3 ms·

If you factor in both risk and time to receive product, the discounts that (sometimes, not always) happen in practice aren't nearly worth it, IMO. Eg. say some

If you factor in both risk and time to receive product, the discounts that (sometimes, not always) happen in practice aren't nearly worth it, IMO. Eg. say someone is offering some new gadget for $100 as a Kickstarter reward, and they then raise the price to $150 when it is an actual product (this doesn't seem to even happen much, the product price for products that do successfully make it to market is more often the same as the Kickstarter price). You save $50 but in the meantime your money is tied up for months with nothing to show for it, and it is entirely possible you will never get an item. I'd rather just pay the $150 myself and get the product 2 day shipping when it is actually a product. This doesn't mean Kickstarter is useless to me as there are some cases (more the art stuff than the gadget stuff) where I think supporting the project is more important than receiving the end product, but I certainly don't understand why so many people backed OUYA, for example. I'm glad they did because I will buy one when they are available via retail, but I didn't back it.

jiggy2011 14y ago
True, but that assumes you are rational and do the math. Most kickstarter stuff is in impulse purchase territory.
corin_ 14y ago
Sure there's a risk, which can arguably (and subjectively) be weighed against the pros, such as receiving a discount, or the possibility that if you don't help fund it there might never be a final product to buy at a higher price. As to your money being tied up for months - obviously it depends on the amount, and on the buyer, but I'm sure quite a few funders can tie up $100 for a few months without caring. If I'm going to spend $100 on something that's available in 6 months I don't really care if it comes out of my bank account now or then.
- georgemcbay 14y ago
  "If I'm going to spend $100 on something that's available in 6 months I don't really care if it comes out of my bank account now or then." I do. What if a better implementation of the same basic thing comes out for $80 in 3 months?
  - corin_ 14y ago
    Yeah you're right, I guess I was thinking in the context of things I have supported on Kickstarter in the past. I'd definitely share your view for some things.
njharman 14y ago
> I'd rather just pay the $150 myself and get the product 2 day shipping when it is actually a product. You pre-pay $100 to reduce the risk that it never becomes an actual product

jiggy2011 14y ago

True, but that assumes you are rational and do the math. Most kickstarter stuff is in impulse purchase territory.

corin_ 14y ago

Sure there's a risk, which can arguably (and subjectively) be weighed against the pros, such as receiving a discount, or the possibility that if you don't help fund it there might never be a final product to buy at a higher price. As to your money being tied up for months - obviously it depends on the amount, and on the buyer, but I'm sure quite a few funders can tie up $100 for a few months without caring. If I'm going to spend $100 on something that's available in 6 months I don't really care if it comes out of my bank account now or then.

georgemcbay 14y ago
"If I'm going to spend $100 on something that's available in 6 months I don't really care if it comes out of my bank account now or then." I do. What if a better implementation of the same basic thing comes out for $80 in 3 months?
- corin_ 14y ago
  Yeah you're right, I guess I was thinking in the context of things I have supported on Kickstarter in the past. I'd definitely share your view for some things.

njharman 14y ago

> I'd rather just pay the $150 myself and get the product 2 day shipping when it is actually a product. You pre-pay $100 to reduce the risk that it never becomes an actual product