Kickstarter & Me
I thought it would be interesting to run some numbers on all the Kickstarter projects that I have backed over the years.
I started contributing to crowd funded projects back in October 2014. I’ve spent around $1300 over 3½ years and 19 Kickstarter projects.
Breaking all the projects down by loose categories, it’s clear I go through waves of interest. Currently I’m in a book and software buying phase and over the stationary phase.
| Category | No. |
|---|---|
| Accessory | 7 |
| Stationary | 5 |
| Books | 4 |
| Software | 2 |
| Video | 1 |
Diving a little deeper into each project:
| No. | Project Name | Type | Notes | Usefulness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bullet Journal | Stationary | Still in the plastic bag. I’m happy to have helped Ryder on his journey and own a piece of ‘stationary history’ in the meantime. | ✓ |
| 2 | Takumi Pen | Stationary | This was the first version of this pen. I was disappointed. It was too light and overall the execution was flawed. Some of these flaws were rectified in the new version. | ✗ |
| 3 | A leather belt to last a lifetime | Accessory | I grew fatter and never wore the belt. It’s not the product’s fault, I’ve just never used it…yet. | ✗ |
| 4 | Memobottle | Accessory | I live in the Middle East. I need cold water. This is a plastic bottle, doesn’t keep the water cool enough. Maybe I will get some use out of it in the future. Well executed project. | ✗ |
| 5 | Bomber Duffle Bag | Accessory | Use it when necessary. Excellent product. Highly recommended. | ✓ |
| 6 | Precision Coffee Grinder | Accessory | Took years to get to me. Then I learnt how to make cold brew and this was too much effort. Useful to have in the house, but not essential. | ✗ |
| 7 | PENXO | Stationary | Love the design. Doesn’t get as much use as I’d like. | ✓ |
| 8 | TIO | Accessory | Nice concept. Too difficult to re-order in the UAE. Used for 6 months and that was it. | ✗ |
| 9 | Tactile Turn Slider & Glider | Stationary | Loved the design. Totally disappointed by the fact that it’s too thick and the nipple falls off regularly. | ✗ |
| 10 | Sento Towel | Accessory | Does what it says on the tin. I love these towels and use the every day. | ✓ |
| 11 | The Pen Addict Live 2017 | Video | Video was fine, except it didn’t really add very much to the overall experience. I would have wanted more stuff around the actual convention itself, and maybe some interviews. Alas the boys limit it to the actual show itself only. | ✓ |
| 12 | Indie Microblogging | Software | Can’t believe how little I paid for this initially, but it’s been great value for money, as all of my writing is being filtered through Micro.blog. | ✓ |
| 13 | Illustrated Classics by Pope, Shimizu & Sienkiewicz | Book | Still waiting. | - |
| 14 | Single Edge Razor 2.0 | Accessory | Use this every other day. It’s not transformed the way I shave, but it’s provided me with a nice alternative. | ✓ |
| 15 | The Electric State | Book | Great looking book, but I’ve not read it yet. | ✓ |
| 16 | Change Is Good | Book | Still waiting. | - |
| 17 | Krama Pens & Pencil | Stationary | The metal version arrived, and it’s excellent. Still waiting for the plastic version. | ✓ |
| 18 | Inspire | Book | Still waiting. | - |
| 19 | iA Writer for Windows | Software | Very useful. Use it in work nearly every day. | ✓ |
What’s not on this list is the plethora of projects that I did not end up backing and a couple of projects that I ended up buying things directly after the kickstarter project was already over.
Taking the last column and summarising it a little shows me that it’s generally been a positive experience and I’m either using the products or aim to use them in the future:
| No Regret | Some Regret | Jury’s Out |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 6 | 3 |
Going forward my plan is, with regards to Kickstarter, to be a lot more discerning and selective in the projects that I back. Where I see something truly unique and special, that is where I should concentrate my efforts.