hi again everyone! I know youve all been patiently waiting for more updates regarding the new samples -- we've had a bit of trouble sourcing the perfect purple for dreamy bat, so getting to the next stage of sampling (testing out the screenprint) took a bit of time!

here's what i have to share with you so far:

screenprint samples for the honduran white bat! the only change we need to make is adjusting the print pattern on the ear (the ear fluff on the inside of the black lineart is supposed to be white!).

screenprint samples for the dreamy bat! everything looks good here, except for the fact that the purple pleather is a bit harder to find. we were able to find a nice purple for the feet and outer wings, though, which I originally thought we would need to screenprint onto the light purple! so that's great news, since it means the outside of dreamy bat's wings will be much more durable :)

now, getting a bit ahead of the game here, id asked for a few fabric samples to see what might work best for marine bat. of the remaining designs we need samples of, the marine bat was the one I was most worried about finding colors for, so I thought we'd get a bit of a head start on sorting that out!

these were the samples sent to me from the original pleather swatch palette we'd been using -- both nice colors, sure, but not exactly right for marine bat...

so, I asked if we could hunt around for some more options, and I think we found a winner!

overall, the sample process is taking a bit longer than I originally anticipated. it's important to me that we're as thorough as possible in this stage to ensure that the final batpacks come out perfect, so im more than fine with the process taking longer! once we have all the samples in hand, I'll have a much better idea of how our project timeline will need to be adjusted to account for this longer sample period.

in other good news: basically the only things we need to make for tier rewards are the enamel pins! once those are all done being manufactured, i can start shipping out everyone's non-batpack rewards, hopefully a bit ahead of schedule.

hope you guys enjoy these updates! backers may have already seen that i have another, much smaller project planned with backerkit for the beginning of 2025 -- i should have more updates regarding that pretty soon, too! have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 🦇🖤

im sure a lot of you have been wondering about the new GPSR guidelines & how they've been affecting many small businesses. ive been resesrching and seeking out professional advice from experts in the EU to get better insight into the situation & to find a way forward to ensure that EU customers can still get their batpacks.

now, onto the meat of the situation:

- GPSR is not a new tax, or even an entirely new regulation; its an update to the GPSD which was established in 2016, replacing it completely. 
- the GPSR aims to clarify & consolidate previous standards, and tightens how they are administered.
- currently, for the type of businesses that we're running (business-to-consumer), it is not expected that we will be under any higher scrutiny. this update i believe is moreso meant to impact those trying to import items into the EU for use in wholesale or dropshipping.
- however, to err on the side of caution, i have already opened up the topic of safety testing with my manufacturer (previously, id assumed this was only required if we were marketing items towards children, but better to be safe than sorry), and have also established a relationship with an EU business representative (another big thing people were worried about as a requirement of the new legislation).

another big thing that was shared with me was that small businesses will not be expected to comply with new laws immediately as long as they're showing that theyre making efforts to become compliant. this is the big thing that reassured me that shipping the batpacks to you guys wouldnt be an issue, since weve already started taking these steps!

(however, after the batpack campaign is concluded, its more than likely that EU shipping wont be available in the future, just to be on the safe side. I've already decided to halt EU shipping for my main shop -- maintaining compliance can and will require a lot of time and money for product testing and representation that i just dont have :( )

I hope this answers any questions you guys may have had about shipping to the EU! if you have any more questions, drop em here and ill do my best to answer. and, as always, thank you so much to everyone for all your support!