I don't really understand what's happening here. She's got orders, she seems to already have a design business and commissions, and there's talent aplenty. Le

I don't really understand what's happening here. She's got orders, she seems to already have a design business and commissions, and there's talent aplenty. Let's go - get the fucking thing made and stack it into Harvey Nicols, Harrods and Fortnums. Now if she was working her way out of a Scottish fishing village with nothing but a felt needle and a fistful of designs then yeah, let's dig deep. But she's in London, with a decent CV and access to all the support that's available there. I don't think people should be donating to fund a high-end product with customers already teed up and waiting. I'd write a cheque to her for £5k today as an investment. Or she can go to the bank and get a loan. I'm not at all comfortable with this model of 'donations' to fund a business. I know Kickstarter have said they aren't selling products any longer, but I felt much better about buying a Pebble way in advance of it shipping, and taking the risk that it may never arrive (a miniscule risk with pebble, I know). Are these crowdfunding platforms simply turning into marketing vehicles? And does that risk pushing out the very projects that need crowdfunding?