Mercenaries Kickstarter Discussion 6: the 1st 3rd Star League conversation

[NeonKnight]

Sadly it's all over crowdfunding.  I backed Nemesis Retaliation, which is made by an EU company and have been hit for VAT at 23% on it too.

Hmmm I backed that as well, but my VAT (Canada) should be limited to 12% for me (based on my Local Tax rate)

*UPDATE*

infact - Canada's VAT rate is 5%:

https://wise.com/gb/vat/canada

And as per this site, it lists the UK's VAT as 20%

[Lorcan Nagle]

https://wise.com/gb/vat/canada

And as per this site, it lists the UK's VAT as 20%

I'm not in the UK, I'm in Ireland where it is indeed 23%.  Though books are 0% so I might be able to claw some back from Revenue.

[NeonKnight]

I'm not in the UK, I'm in Ireland where it is indeed 23%.  Though books are 0% so I might be able to claw some back from Revenue.

My Apologies - I did not wish to presume.

[Euphonium]

I'm not in the UK, I'm in Ireland where it is indeed 23%.  Though books are 0% so I might be able to claw some back from Revenue.

Can we get CGL to take the books off before they calculate VAT on our orders, or do we have to try & reclaim it from Revenue afterwards?

[NeonKnight]

So, for a point of comparison, attached are the shipping costs of my two Clan Invasion Backings. One was a GALAXY COMMANDER with lots of Extras on SPLIT SHIPPING with the quoted amount being the second wave shipping, the STAR COLONEL was a single shipment.

I have bought a comparative amount in this KS (actually even less this time around then the first KS) so comparing even to the larger of the two the GALAXY COMMANDER, it had a shipping for $52 (USD so around $70 CAD). Compare to this KS of $260 (again, gonna assume already in CAD as has the GST Tax added) that's an almost 300% increase in shipping. Makes me a very sad boy 

[Lorcan Nagle]

Can we get CGL to take the books off before they calculate VAT on our orders, or do we have to try & reclaim it from Revenue afterwards?

No idea, sadly

[General308]

VAT is the killer not shipping.

Was there not going to be EU distribution with this KS?

Yes.  But CGL told everyone that they had to pay VAT over and over from where you click to select your pledge level to the FAQ to even the thing were they said they had an EU Distribution center.  Honestly and I critics CGL often.  But they could not have been more transparent about you having to pay VAT.

[NeonKnight]

I just want to make clear here.

I am not, I repeat NOT jumping down or blaming CGL here for the shipping issue. Much Like I won't blame my local restaurant for the high priced UBER EATS costs - not something they have control over.

I am merely pointing out how this is a shock, how I have records to prove the huge increase between the CI KS and the Merc KS shipping, so it is not something I am mis-remembering, or exaggerating.

I will wait for follow up from CGL, and hope, and pray this is all a huge error on the fulfillment side, and hope that all parties 'make it right' based on what we were promised at the time of KS campaign.

Hopefully this will be the last bit I've said on this.

[General308]

I just want to make clear here.

I am not, I repeat NOT jumping down or blaming CGL here for the shipping issue. Much Like I won't blame my local restaurant for the high priced UBER EATS costs - not something they have control over.

I am merely pointing out how this is a shock, how I have records to prove the huge increase between the CI KS and the Merc KS shipping, so it is not something I am mis-remembering, or exaggerating.

I will wait for follow up from CGL, and hope, and pray this is all a huge error on the fulfillment side, and hope that all parties 'make it right' based on what we were promised at the time of KS campaign.

Hopefully this will be the last bit I've said on this.

I have a feeling like CGL suggest the shipping cost is going to be an error.  They have an update on it.  We will see.   As many SKU's as CGL makes these I could also see were the shipping and handling companies are charging a lot for that.   We will hopefully know more next week.

    Personally I didn't spend as much on this kickstarter because I had no Ideal how much shipping would cost.  Without that number hard to know what I could afford.  And with CGL being able to keep things in stock in the USA these days it seemed like a risk I didn't need to take.    I know not knowing shipping seems to be the new norm on Kickstarter Shiping but in my mind it is a Red Flag.

[Aotrs Commander]

Okay, so someone help me out here.

I am looking at these numbers and I'm not adding it up.



It says I already paid $173, okay. 275+323-173 = 425, okay.

Shipping+shippingVAT+VAT 77+15+120 = 212...

The order value only says $212, which seems to be the number obtained from VAT plus shipping as above.

Am I thus expecting to pay $425+$212 = $637 => £500 (more) or what? And if (likely) so, why does it not seem to say that...?

If that last part is right, I will have spent nearly 44% extra over the cost of my pledge; I was expecting a fair bit for shipping et al, but, like nearly half as much again? That's abotu twice what I expected.



This is a big deal to me, by-the-by, since I KS'd basically just before the UK working tax credit=>universal credit system said "oh, you're self-employed? [F] off, then;" so it's now money I couldn't have spent in the situation now. It's going to be really hard to swallow now (e.g. said HMRC took six months to DAIN to tell me how to pay them the £200 they said they over-paid me before they uncerimoniously told me to get knotted and that wiped out half the income I made in that time).

(I don't know if it's even POSSIBLE to cancel at this point, and now I have to worry whether or not I should try.)

It all definitely means I will not ever be able to back a kickstarter again.

(Because the global situation will never improve; it will only get worse, because that's world that has been created.)

[klarg1]

Okay, so someone help me out here.

I am looking at these numbers and I'm not adding it up.



It says I already paid $173, okay. 275+323-173 = 425, okay.

Shipping+shippingVAT+VAT 77+15+120 = 212...

The order value only says $212, which seems to be the number obtained from VAT plus shipping as above.

Am I thus expecting to pay $425+$212 = $637 => £500 (more) or what? And if (likely) so, why does it not seem to say that...?

If that last part is right, I will have spent nearly 44% extra over the cost of my pledge; I was expecting a fair bit for shipping et al, but, like nearly half as much again? That's abotu twice what I expected.



This is a big deal to me, by-the-by, since I KS'd basically just before the UK working tax credit=>universal credit system said "oh, you're self-employed? [F] off, then;" so it's now money I couldn't have spent in the situation now. It's going to be really hard to swallow now (e.g. said HMRC took six months to DAIN to tell me how to pay them the £200 they said they over-paid me before they uncerimoniously told me to get knotted and that wiped out half the income I made in that time).

(I don't know if it's even POSSIBLE to cancel at this point, and now I have to worry whether or not I should try.)

It all definitely means I will not ever be able to back a kickstarter again.

(Because the global situation will never improve; it will only get worse, because that's world that has been created.)

It looks like it’s telling you that you paid $425 through Kickstarter, followed by $173 by card at a later date. Your remaining balance appears to be $212.

I don’t think I can comment on the correctness of the assorted charges.

[jimdigris]

On Discord, Rem said that they're getting reports that foreign orders are being over-charged on shipping.  CGL plans to look into it after the  holiday weekend.

[thedancingjoker]

It looks like it’s telling you that you paid $425 through Kickstarter, followed by $173 by card at a later date. Your remaining balance appears to be $212.

I don’t think I can comment on the correctness of the assorted charges.

This is correct, the numbers in parentheses are credits, and if you count them as such than you are left with the VAT + Shipping costs of 212, so (assuming the VAT is correct) those do seem to be the remaining charges that need to be paid.

[NeonKnight]

Okay, so someone help me out here.

I am looking at these numbers and I'm not adding it up.

It looks like it’s telling you that you paid $425 through Kickstarter, followed by $173 by card at a later date. Your remaining balance appears to be $212.

I don’t think I can comment on the correctness of the assorted charges.

the numbers add up

the first part is  KS Pledge of $275, and then the add-ons of $323. That totals out to $598 of which the Kickstarter took $425 and they then paid $173 (which also adds up to $598)

The Shipping part is $77.07 + $119.60 (VAT) + $15.41 (VAT Shipping) which totals $212.08

[Aotrs Commander]

Right, thanks folks, that has set my mind at rest.

$212 dollars is still a lot, but that's Acceptable Losses; higher than expected, as I say, but the difference between £170 and £500 in my current situation is, well, self-explanatorily an effective order of magnitude.

[Jal Phoenix]

I would just like someone to explain the VAT Shipping charge.

[Hydrofoil Goat]

I would just like someone to explain the VAT Shipping charge.

It looks to me like VAT/GST on the shipping charges as opposed to the order total.

[jimdigris]

A new update regarding international shipping has come out.  CGL is looking at the most egregious orders and asking the shipper to explain how they got that number.

[Lorcan Nagle]

According to people on the CGL Discord US shipping estimates are showing up as well and some of them are pretty wild too.

[butchbird]

Are we seeing the final charges? Is EVERYTHING, as in ALL POSSIBLE FEES, included in what is currently displayed by backerkit?

[jimdigris]

$380 in shipping for a $1200 pledge to NY. It looks like the shipper is charging one dollar for every three dollars in pledges. The shipper has some explaining to do. 

[Wolf72]

According to people on the CGL Discord US shipping estimates are showing up as well and some of them are pretty wild too.

On backerkit, mine is $127 on $505 order ... that's 25% of my total order.  Pretty sure if I ordered that much product from somewhere else stateside I'd get free shipping.

jimdigris: I'm just north of Saratoga, NY ... these numbers seem unreasonably high.

[Kerfuffin(925)]

I just looked, and it is $264 plus New York State taxes.  The shipper has some explaining to do. 

I just looked and I’m at 314 + 26 in tax for 340 to California. Holy shit. I was expecting more than last time (~100) but not fully 1/3 of what I bought.

[jimdigris]

jimdigris: I'm just north of Saratoga, NY ... these numbers seem unreasonably high.

They are most unreasonable. 

[jimdigris]

Looking at responses on Discord and Kickstarter, it looks like the shipper is charging everyone one dollar for three dollars in pledges.

[NeonKnight]

It looks to me like VAT/GST on the shipping charges as opposed to the order total.

VAT is the Value Added Tax
GST (Canada) is the Goods and Services Tax

[riposte]

It looks to me like VAT/GST on the shipping charges as opposed to the order total.

Correct at least in GST (in Australia) - you would be taxed on both "Goods and Services" - the shipping is a service.  Having said that, that is a flat 10% which I expected.  I am surprised that the shipping component is so high compared to AU.  Shipping for this works out around 10-15% for me. 

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

On backerkit, mine is $127 on $505 order ... that's 25% of my total order.  Pretty sure if I ordered that much product from somewhere else stateside I'd get free shipping.

jimdigris: I'm just north of Saratoga, NY ... these numbers seem unreasonably high.

Yeah, completely unreasonable.  I had a $445 order and they're listing $110 for shipping.  Someone is smoking the good stuff if they think that's going to fly.

[Wolf72]

Now the hard part ... not "doom scrolling" while the PBT do some digging.

[shivanwurm]

U.S. estimates are hitting and the news is just as bad. Running around 25-35% of total order price. One person is pay $42 for just ordering the $80 box set.

Good thing Catalyst said their already on it.