Shops on Start.gg are fulfilled by either start.gg's team or by the tournament organizers/third-party vendors. You can check who is fulfilling an item as described here.
This article goes over:
How Start.gg-controlled orders are fulfilled (produced and shipped)
Why we produce merchandise this way
What to expect if an order has issues
How Start.gg merch production works
Start.gg-fulfilled merchandise is all made-to-order. This means orders are made in bulk, starting on a particular fulfillment date. Most shops start fulfillment after its tournament finishes. Extended shops might have multiple fulfillment dates, meaning 2+ instances where orders are produced in bulk.
Regardless of who fulfills an order, each shop has a shop status, just like each order has a status. A shop status shows dates for when orders are expected to start production and being shipped. You can see a shop status:
At the end of a shop's checkout page
In your Orders & Shipping page (after an order is made)
View by: clicking your profile icon on the bottom-left corner of a start.gg page -> then clicking Orders & Shipping.
Shop statuses are updated with information as time goes on. We strongly recommend checking this for updates on order arrival! These statuses are updated with changes to shipping timelines, future fulfillment dates, and more.
What does this all mean? An example
The shop status above says: "Orders will be fulfilled periodically with the next fulfillment scheduled for June 16th. Orders in this fulfillment will arrive late July/early August." This tells someone:
This is a shop with multiple fulfillment dates
The first fulfillment starts on June 16, and includes orders from June 16 and prior
The first fulfillment is expected to arrive late July/early August
The next fulfillment date will be noted after June 16
Orders after June 16 will start production with the next fulfillment
Once an item has started shipment, we send an email automatically, notifying you of the status and your shipment's tracking number. For any questions around address changes, order updates, and more, check our Order Issues article.
Why is Start.gg merch production made-to-order/in bulk?
Start.gg shops are designed with tournament organizers and players in mind. We take making shops feasible for any person and any size of event seriously. That's why we're proud to offer grassroots organizers things like:
A wide variety of quality merchandise options
Consultation, design, and shipping services
Custom reward levels to improve tournament experiences
No upfront cost
While it does mean orders take some time to produce, creating merchandise in bulk is how we're able to support organizers the best. To help, our goal is to provide as much transparency and support with orders as possible. If you ever have a question on your order, please email us at support@start.gg — we would love to help.
My order has an issue. What should I expect?
If you're scared just from reading this all, rest assured: more than 99% of start.gg orders are fulfilled successfully! If something does go wrong though, we want to help. Please email us at support@start.gg if you suspect something is off!
If your order shipment is taking more time than expected, check your Orders & Shipping page for updates. If delays occurred, they'll be updated in your order's status. Please note there may be delays due to Covid shipping restrictions or related production issues.
Our order issues article here covers common questions and our policy around things like address changes, order cancellations, shipment issues, returns, refunds, and more.