This means that the bags are sitting in a container or a warehouse somewhere on the west coast and I'm waiting around in the Midwest for them to come. Yes it's annoying. Can I do anything about it? Not really. I was toldby our shipping agent that the bags would start moving via ground last week Wednesday, but over a week later thereare no signs of it moving. We are in contact with them and still waiting for updates.
In actuality, there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for the recent delays: Sea Port clogging. Basically, all cargo coming into the United States is impacted by sea port delays-- delays getting giant container ships to dock (at one point, there were over 100 ships with hundreds of giant containers on each waiting in line to dock outside LA), delays getting containers off ships because there are only so many cranes/workers/places to dock, delays getting containers that'd been unloaded off docks (the US government started actually fining carriers for leaving cargo sitting), delays getting cargo actually OUT of containers and shipping to their destinations... it's been utterly crazy. What's the root cause of these delays? Well, they are many and are complicated. (there are many news articles regarding this topic, but here's one just so you know I'm not making this up: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/25/economists-expect-shipping-problems-to-linger-well-into-2022.html)
In the meantime, I'm watching the bag tracking like a hawk, refreshing multiple times per day, so I'm ready to receive and start fulfillment.
tracking number edited out for privacy reasons
"Darn you tracking number!! HURRY UP AND UPDATE!!!"
Keep in mind, once this most recent delay is finally over, you might not see your bag's tracking number right away; my team is small and mighty, but it will likely take several weeks to ship these thousands of bags. Thank you all for your continued patience and understanding. :)
Keep your head up n make memes I guess
Actual picture of me right now
Yep, I wish I had something wittier and more interesting to say, but I don't. I'm just waiting and waiting and waiting.
UPDATE; SHIPPING IMMINENT (YESSSSSSS)
over 4 years ago
– Mon, Nov 01, 2021 at 02:03:22 AM
Project Status: Bags About to Begin Shipping!
IMPORTANT: We will lock addresses as soon as we have the bags in handwhich will be soon! Please keep an eye on your emails for the 48-hour warning! Please update your addresses if needed before locking.
Last update, I said that we were expecting to begin shipping in late October barring delays (there seems to have been delays as usual, albeit fairly short delays). I've been stalking the tracking information daily to be ready for cloud landfall. As of today, I know that our container ship made it to the states, and the bags are going through customs, but they do not seem to have started ground transport (from sea port to me) just yet; meaning that it will be at least a weekish more before these hit my doorstep (actually, probably my whole lawn and driveway).
Once again, thank you all for your patience through this process. It's been a crazy, crazy year in the world of manufacturing, @_@
You'll be able to update your address up until we actually begin to ship bags -- you'll receive an email from backerkit with a 48 hour warning when we lock addresses.
Optional Reveal: Freebie Pin
If you want to be surprised, don't click the image below. :) If you are curious and want to see the freebie pin, click below. The one will be YG enamel so it matches the other pins we did during the campaign (dyed metal, flat finish)
Warning: Puns. Do not click the image below unless you want to see the surprise pin.
The 'Naut (is this a cool nickname? Gosh I want to be cool so badly please help me)
Production = Finished!
over 4 years ago
– Sun, Oct 03, 2021 at 11:54:50 PM
Good news: Production is Finished, Sea Shipping (to me) Begins
We received news this week that production is finished, and that our bags are getting shipped from the factory to us. Honestly, when I received this news, I jumped for joy and everyone in my house came and gave me a big hug. It is done. Now it's all up to theKittynaut team! >:3
--
We'restill expecting shipping to backers to begin late October, barring any delays in shipping from the factory to us. Some fellow artists have advised me that sea shipping is slow lately, but on the other hand, the manufacturer says that their shipments have been hitting the 4 week expected delivery time -- I guess we shall see.
May the seas be calm. May the container ships be swift. May the logistics companies handle their workloads efficiently. May the ground transport be safe. May all snafu be banished.Shipping gods, bless this mass cloud bag migration.
As we go through the process of shipping, I will continue to keep backers updated. We at Kittynaut are well-prepared for this endeavor -- We've planned out an efficient packing process, designed a fulfillment assembly line, gotten the packaging, the bubble wrap, etc all ready to go, enlisted the help of friends and family (my good friend @meibeeart and her team will be assisting us), and we've even got extra space rented for storing/staging all of these bags since they can't physically fit in my house. We are ready for when this cute cloud storm makes landfall.
Bonus: More photos from the factory of completed bags~ (a weekish old, this is before they boxed them up for shipping)
Left: Aurora lilac minis, right: grey minis, aurora big bags and minis.
You'll be able to update your address up until we actually begin to ship bags -- you'll receive an email from backerkit with a 48 hour warning when we lock addresses. This is not coming for awhile yet (likely Oct and beyond), so there is plenty of time to update.
Good news 2: Bonus Pins expanded for all
After some negotiating and re-designing and re-thinking, I was able to resolve the concerns brought up last update regarding who is getting what additional freebies. I've decided to expand the bonuses to simply be for everyone who ordered bags/wallets/keychains etc. This is going to be more costly, but I really want to make sure that all of my backers are absolutelyhappy when they receive their stuff in the mail. I am hoping it will encourage backers to continue to be long term fans of all of my work :)
I've resolved to still not reveal it just yet, but I may reveal it behind a spoiler wall in a future update.
