I picked up prototype #3 from the fabrication studio today! Tomorrow I’ll put it together and * fingers crossed * there’ll be no further changes needed. I’m setting up my ‘store’ page now on my website to get ready for the pre-orders! It’s my highest priority this week to get these out into the world!

I picked up the Mug Exchange Kit prototype round 2 last week and put it together yesterday! I would have put it together last week except we had family visitors. There were 2-3 sets of pre-drilled holes missing plus some weren’t deep enough to be useful. I’ve let the team know and they’re working on prototype #3.

With modifications on my end I was able to put together the whole thing though and it looks great! So I am working out the details now of getting the kits on my site. If I have to do a round of kits sans pre-drilled holes just to get these moving into the world, I can do that. And then open up the pre-drilled hole option later. I’d like to do it all at once though.

TIMING: I’m hoping that they can produce the 3rd prototype this week and I can get these kits on my site within this week or early next.

GIVEAWAY: The fabrication studio is also giving away 5 kits as part of this first round so I’ll do that as an Instagram reel or story. I’ll open up the pre-orders, then start the giveaway and everyone who enters on my Instagram OR who has ordered a kit will be eligible. So if you’re chosen as the winner, you will just receive a discount back for the amount of the kit (shipping is not included in the giveaway).

Thank you again for your patience! I just wanted to give a quick update. I did pick up the Mug Exchange kit prototype and though it's close, it had a few issues - most notably that the pre-drilled holes were not countersunk and only on one side of the project. Ultimately that'd mean that people who paid for pre-drilled holes would still need to pre-drill half of them and the screw heads would be sticking out all over. The price of the kits also had an unexpected increase so I'm seeing if they can hold to the original price. I've been told they'll give me an answer to that this week so I'll hope to have an update for you all by the end of this week!

Thank you all so incredibly much for very patiently waiting for these Mug Exchange kits. I wanted to give you an update on where I'm at in the process.

TIMING: I've found a local fabrication studio that I'd like to work with to build these and they're currently making the prototype. That prototype is slated to be ready on March 13th. If no changes are needed, I'll list it on my website ASAP and give folks one week to place orders. After that week, we'll close orders and they'll start production which should be about 3-4 weeks. Then they'll start to get shipped out! 

COST: 
I'm planning on making three options available for the kit so folks can hopefully find one that suits their building experience and price level. You can choose to purchase the basic mug-shaped kit or for an additional cost you can have pre-drilled holes and/or the steam. Please know that I'm working super hard to make these kits as cheap as possible (and here's Little Free Library's shop to get an example of pricing costs for kits like this). I got several quotes and this one is by far the most affordable. I do not have a final final cost but they're going to be around $135-$145 for the basic kit with pre-drilled holes adding ~$55 and steam adding $65. This is not counting shipping - shipping will depend on where you are. Please note these are not final prices, but a good estimation. I totally get that not everyone has that kind of extra dispensable income so I will continue to make the plans for the original design free on my website for anyone who would rather build it themselves from scratch! 

BUILDING: 
You will need to actually put together the kits. Each kit will come with instructions but to complete your kit you'll need screws + a screwdriver, caulk, and paint. I'll write a blogpost about setting a post for anyone who wants to go the route of mounting one of these on a post but you can also attach them to already existing fences and such too if you don't want to install a post. 

Thank you again for your interest in a Mug Exchange and I'm so excited to get these out into the world soon!!

Thank you so incredibly much for your interest in having a Mug Exchange of your very own. And for your patience, I know many of you have expressed interest in being able to get one for many months or more at this point. 

In very exciting news, I've found a few places that could help me make enough Mug Exchanges for everyone. To finalize those details, I'd love to hear from you about your preference (kits vs fully assembled, for example) in a short survey below.

Here's that survey (it's only six questions!): survey closed

Thank you so very much for your time!