Kickstarter is Now Official in the UK, Where Do They Go Next?

So did anyone notice that some camera company just dropped prices? No? I think some of you just might have...Anyway, back to the rest of the world for a moment. The Kickstarter world to be exact. The crowdfunding site has been in talks to expand to the United Kingdom, and now it's official. In fact, people have been setting up projects since the beginning of the month, so that they could go live immediately once the service officially launched. The first project to debut in the UK, Picade, an arcade cabinet kit for the Raspberry Pi computer, has already been successfully funded -- so the service is off to a great start. Check below for more details about the UK launch and what makes it different from the U.S. version.

From a recent Kickstarter post:

Can people outside the UK pledge to UK projects?

Yes! Backers from anywhere in the world can pledge to any project on Kickstarter.

Is there a UK-specific Kickstarter site?

No. UK-based projects are listed alongside all of the other Kickstarter projects. Backers can check out UK projects specifically through the location sections of the Kickstarter homepage (the first row of projects under Staff Picks) and the Discover page (the Cities area in the sidebar).

What currency are UK projects listed in?

Projects from UK-based creators are listed in pounds sterling. If you are pledging from outside the UK, you will see the approximate conversion rate to US dollars before you complete your pledge.

Is backing a UK project similar to backing other projects?

The mechanics of Kickstarter (all-or-nothing funding, rewards, etc.) are identical for US and UK projects. When pledging, however, backers to UK projects enter their payment information directly on Kickstarter rather than through Amazon Payments. All pledges are processed securely through a third-party payments processor.

Are the fees for UK and US projects the same?

As in the US, Kickstarter will charge a 5% fee to successfully funded projects and no fee to unsuccessfully funded projects in the UK.

Payment processing fees for UK projects are similar to those for US projects. For UK projects, the processing fees are:

• Pledges of £10 or greater are charged 3% + £0.20
• Pledges less than £10 are charged a discounted micropledge fee of 5% + £0.05

If a project is not successfully funded, there are no fees.

So there you have it, Kickstarter has officially launched in the UK, and in the process, will begin its slow and deliberate march to the rest of the world. Each territory is different, and what works best for one may not work for another. The big issue in the past had been needing to use Amazon payments, but since Kickstarter isn't using Amazon payments for for the UK service, it's clear that they will not need Amazon for the rest of the world, either. It's anyone's guess where their next location would be, but I have to imagine they are looking at Canada as a next possible location, considering the proximity to the U.S. They might also be looking for territories with the most demand, so I'm sure they are exploring that right now.

Even though some may lament the fact that Kickstarter and other crowdfunding sites have become mainstream (and thus we are all competing against each other), about 5 years ago none of these services existed, and short of getting a wealthy investor, there were no options for low-budget filmmakers. It may be harder than ever to get distribution for films, but actually getting to make a project that you want to make, whether that's a narrative, a documentary, or even a piece of hardware, has never been easier.

Our friends from the UK, what do you think about this move? Do you have any projects you're planning on starting soon that might involve using Kickstarter? Let us know below in the comments.

Link: Kickstarter in the UK -- Kickstarter Blog

[via The Verge]