4 ms·

If a project creator takes the money and disappears then it's fraud, that's what that quote is referring to. From that same FAQ: "Kickstarter does not guarante

by dm2 12y ago

If a project creator takes the money and disappears then it's fraud, that's what that quote is referring to. From that same FAQ: "Kickstarter does not guarantee projects or investigate a creator's ability to complete their project. On Kickstarter, backers (you!) ultimately decide the validity and worthiness of a project by whether they decide to fund it." In court it's probably about as valid as a Terms of Service agreement on a website or a "by reading this you must keep the contents of this email confidential" at the bottom of an email.

funkyy 12y ago
What if project creator takes money, then over thinks it and uses money to sponsor his ambitions? Is Kickstarter ego boost fund, or actual project funding? Most users sponsor project to get early and discounted access to cool stuff - if you fund Kickstarter projects for other reasons - good for you. But dont expect others to follow. Some people hard earned money are in stake, they expect to get something from it and when creator just blatantly changes what he has to offer while sponsoring his high lifestyle from money received - thats just bad. You got money for something - do it. You want to develop something different, better? First finish what you have promised, then move on for money your company earned itself.
- dm2 12y ago
  "Most users sponsor project to get early and discounted access to cool stuff" There is a reason why KickStarter forbids calling a reward a pre-order. I think a good solution would be to forbid the product being developed from being offered as a reward and instead allow a coupon (free, half-priced, whatever) to be the reward with the understanding that the technology product might never be produced. Kickstarter has many other products that are not technology focused, these kinds of development issues and product delivery issues are less of a problem when you don't have major technical challenges to overcome. Look at Lockitron, it seems like such a simple concept and device, but as they've shown, making it a reality is difficult. There is a high chance of failure in the startup world, investors should be aware of this. Kickstarter should make this very clear to people and limit the types of rewards so that people (who arguably shouldn't be "investing") are not disappointed if the project just doesn't work out.
  - teraflop 12y ago
    > There is a reason why KickStarter forbids calling a reward a pre-order. Plenty of people do it anyway. For example: http://earin.se/ http://earin.se/ -- "We are live at Kickstarter. Order your Earin and help us get the world’s smallest wireless earbud to market."

by dm2 12y ago

funkyy 12y ago

What if project creator takes money, then over thinks it and uses money to sponsor his ambitions? Is Kickstarter ego boost fund, or actual project funding? Most users sponsor project to get early and discounted access to cool stuff - if you fund Kickstarter projects for other reasons - good for you. But dont expect others to follow. Some people hard earned money are in stake, they expect to get something from it and when creator just blatantly changes what he has to offer while sponsoring his high lifestyle from money received - thats just bad. You got money for something - do it. You want to develop something different, better? First finish what you have promised, then move on for money your company earned itself.

dm2 12y ago
"Most users sponsor project to get early and discounted access to cool stuff" There is a reason why KickStarter forbids calling a reward a pre-order. I think a good solution would be to forbid the product being developed from being offered as a reward and instead allow a coupon (free, half-priced, whatever) to be the reward with the understanding that the technology product might never be produced. Kickstarter has many other products that are not technology focused, these kinds of development issues and product delivery issues are less of a problem when you don't have major technical challenges to overcome. Look at Lockitron, it seems like such a simple concept and device, but as they've shown, making it a reality is difficult. There is a high chance of failure in the startup world, investors should be aware of this. Kickstarter should make this very clear to people and limit the types of rewards so that people (who arguably shouldn't be "investing") are not disappointed if the project just doesn't work out.
- teraflop 12y ago
  > There is a reason why KickStarter forbids calling a reward a pre-order. Plenty of people do it anyway. For example: http://earin.se/ http://earin.se/ -- "We are live at Kickstarter. Order your Earin and help us get the world’s smallest wireless earbud to market."