This is a copy of Kickstarter Update #41
Where Are the Shipments?
The short answer is that all the vessels have departed China and are now on their way to the regional hubs. The long answer is provided below:
How does the logistics of bulk shipment work?
Our fulfillment partner contacts their local logistics agents and puts them in touch with the right people at the factory. These logistics agents then book slots for our containers on vessels and make appointments to pick up the goods from the factory and transport them to their port of load. When the initial bookings have been made, they notify the fulfillment company, who in turn notify us. Then the manufacturer sends us the paperwork that has the details for each shipment. But these bookings can change last minute, as vessels get overbooked or delayed, and it is not always easy for us to know exactly where and when these decisions are made as we do not get to witness the whole chain of communications.
When the shipments arrive at their destination ports there are numerous factors that may affect how long it will take for the games to be unloaded and taken to the actual fulfillment centers, and we cannot give any precise estimates on this at the moment.
Where does that leave us?
It's been hectic trying to track all the information down. At first, we were given a vessel name for the shipments to Europe, with an ETA at the end of October, but we were advised us not to give it away as it might change, and soon enough it did. It turned out that the ship was overbooked, and now the shipments to the UK and Germany were booked onto two different vessels with later departures. The US shipment was picked up a bit later at the factory because of some misunderstanding, but was actually the first to leave port.
With craze of Essen being the top priority and keeping almost everyone in the board game industry (including the fulfillment companies) super busy in the past few weeks, the flow of information has not been going as quick as we had hoped, and we have been waiting for some delayed confirmations in order to give you the best possible information.
So, we had to do some digging on our own as well, and we have now been able to track down all of the vessels carrying our games:
The EU Shipment
Click on the image to go to Vessel Finder, and check the last known position of the ship
This shipment was initially booked to be shipped with a vessel called the Tihama, but instead it is now carried by the HMM Rotterdam, which departed Yantian (Shenzhen's cargo port) on October 3rd.
It is estimated to arrive in Germany on November 25th.
Remember, all these dates are estimates and subject to changes outside our control. Sometimes the latest changes are not reflected in the information available on these tracking websites. Rest assured the games are coming.
The US Shipment
To check the ships last known position, click on the image.
This shipment was taken by the Zim Ningbo, which departed Yantian on October 1st and arrived in Busan in South Korea on October 7th. There, the container is booked to be loaded onto another vessel called the Zim Hong Kong, which will take it to Jacksonville, Florida.
ETA for this shipment to arrive in Florida is currently November 18th.
Remember, all these dates are estimates and subject to changes outside our control. Sometimes the latest changes are not reflected in the information available on these tracking websites. Rest assured the games are coming.
The UK Shipment
Click here to go to the last updated position on this ship
The ship that carries this one is called the Al Dahna Express.
This was the last shipment to depart China, but is currently estimated to arrive before any of the others. I guess this ship is a faster one! It departed Yantian yesterday and is due to arrive in the UK on November 4th.
Remember, all these dates are estimates and subject to changes outside our control. Sometimes the latest changes are not reflected in the information available on these tracking websites. Rest assured the games are coming.
The AU Shipment
Click here to go to the last updated position on this ship
The shipment headed for Australia is also on its way, and should arrive in Sydney in about 10 days.
Remember, all these dates are estimates and subject to changes outside our control. Sometimes the latest changes are not reflected in the information available on these tracking websites. Rest assured the games are coming.
The Cartons
One last thing, we got sent a couple of cartons of games, and I just wanted to show you how sturdy these things are with the reinforced corners. Hopefully the games should stay well protected throughout their journey to the fulfillment hubs.
very hard to bend by hand
had to put a lot of my weight on top to make it squin
Pre-orders
You can still pre-order the game from the Aegir Games Webshop.
We have even fewer copies of the Deluxe Edition. They’re flying away!
https://www.aegirgames.com/shop/