Locked down in Wuhan: Coronavirus takes its toll on Kickstarter campaigns

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Locked down in Wuhan: Coronavirus takes its toll on Kickstarter ca

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Dantin Liu was supposed to be back home in Shenzhen by now, launching a long-planned Kickstarter campaign for a pair of innovative wireless headphones called kickstarter.com/earhub” target=”_blank”>Earhub.
Some, like Liu, are locked down inside homes, unable to leave except to buy groceries.
The result: Dozens of Kickstarter campaigns have already announced delays in launching and shipping their products.
Electric scooter maker eFOLDi announced shipping delays in a recent Kickstarter update.
“We missed the last boat out of China before Chinese New Year, and the port still hasn’t opened back up yet due to the virus,” the company wrote earlier this month.
While companies like Apple and Amazon have enough insights into manufacturing trends to prepare themselves for further outfall from the coronavirus crisis, Kickstarter campaigns could be a good indicator for the rest of the industry as it braces for impact.
“Crowdfunded campaigns are often very transparent about their time and resources,” said Tirias Research analyst Simon Solotko, who has been covering the sector and advising crowdfunding campaigns for years.
“We’ve been in touch with some creators whose work might be affected by this to offer them additional support and advice during this time, and we plan to share more information with our wider community soon,” said Kickstarter’s senior director of communications, David Gallagher.
Under mandatory quarantine, Dantin Liu is allowed to leave home only once every three days to buy groceries.
And then there’s Liu. He is now cooped up at home in Wuhan, allowed to leave only once every three days to go shopping.
Former Kickstarter Asia outreach lead Joris Lam, who now works with Liu and other Chinese creators like him, said that his case is far from unique.
“Mostly everyone just sits at home, counting the days and hoping things will pass soon,” Lam said.
The good news for Kickstarter creators is that their backers have been trained to be pati

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