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Remember that kickstarter is not a store. When you give somebody money on kickstarter you're not buying a product, you're supporting the producer. Businesses ca

Remember that kickstarter is not a store. When you give somebody money on kickstarter you're not buying a product, you're supporting the producer. Businesses can fail, even when funded. See also http://www.kickstarter.com/blog/kickstarter-is-not-a-store http://www.kickstarter.com/blog/kickstarter-is-not-a-store

jellicle 13y ago
That's begging the question. Why shouldn't Kickstarter be considered to be a store and be bound by store-like rules? Alternately, what if Walmart decided they weren't a store either?
- dec0dedab0de 13y ago
  Because that would be a store. We already have stores, they're something different. Walmart on the other hand is a store.
- nkuttler 13y ago
  Because kickstarter is not a store. Stores have products on shelves. Kickstarter introduces you to people who want to create a product.
- wjnc 13y ago
  In Seven things to know about kickstarter it is stated pretty clearly that A. you fund creative projects, B. you are supporting someones dream and C. a project might take longer than expected. That all signals 'risk!' to me. The guidelines for projects are pretty slim. Again a hint that 'anything' goes on a site like this. All very different from your regular store where the basis of your contract is, usually via terms of service, "pay X to receive good Y within period Z".
- Xylakant 13y ago
  Because Kickstarter fulfills a different function. In a store, I can buy things that exist, are produced currently and that I can take home more or less immediately. Kickstarter allows me to pledge money towards products that I would like to see produced. I'm supporting something that has not been produced before, that may actually not be viable. That's the risk I'm taking and I take it voluntarily, but that's not the risk I want to take when buying toilet paper.
- maxerickson 13y ago
  I imagine that people would do a lot less shopping at Walmart. Hopefully for Walmart that would fit with their new model.

jellicle 13y ago

That's begging the question. Why shouldn't Kickstarter be considered to be a store and be bound by store-like rules? Alternately, what if Walmart decided they weren't a store either?

dec0dedab0de 13y ago
Because that would be a store. We already have stores, they're something different. Walmart on the other hand is a store.
nkuttler 13y ago
Because kickstarter is not a store. Stores have products on shelves. Kickstarter introduces you to people who want to create a product.
wjnc 13y ago
In Seven things to know about kickstarter it is stated pretty clearly that A. you fund creative projects, B. you are supporting someones dream and C. a project might take longer than expected. That all signals 'risk!' to me. The guidelines for projects are pretty slim. Again a hint that 'anything' goes on a site like this. All very different from your regular store where the basis of your contract is, usually via terms of service, "pay X to receive good Y within period Z".
Xylakant 13y ago
Because Kickstarter fulfills a different function. In a store, I can buy things that exist, are produced currently and that I can take home more or less immediately. Kickstarter allows me to pledge money towards products that I would like to see produced. I'm supporting something that has not been produced before, that may actually not be viable. That's the risk I'm taking and I take it voluntarily, but that's not the risk I want to take when buying toilet paper.
maxerickson 13y ago
I imagine that people would do a lot less shopping at Walmart. Hopefully for Walmart that would fit with their new model.