So what’s the hold up?
Right now, there’s a few major hold-ups. First, putting together a secure folder for large art files has been tricky, since it needs to be able to show only current members the art. We currently have a beta test on that code right now, and while it’s successful, it is lacking in actual enlarged files to upload to it (this is a special 2 a.m. problem – as in dern got the code working at 2 a.m., while O is already asleep and can’t upload the files until later). Expect that to get fixed really soon.
Then there’s the Black Market. Currently, we have no limited edition material in stock. However, there will be a printing of the LE-colored ninja attack shirt in a month, the original strip art is being shipped north by flying monkey, and Book 1 of Commissioned is getting quotes for publishing now.
Book 1 “Artist Editions” and other artist edition comics won’t be available for purchase until this summer, and won’t ship until late July/early August or late September. This is because they will need O to draw on them, and he won’t be able to do that until he’s in the USA (and he’ll be stateside twice in 2011).
Another chunk of coding is in place, but extremely untested, is the store credit model. It won’t be until everyone is signed up and buying stuff that I’ll finally get to test things out on the Swag Shark side of things. But in theory, that part is ready.
And what about Swag Shark, the site with really, really high international shipping rates? Well, I’m proud to announce that as of Tuesday, Dec. 7, we’re launching a first class shipping option. I will be leaving the Priority option up for those that want a rushed delivery, but now there’s a cheap option. The new rates are as follows:
For Canada, 1 pound costs $7 to ship, while 2 pounds cost $11
For Mexico, 1 pound costs $10 to ship, while 2 pounds cost $17
For the rest of the world, 1 pound costs $13 to ship, while 2 pounds cost $20
In the next two weeks, I’ll be fine-tuning the shipping rates to include rates for .5 and 1.5 pounds.
And the last big announcement for this post: We’re opening up beta testing for the Commissioned Ninja Clan.
Because there’s still a lot of work needed to polish up the Clan’s side of the site, we’re offering a free trial period of membership that will last until at least Dec. 31.
As of Tuesday, Dec. 7, the trial period is set to four weeks free. As we get closer and closer to 2011, this trial period will shrink – so if you sign up next week, you’ll only be getting three weeks free. And please note, once the trial period is up, paypal will charge you for the subscription if you do not unsubscribe.
But wait, there’s more.
Initially when we were floating the idea out of a deluxe membership subscription, the dollar amount was estimated at about $3/month or $30/year. Unfortunately, the monthly number is just a touch too low to make our numbers work with PayPal’s rates. We can’t charge less than $4/month – but we will hold to our promise that every dollar put in becomes a dollar of store credit. And if you sign up for an annual membership before Jan. 31, we will honor the original $30/year deal.
On Feb. 1, the rate will change to $40/year or $4/month.
