This is the giant FAQ for all things pre-order! I will update this post with new info as needed.
We rely on a pre-order system to fund new designs for the shop. Any single item of clothing costs thousands of dollars to create in a full size range, so it would be impossible for me to completely self-fund the full-scale production right now.
That means your pre-orders are extremely important to making sure a design can be produced an added to the store. I frequently get comments like "oh this is cute, I'll come back and get it in the future" but the truth is that it may not be available in the future without pre-order support in the present. I understand that everyone has limited finances and sometimes, it just doesn't work out! But the reality of running a small business is that we need constant orders to keep going, so I want to be transparent about the process.
Pre-order campaigns are hosted directly on our website, with a progress bar at the bottom of certain upcoming projects showing how close we are to meeting a goal. Hosting these myself means I don't have to pay large fees to Kickstarter or any other crowdfunding platform, but I also assume the risk of issuing refunds if a goal isn't met by the project deadline.
What happens if a pre-order goal isn't met? Since these campaigns don't rely on Kickstarter or similar platforms, we have a lot more wiggle room when it comes to going through with a project or cancelling it. The pre-order campaign serves to raise funds and also gauge interest. If a campaign deadline ends and the funding is far beneath the goal, the project will be cancelled and all pre-orders will be refunded. If we are very close to the goal but didn't quite make it, I can take a look at the numbers to see what might be possible.
When a pre-order goal is NOT met, I will consider downsizing the project to work within the budget. This might mean cancelling alternate colorways and going through with a single color. It might mean cancelling certain sizes and only producing a smaller range. Your pre-orders show me which colors and sizes are the most popular, and there are always some discrepancies for which ones have the most interest.
Creating 8 sizes (XS-4X) is significantly more expensive than creating 7 sizes (ie, omitting the XS or the 4X size). It might seem strange, but order minimums increase by a lot for every single size I add to the lineup. A factory might require a minimum of 60 units for a range of 7 sizes, but 100 units for a range of 8 sizes. That means I have to sell 40 more units just to make sure that size XS or 4X can be made, but those sizes aren't popular enough to make up the difference on their own! In this way, it gets harder and harder to accommodate a large size range. Increasing the size range to 9 sizes or beyond is just not an option right now, because the production minimums are much higher than I can afford to make. It's not that I don't want to offer a larger size range, it's just mathematically impossible at this stage in my business.
Similarly, adding a second colorway doubles the minimum order number. It's the difference between needing to produce 100 units (single color) or 200 units (two colors). That's why the color options are so limited at this point in time. If one color is far more popular than another and the overall goal isn't met, I'll consider dropping one color and only going through with the more popular option.
If a pre-order campaign comes just short of the intended goal, I'll consider the project individually to figure out what's possible. It most likely won't be cancelled outright, but it might have to be downsized if I can't afford to make up the difference on my own. There's no strict threshold of numbers, just a complex system of finances that needs to be examined individually each time. I will always do my best to come up with a solution that allows us to move forward, but it'll depend on the individual costs and interest in a particular design.
If a pre-order campaign falls far below the intended goal, the project will be cancelled and everyone will receive a full refund. You won't lose your money if the project can't be produced. I'll make the call at the project deadline and reach out to everyone individually about their refund.
If a project gets downsized and I can't make the color/size you ordered, you will receive a full refund. You'll have the option of switching colors if you're willing to take it, but the full refund is still available if that's what you prefer. Nobody will be forced to accept an alternative to what they actually ordered.
If you change your mind during production, you can cancel your pre-order. Thankfully this is pretty rare, because I still have to pay to have the total number produced. But so far this hasn't been a huge issue and I don't want anyone to be forced to go through with a purchase they're no longer interested in.
If the campaign succeeds but you don't like the final product, you can still return it. Like other returns in our shop, the buyer assumes shipping costs, but the cost of the item will be fully refunded.
If the final product doesn't fit you, you can return or exchange it for a different size. This is only possible as supplies last, but I'm always willing to exchange the item for a different size if the clothes don't fit you. If I don't have the right size to exchange for you, you can choose a refund or exchange it for anything else in the shop.
Pre-orders generally take 45-60 days to fulfill after production begins. Certain times of the year may have longer waiting periods, like Christmas season and during Chinese New Year. Each pre-order item will have a projected schedule detailed on the item listing. If there are any significant changes or delays, I will e-mail everyone who pre-ordered to let them know.
Not all pre-order products require a funding campaign. Small items such as bows will continue to restock without needing to go through with the whole pre-order goal system. This is because I've been selling them long enough to feel confident that there will be continued interest in the designs over time. They still get marked as pre-orders just to indicate that the wait time is longer than items that are already in stock at my office. All the other normal policies still apply -- you can cancel, exchange, etc like any other order.
If you order a mix of pre-order items and in-stock items, I will wait to send your order until all items are ready to ship together. Simply place separate orders if you don't want to wait the full pre-order period to receive everything.
That's everything I can think of at the moment...if you read this far, thank you! If your question is not answered on this page, please reach out on my contact page or through social media. I will continue to update this post with any new info or changes in the future. Thank you, as always, for your support!
Your forest girl,
Heidi