Update #15: What Now?
about 8 years ago – Mon, Nov 28, 2016 at 09:04:40 PM

Hi All,

Things at Jewish Wisdom Ball HQ have been pretty quiet as we wait for the manufacturers to fix their mistake and send us the correct sized ball. In the meantime, the timelines for receiving and shipping have shifted a little. What you can expect depends on where you live:

If you live outside of North America: Unfortunately, the larger sized balls will not come in time for you to receive them before Hanukkah. Instead, you'll be getting your order in two parts. The first shipment will be the smaller Jewish Wisdom Balls, which should go out tomorrow. Those should almost certainly arrive in time for the holiday. Once we get the larger balls in stock, you'll get another shipment that has those, plus any extras you ordered, like greeting cards, shirts, etc. You can expect them to arrive some time in January.

If you live in Canada: Your situation is still pending. We're sending a test shipment to Canada to see how long it takes in transit from the warehouse to Toronto. Once that timing has been established, we can figure out whether there will be enough time for you to get your stuff when we ship the larger balls or whether we need to do like in the previous paragraph, where you get the smaller ones first and the larger ones later. 

If you live in the United States: Based on the timelines we have from manufacturer and fulfillment company, you should still receive your entire order before the end of Hanukkah. The shipments come from Brooklyn, so those on the east coast are pretty safe. We're probably going to be cutting it closer for those of you on the west coast, but the indicators are all still good. 

If you live in the United States but recently, perhaps some time in the middle of November, decided that you'd maybe like to live in, oh, I don't know, maybe Canada: That's all well and good, but consider the timeline to receive your Jewish Wisdom Ball before making such an important life choice. 

More updates soon. In the meantime, the unfortunate delay means there's still time for you or your friends to pre-order more Jewish Wisdom Balls. You can do so here, if you were so inclined.  

 -Rami

Update #14: And Such Small Portions!
about 8 years ago – Tue, Nov 15, 2016 at 10:47:19 PM

Hi All, 

You're probably curious, how is everything going with the Jewish Wisdom Ball? Well...

On the plus side, that's an actual Jewish Wisdom Ball in what appear to be my enormous fingers. There's a good reason why the ball looks so small in my hand.

On the right is the 4-inch diameter sample ball we originally got from the manufacturer. On the left is the one the factory in China manufactured, which is only 2.75 inches in diameter. In short, they made a ball that's significantly smaller than the correct one.

How could this have happened?

This came as quite a shock, especially since I specifically selected a vendor that had an American sales office. The hope was that working with a domestic company, even at greater expense, would mean that miscommunication like this was impossible.

So what happens now? First, the factory goes back to the beginning and makes the correct product this time. That will take another four weeks, which puts us a lot closer to Hannukah than I'd like. Luckily, Hannukah is eight days long so it should still mean timely delivery for all US and Canada orders by the end of the holiday. International orders...those might be a little tighter.

Discussions are currently underway with the fulfillment and shipping company to ensure we can get people what they ordered on time. That might mean different things for domestic backers than for international backers. Once I have more answers, I'll provide more details.

So that's the bad the news. The good news is, everyone who backed on Kickstarter will get the mini version of the Jewish Wisdom Ball in addition to the regular sized one. We'll just tack it on to your order, free of charge.

Whoever said offshore manufacturing was easy?

Oh, stop it already.

 -Rami

Update #13: We're Having Chinese Delivered
about 8 years ago – Mon, Oct 31, 2016 at 02:13:48 PM

Hi All,

Really, how did it take this long to make a joke about Jews and Chinese food? 

I have good news and bad news. The good news is, we're ahead of schedule. The bad news is, you're going to have to answer a short survey to get what you ordered. An indignity, I know! 

So about those surveys... We will send an email with a special link to BackerKit surveys in the next few days. It is important to respond to your survey as quickly as you can since we need this information for fulfilling your rewards. The survey is where you will tell us your shipping address and t-shirt size. For those curious about shirts, we're ordering unisex shirts that will be available in sizes S-XL. If you need a size smaller than Small or larger than XL, please send a message and we can figure it out. 

You do not need to create a BackerKit account to fill out your survey, just click on the survey link, fill it out, and you’re all good to go. If the spirit moves you, the survey is also your place to purchase additional “add-on” items. You do not have access to this survey link yet, but it will be available soon via email.

If you decide later that you want to edit your survey response, you can go back to your survey and change it any time before we lock down the surveys for processing.

But back to the good news. We got the first pictures back from the factory of real, live Jewish Wisdom Balls:

That's not a fake like my buddy Spalding, that's an authentic Jewish Wisdom Ball right there. And here they are all packed in their cartons, just waiting to be shipped to the warehouse for fulfillment:

Those are set to ship from China tomorrow, which should put them in the fulfillment warehouse in about a week. That's about the same time that the greeting cards, stickers, and custom boxes are set to arrive as well. 

Did I forget to mention the boxes before? The Jewish Wisdom Ball wouldn't be caught dead in those plain white boxes you see in the picture. We're having special boxes printed. What they look like will have to be a surprise!

If everything goes to plan and you all fill out your surveys in a timely fashion, we should be able to start shipping well before the end of November. 

That's it for now. 

 -Rami

Update #12: Happy New Year!
over 8 years ago – Sun, Oct 16, 2016 at 12:24:09 PM

Hi All,

Sure has been quiet on my end. I apologize for the long gap between updates but it doesn't mean there hasn't been a bunch going on behind the scenes. Here's a quick recap of some of the items that have been checked off the long list of to-do's since around the time of the end of the campaign:

1. Order Jewish Wisdom Balls

The most important step occurred on September 30 when the first batch of Jewish Wisdom Balls was ordered from the manufacturer. They even sent uninspiring proofs of the design. Check it out:

So in case it wasn't clear before what you were getting, now you know. 

The order came just in time for...nothing to happen. October 1 started a national day of holiday called "National Day Holiday." Except it lasts a week. Must be something lost in translation. Rest assured, the holiday delay was built into the original timeline. Everything is still well on track.

2. Test T-Shirt Printing

Once we had a general sense of how many t-shirts to order, it made it possible to select the proper vendor and printing method. Based on the design, the volume, and pricing, we're going to be using Scalable Press and doing direct-to-garment printing. The first test shirt has been printed and should arrive this week for inspection and quality control. Because you've been such amazing backers, we've gone with the top of the line American Apparel shirts rather than some cheaper, but lesser quality garments. Don't say we never did anything nice for you.

3. Figure Out What All the Little Symbols on Toy Boxes Mean

Did you know that all the little markings and pictures that show up on toy boxes actually mean something? Turns out they're not abstract art or proof of a global Illuminati plot, but rather are certifications, warnings, etc. In reality, a global Illuminati plot would be easier to understand than EU toy regulations, US packaging law, and global UPC standards. But now that it's all relatively clear, we've moved onto the design and printing phase for the custom boxes that will contain your Jewish Wisdom Balls.

4. Take Spalding to Thailand

Yes, Spalding the prototype Jewish Wisdom Ball has a severe case of wanderlust. He couldn't turn down a brief trip to Thailand for some business. He even got some time to take in the local scenery.

5. The Avalanche of Jewish Holidays  

For those of you that celebrate these kinds of things, the last couple of weeks have been heavy with Jewish holidays and the good times don't stop now. The Jewish holiday season continues until the end of October. Luckily, this period is the "hurry up and wait" portion of the project as the various manufacturers do their thing. So a very happy new year to you all. Much more exciting things to come once actual product starts showing  up.

Best wishes,

 -Rami

Update #11: Final Day and What to Expect Next
over 8 years ago – Wed, Sep 28, 2016 at 10:33:25 PM

Hi All,

At long last, we have just 24 hours remaining before the end of the campaign. If you have any friends who have been dawdling or on the fence about whether to back the campaign, this is their last chance to get on board before it ends at midnight Eastern.

So what happens at midnight tomorrow? First, Kickstarter should charge your credit card immediately, locking-in your order. Second, we enter into the Pre-Sale Phase.

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY

We are ordering more Jewish Wisdom Balls from the manufacturer than the number of orders placed on Kickstarter. This is necessary to meet the manufacturer's minimum order quantity. This means there will be some extras available beyond the campaign. For those of you who were kind enough to support me during the campaign, you will have the opportunity to purchase add-ons to your order. As a thank you, you can add another Jewish Wisdom Ball for the discounted price of $17. You will also be able to add individual cards or t-shirts. This add-on feature will be available to backers only! Add-on purchases will be available in about two weeks when you get your survey (more on that below).

For those that didn't back the campaign, there should still be a limited number of Jewish Wisdom Balls left for them to pre-order, however the price will go up compared to the charges during the campaign. This pre-order phase begins immediately upon the completion of the campaign. So if someone happens upon the Jewish Wisdom Ball in a couple of days, they can still place a pre-order at the new, higher price.

The important point in all of this is: If you backed during the campaign and want to add to your order, do not click on the pre-order link! Doing so will mean paying more for your add-on items than you otherwise should. 

What's all this about surveys?

To assist with order fulfillment, we will be using a service called BackerKit. In about two weeks, they will send you a survey to collect your mailing address, shirt size, and to offer you the chance to purchase add-on items. 

We will give you a heads-up before we send the survey so that you can watch for it. You will not need to create a BackerKit account to answer your survey. The invitation email will contain a link to your personal survey. It is important to submit your responses as quickly as you can since we need this information to process your rewards.

If you prefer, you can just message me and give me your information, but answering your survey will help us get your rewards out to you quicker. BackerKit helps us save lots of time by streamlining the survey process and automating data organization.

If you used Facebook to log into your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey link will be sent to the email you used for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you'd prefer to use, please message me.

When do I get my stuff already?

Some people have asked what they can expect after the campaign ends. This section will answer many of your questions. The rest of life's questions can wait to be answered when you get your Jewish Wisdom Ball.

September 29: Final day of the campaign. Procrastinators...assemble!

September 30, 12:00am ET: The campaign ends and your credit cards should get charged. Pre-sale phase begins for non-backers. Order placed with manufacturer.

Mid-October: BackerKit surveys go out. Add-on items available for purchase by campaign backers.

November 8, Election Day: Pray. 

Mid-to-Late November: Order arrives from manufacturer. Deadline to purchase add-on items. 

Early December: Shipping begins. Hounding begins of those that haven't submitted surveys.

Mid-to-Late December: You get your stuff already.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to message me. I will be keeping everyone updated all along the way as manufacturing and order fulfillment begin. The campaign phase might be ending, but you're not done with me yet!

 -Rami