We’re in high gear at the Moonbase and from our respective homes with this year’s run starting very very soon! Beej was rummaging through some boxes in the back and found… oh, maybe some Desert Bus merch you might be interested in?

We’ve also got some important shipping updates we need to share that might impact you, so be sure to read on for the full details. There’s still another three hours until the run starts & the store opens at 6pm Pacific, but first… how about a little merch sneak peek?

Mockup photo.

First, we’ve got the brand-new Desert Bus for Hope 2021 Pinny Arcade Pin. This year’s pin features the Omega Shift Banner. Omega Shift is that weird twilight zone in the last few hours of every run where every shift comes together to celebrate and have some fun. This pin complements last year’s Shift Banner Pin Set, adding the fifth and final shift banner to your collection.

Next, we’ve got the return of the Desert Bus Shift Playmat. This cushy playmat is adorned with the four shifts of the bus: Dawn Guard, Alpha Flight, Night Watch, and Zeta. Bring some Desert Bus flare to your next card battle! Or, speaking from personal experience, it also works well as a really huge mousepad.

Third, we’ve got the Desert Bus for Hope 2021 Poster, drawn by M. Lee Lunsford, creator of the newly released webcomic Nix of Nothing. We don’t really have a picture of what it’ll end up as because, as in previous years, they’ll be drawing the poster live throughout the run, bringing their own interpretation to the year’s shenanigans. Moz will undoubtedly be sharing updates on Twitter through the run, which we’ll share on our Twitter and on the live stream.

On to new loot, like the Desert Bus for Hope 2021 DBLoon. That’s right, for the first time ever the legendary DBLoon is now available to the public! In previous years, the only way to get one of these shinies was by volunteering, joining our Craft Along, or by winning a prize. This year, we have a brand new 2021 coin, generously manufactured by longtime friend of the bus Steve Dengler, and designed by both Dengler himself and Sam G. C. Technically there are three DBloons: Gold coins that will continue to be gifted as thank yous to our prize winners and crafters, Black coins for our hard-working volunteers (yes Mods & VST, for all of you as well 💖) for helping keep the bus on the road, and the brand-new Silver coins which, for the first time, can now be purchased at the Desert Bus Store as a keepsake to show your support of this year’s run.

Mockup photo.

And, last but not least, another new entry this year is the Desert Bus for Hope Water Bottle. This unique Desert Bus design, illustrated by Graham Stark, is printed on a graphite 24oz Contigo Kangaroo water bottle. (Got a Road Quest water bottle? This is that same bottle. I hear it comes highly recommended by seasoned road trippers.) The bottle provides sound advice to anyone appearing on the stage or in an actual vehicle… no unsealed beverages, pleeeease! Take Desert Bus with you on your next hike or drive and stay hydrated in style.

Once the run begins, you can find these items at store.desertbus.org. As in previous years, proceeds from merchandise sales are split between the product’s designer, LoadingReadyRun, and Child’s Play Charity. Yep, that means part of the sales goes towards keeping up playing this super… boring… game… just a bit longer. (Boo-ray! But, really, thank you for your support!)

Alright, previews out of the way, let’s talk about logistics. As you may have heard, international shipping is a bit tricky this year for everyone and it’s affecting us too. We’ve done our best to compile this information all in one place, so here’s what you need to know…

Changes to EU & UK Shipping in 2021

Unfortunately, due to issues collecting and remitting VAT, we cannot ship merch orders to the European Union or United Kingdom at this time. We are really sorry about this, as we know there are quite a few of our viewers who will be affected by this. Currently available solutions are prohibitively expensive and would also take quite some time to set up.

We’re still hopeful to be able to solve this in the future though, and with that in mind we’re holding back a small portion of all 2021 merch items. If and when we can re-enable EU & UK orders, we’ll release these items for sale specifically to folks in those areas. We’ll post an update on our blog and social channels when we have an update regarding this, which we are expecting to be likely well into next year at this point.

It is also worth noting that because this is specifically a sales tax collection issue, our ability to ship prizes to the EU & UK is unaffected. If you are in the EU or UK, you should be able to participate in all our giveaways, silent auctions, and live auctions as you would in any other year.

We know this is far from ideal, and please know that we’ll continue to do our best to help our viewers around the world participate in Desert Bus for Hope.

Order Fulfillment

When you order Desert Bus Merch, you’ll be ordering from the LoadingReadyRun store, operated by PMC Fulfillment. Please keep in mind due to COVID-19 safety protocols, and general shipping bottlenecks worldwide, there will likely be a general delay between when you place your order and when it ships. We thank you for your patience and support!

What about the Photo Book? Or the T-Shirt?

Sorry, but due to the remote nature of 2020’s event, we do not have a photo book this year. You can always relive 2020’s memories on our YouTube channel and find some amazing community-submitted photos over at photos.desertbus.org.

The Official 2021 Desert Bus for Hope T-Shirt is designed, sold, and fulfilled by our pals at Fangamer! Visit shirt.desertbus.org to be redirected over to the Fangamer store and get your super sweet Desert Bus shirt. (Of note, Fangamer is still shipping t-shirts to the EU and UK!)

Oh no, something’s out of stock! Help?

Desert Bus merch supplies are limited run, so if you want to buy something, act quickly! If something’s out of stock, use the “Out of Stock – Notify Me” feature to let us know you’re interested. No guarantees, but if we do bring the item back in stock, we’ll let you know. The more folks that are interested, the more likely we are to be able to do an additional run!

Also, heads up that Desert Bus merch is only available for a limited time. Once the event’s over, the Desert Bus store closes up and everything leftover goes back into storage… until next year.

I’ve got some other questions not answered here.

Check out the LoadingReadyRun Store’s shipping info page for additional logistical information and shipping support. If you’ve got a question about the cool merch we have on sale this year, email [email protected]. Thanks for your support!