Wait, Why is Your Requested Kigurumi Unavailable?
We pride ourselves in the class and variety of kigurumi that we can offer. It is always a glorious and joyous event to see an entire lineup be available for everyone to get and have. Because we know how exciting it feels whenever there's a new kigurumi that you would love to try out.
But as dedicated we may be in releasing as many as we can and in updating our lineup, we would always eventually hit the very big and solid brick wall of distribution issues. To clarify some of these for you, we shall discuss them very briefly in this blog post.
Handling Licensed Kigurumi
An instant kigurumi hit at a glance don't you agree?
When it comes to availability, the existence of the kigurumi (as a product) is just but one factor. If it is a specific character, we also need to account for licensing requirements. No licensing agreements, no kigurumi.
For example, a considerable number of customers could be requesting for Tonari no Totoro themed kigurumi, But without the licensing greenlight from Studio Ghibli, we simply cannot distribute them on our store.
The issue persists even if there's some other manufacturer that is seemingly producing these kigurumi out of nowhere. And that, opens yet another issue of...
Determining Counterfeit Kigurumi
Kigurumi theme is already unavoidable right from the very beginning.
Yes, even in mostly third-party manufactured products such as kigurumi, there is still a thing as a counterfeit kigurumi. As such, there will be certain kigurumi products out there that are released by certain dubious manufacturers illegally. These products are meant to be distributed without any permission whatsoever from the original license copyright holders.
Of course, you are the end consumer, and as such for you there is no inherent risk in purchasing these kigurumi (aside maybe the actual quality and build of the material). But for us, we definitely need to make sure that what we deliver are the original and approved ones.
Copyright Owner Troubles
Well, this one definitely exists, mythical or not.
Even if officially licensed products can potentially be distributed, the last word would still always be on the copyright holders themselves. There are three general reasons why this can be troublesome:
- Copyright owner is not interested - yup, the owners of the license may simply consider kigurumi products as a negligible priority (however wild that may seem to us). Negotiation is a plausible strategy, though how to do it within the complex corporate ladder of a franchise is yet another challenge itself.
- Copyright owner is against it - one step worse than the previous. Some companies and organizations might not like the idea of a kigurumi product in the first place.
- Someone else already have the license - Distribution rights are often specified within product types/categories. If another entity already holds the rights for distribution, then acquiring permission to sell the kigurumi becomes a whole lot more complex.
Kigurumi Supply Woes
Oops, Not just yet!
Finally with all of these reasons, a kigurumi might ultimately be unavailable simply due to the fact that licenses do expire and stocks run out. If both of these occur, the result is that the specific kigurumi product becomes discontinued, much like the ones that we have shown awhile back.
So to those who may be dearly wishing for their kigurumi theme to be available, we apologize in advance, and hope that you will understand. We too, would absolutely love your kigurumi to be available to use. But with such restrictions, there will definitely be times that your most awaited kigurumi might still have a long ways to go.
Featured Image Credit: via ヒレカク (Hirekaku)