Shipping Stages (Multi-Wave Shipping)

Shipping stages are an optional setup used to define and manage how pledges will be sent, allowing for multi-wave fulfillment.

• You do not need "Shipping stages" if you ship all items in a backer's order in a single wave.
• If you choose 2-wave shipping, the pledge will be sent in two waves: the first wave sends the main part of the pledge (usually the core reward), and the second wave sends other elements (like localized versions, extra content, or stretch goals) when they are ready. The creator decides how many waves and what content will be sent in each wave.

A. Defining Stages and Content

1. To set up stages, go to "Project" -> "Settings" -> "Shipping & taxes" and select "Shipping stages".

   

2. You can add 2-wave, or other multi-wave stages.

   

3. For each stage, you can add a description and an estimated shipping date, which the backer sees while placing an order.
4. You must define which products will be shipped in each stage: Click the three-dot icon and then click "Add a product to this stage".
5. "Is final" means that this stage is the last wave of shipment, and everything remaining must be shipped in this stage.

B. Linking Stages to Shipping Models

You must select a stage in the Shipping Model settings; otherwise, the stages will not be applied to the models.

1. When configuring a Shipping Model (e.g., "Split Shipment"), you will check the boxes for the stages it covers (e.g., "Wave 1" and "Wave 2").

   

2. Under Order availability in the advanced settings of the Shipping Model, you must select how the stage content dictates model visibility:
   • Available for all orders.
   • Available only for orders with at least one item belonging to any of the shipping stages linked to this model.

   • Available only for orders where all items belong to shipping stages linked to this model.

     

C. Stage Statuses and Critical Warnings

You can change the status of a shipping stage, but doing so has immediate, irreversible consequences: