Build a Publishing Business, Not Just One Game

On a $50,000 board game campaign, Kickstarter takes approximately $2,500 (5% platform fee) plus $1,500-2,500 in payment processing (3-5%). That's $4,000-5,000 total. With Fundpop on Shopify, you pay approximately $1,700-1,800 (Fundpop from 0.5% + Shopify Payments ~2.9%). Net savings: $2,200-3,200 per campaign. On tight print run margins, that's often the difference between upgrading components or cutting corners.

Space stretch goals at 25-50% increments above your base goal. For a $15K goal, set milestones at $20K, $25K, $35K. Each stretch goal should add real value (upgraded components, extra cards, bonus content) without destroying your margins. Cost each upgrade before announcing—know exactly how it affects your per-unit manufacturing cost. Never reveal all goals upfront; progressive reveals maintain excitement throughout your campaign. Save your most exciting goal for the final 48-hour push.

Kickstarter's discovery is overrated for niche tabletop games. Data shows most successful campaigns bring 70-80% of their own traffic through BGG posts, YouTube reviews, podcasts, and newsletters. If you have 500+ engaged followers, you likely don't need KS discovery. And you keep those backers forever instead of re-acquiring them for each expansion. The economics favor your own store once you have ANY established audience.

Shopify handles orders natively—addresses, variants, quantities, payment. For post-campaign surveys (shipping address confirmation, add-on choices), use a Shopify app like Order Form, Grapevine, or a simple Google Form. It's less polished than BackerKit's interface, but you're not paying $0.50-1.00 per backer for their service either. Many publishers save $500-2,000 on a typical campaign by handling surveys themselves.

Yes. Create product variants in Shopify: Base Game $49, Deluxe Edition $79, Collector Bundle $149. Fundpop tracks total funding across all variants toward your campaign goal. You can also create separate products for add-ons (sleeves, playmats, promos) that backers add to cart alongside their main pledge—single checkout, no survey needed.

Configure shipping zones in Shopify with rates per region. For EU VAT compliance, use an app like Sufio for invoicing, or ship DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) through a European fulfillment partner. Many tabletop publishers use Spiral Galaxy, Quartermaster Logistics, or similar 3PLs with EU warehouses. This is the same complexity you'd face with Kickstarter—the difference is you control the fulfillment integration.

You need SOME way to reach potential backers—newsletter, BGG following, YouTube channel, active Discord, convention presence. If you're starting from zero with no audience, Kickstarter's discovery can help for your first game (though it's less effective than people think). But once you have 500+ backers from your first campaign, keep them on your platform for games two, three, and beyond.

Set funding milestones that unlock when your campaign reaches certain thresholds. Each milestone can reveal additional rewards, upgraded components, or bonus content. Progress displays in real-time on your campaign page with visual progress bars. You can add unlimited milestones and reveal them progressively throughout your campaign. See our stretch goals guide for strategy tips.

With Fundpop, you choose your funding model. All-or-nothing works like Kickstarter—payments only captured if you hit your goal, backers refunded automatically otherwise. Flexible funding lets you keep whatever you raise regardless of goal (useful for reprints or expansions where you'll print anyway). Choose based on your minimum viable production quantity.

Yes, many publishers use a hybrid approach: Kickstarter for the initial launch (discovery, credibility, the 'funded on Kickstarter' badge), then move expansions, reprints, and follow-up products to their own store. This way you get Kickstarter's discovery benefits once, then keep customers for all future campaigns without paying platform fees repeatedly.

After your campaign ends, you can keep the product live on your store at a slightly higher price (typically $5-10 more than campaign pricing). This is your 'late pledge' period. Many campaigns see 15-25% additional revenue from late pledges before manufacturing begins. Unlike Kickstarter where late pledges are awkward, your Shopify store handles this naturally.

Most major board game manufacturers (Panda, LongPack, Gameland, Cartamundi) will ship to your designated fulfillment center or 3PL. From there, fulfillment integrations like ShipStation, ShipBob, or Quartermaster Logistics pull orders directly from Shopify. No CSV exports or manual data entry—orders flow automatically from your store to fulfillment.