Lost In Cult shipping update (November 2024) 📦
Hi all - Ryan from Lost In Cult here! 👋
We have an important shipping update we wanted to be transparent with you all about, as soon as possible.
After taking on customer feedback about wanting to better keep track of the production of their pre-orders, we launched our production update blog on our website. Newsletter members will receive all the same updates via email, but important - or simply interesting - updates on in-production items get shared there for those not signed up.
We’ve done this because it’s important to us that we’re transparent with all of you - we love to think that our customers and fellow collectors are involved in the process, and that you have all the information we do on when you’ll receive your items.
Of course, as well as the good, it’s just as important to share more difficult news. We don’t have all the pieces together yet, but we don’t want to leave you in the dark on our current situation, so we’re just going to be completely transparent and tell you how it is.
As you may have noticed with our recent shipping of A Handheld History: 88-95, The Console Chronicles, The Horror: MANSION, and Citizen Sleeper: Design Works, the global shipping rollout of these has - to put it honestly and not in corporate-speak - not been great. It should not take months for customers to receive items once they’ve left the printers. This is not something we’re happy with or will allow going forward.
We can only give our biggest, sincerest apologies for this. We know how frustrating it must be to see some UK customers receiving their orders on social media, and still being in the dark on when your own order is arriving.
The reason for this is that we have been experiencing serious issues with our current distributor, who are facing severe internal problems. As with any other company they distribute and ship for, this is impacting several hundred outstanding Lost In Cult orders, as our stock is already with them.
While we’re trying to find a solution with this distributor, we’re not satisfied with the poor service our customers has been receiving as a result. UK customers are dealt with by our own Lost In Cult warehouse, which is why UK customers are not witnessing any issues. If you’re one of the few hundred non-UK customers still awaiting an order - we haven’t forgotten about you. We’re incredibly sorry for the long wait.
We are actively having conversations with alternative distribution partners for the future. We expect we’ll have a new, permanent distributor by the start of next year, for more consistent, on-time smooth shipments going forward, which we’ll communicate with you all at the time.
But in the meantime, we’re trying to work out a more immediate course of action for existing outstanding orders. This could involve either transporting the stock sat with our current distributor to a new one, or finding a way for our distributor to get the existing orders out the door much faster. As you can imagine, finding new emergency distributors to resolve time-sensitive issues is difficult and costly. However, please rest assured that whatever actions that need to be taken are being taken with that cost assumed by us,, so please bear with us.
It would be disingenuous of us to try and give an accurate timeframe - we of course hope that it will be resolved within weeks, but we cannot make any guarantees while these issues are being resolved.
For the sake of transparency and clarity, here are the key takeaways for what this currently means for you:
UK customers are not impacted - we are shipping these directly from our own warehouse. We do not have the infrastructure capable of shipping directly to non-UK countries, which is why most companies use shipping distributors. If you are a UK customer still waiting for a shipped item, contact team@lostincult.co.uk
Some Citizen Sleeper: Design Works orders are not impacted - all solo Anniversary, Deluxe and Cycles of the Eye orders are already in the process of shipping. Orders that were bundled with other pre-order items, see below.
New pre-orders are not impacted - our current distribution problems only impact outstanding orders and existing stock, as the issues are with existing stock already sat at our current distributor’s warehouses. Pre-orders for new items will not be affected, as we are arranging new distribution well in advance of new pre-orders’ shipping timelines.
EU customers still awaiting A Handheld History: 88-95, The Console Chronicles, Heterotopias, and standard Citizen Sleeper: Design Works - these are expected to ship next week, which is approximately 100 orders.
US + rest of world customers still awaiting these orders - We are in active, immediate talks for a fast resolution, and will update soon.
We can no longer guarantee shipments before Christmas, including in-stock items. While we are hopeful your item will arrive in time for Christmas, for the sake of saving anyone from potential disappointment, please be aware we cannot promise this, especially for non-UK customers.
IMMORTALITY, Eastward, How a Game Lives, and Do You Know Gaming - unlike the above, these are not in-hand yet and we don't have any confirmed shipping issues at this time. However, until we have our shipping solution in place, we cannot say for sure whether they will or will not be affected. We’ll provide separate production updates on these, as we have been with other projects, soon!
We’re sorry for these frustrating issues, and promise we are working incredibly hard to resolve them as soon as possible, and to avoid them reoccurring in the future. You’ll have your items in hand before too long - we look forward to seeing them with you!
In happier news… we’ve had a very, very busy week! Pre-orders will not be affected. 😉
Outer Wilds: Design Works, Sounds & Visions: Enhance at 10, Make Us Whole: The History of Dead Space, and Nightmare Kart and Slay the Princess vinyl are now available to pre-order.
