MONDAY JULY 25 UPDATE: The project is live! Visit the Sumisu Shoe Co IndieGoGo Page
The plan for this Monday was to announce the launch of Sumisu Shoe Co.’s Kickstarter page, unfortunately, as it stands that will not be the case. They may not have lied, but they were certainly dishonest by way of omission.
Apparently you can be rejected from Kickstarter. Nowhere, even deep in their terms of service, does Kickstarter explain that a project must be reviewed by a panel and can be arbitrarily rejected. They do outline their expectations for projects in the FAQ, but it is written to lead one to believe that as long as their basic guidelines are followed, a project will be listed.
Here is the email they sent to me, notice the lack of anything explaining their decision, very frustrating.
Hi Chris
Thank you for taking the time to share your idea. Unfortunately, this isn’t the right fit for Kickstarter. We receive many project proposals daily and review them all with great care and appreciation. We see a wide variety of inspiring ideas, and while we value each one’s uniqueness and creativity, Kickstarter is not the right platform for all of them. We wish you the best of luck as you continue to pursue your endeavor.
Best,
Kickstarter
I’ve emailed them an appeal, and because Kickstarter was the plan all the long for the initial round of funding I plan on fighting with them on this one. The appeal went out Friday, I have yet to hear anything back. I’m hopeful that we can turn this around, but at this moment I’m left with a bad taste in my mouth.
Take a look at Kickstarter yourself, let me know if it seems like they have a curatorial process, it didn’t seem that way to me. There are other microfinancing options out there, and I’ve started to look through them. A friend of mine is using Indiegogo, it isn’t quite as attractive as Kickstarter but the fee structure is better and really, who cares how pretty the site is if they aren’t going to be upfront about their policies?
Stay tuned to find out what happens and possibly the updated “Indiegogo” edition of the Sumisu Shoe Co. Video.
