FAQs

Cracks Appearing Distro (CAD) Mission

Cracks Appearing Distro (CAD) is a mostly fun but also militant project that we run to get awesome stickers, merch and other rad lefty commo art stuffs to people, so that they can get it up on the streets and also because sometimes having nice things is… well, really nice, and communism is not just about having what we need but also being free enough to have the things we want, and so we have priced our wares so that hopefully most people can afford to have some of the nice things if they want them, but also so that we can work towards making a profit; we split that profit between funding further stock and donations to a range of grassroots causes, campaigns and funds.  That is to say we’re not running CAD to line our pockets or buy beer and skittles.

 

At CAD we reckon that sustainable projects that can fund political work and defence is key to building resilient communities and is thus political work in itself. 

 

 

Is CAD a political organisation or group?

No.

 

Also, while we fundraise for various direct action campaigns and groups, we are not directly affiliated with any organisation or group.

 

 

Will CAD stock your wares?

Maybe :)

 

We do stock a number of items made/produced by third parties, either for fundraising purposes or otherwise.

 

We’re a small operation so everything we don’t produce ourselves is held on consignment, unless otherwise arranged. 

 

Also we are selective and we unabashedly reserve that right; stocking other people’s gear is a delicate balance for us of being into their political perspective down to the fine nuances and also loving the aesthetic.  In this context there will be plenty of stuff that we reckon is right-on but isn’t right for CAD.   What we’re into though is mostly militant antifascist, feminist, indigenous, anti-cop, prison-abolitionist hard anarcho lefty propaganda and merch.  We like stuff in a range of styles and mediums but we definitely want to get a good idea of your item/s and all the details of your project before we agree to take it on, so don’t go sending us bulk stock without getting in touch first.

 

To chat more about the possibility of CAD stocking your gear, shoot us an email at cracksappearing.distro@riseup.net.

 

 

Do CAD collaborate and/or fund production of your lefty merch idea?

Sometimes. 

 

All of the factors noted in the last point apply – if you want to chat, get in touch at cracksappearing.distro@riseup.net.

 

 

Can CAD post orders overseas?

Yeah, we can.  Having said that we haven’t set the online shop up for overseas orders because the costs are significantly higher; often prohibitively so. 

 

So, we do have a links page over here, and on that there are a bunch of awesome distros around the world doing similar stuff to us.  That said, if you’d still like to enquire about an order through us outside of so-called Australia, shoot us an email at cracksappearing.distro@riseup.net and let us know what you’d be interested in ordering and where you’d want it shipped to – we’ll get back to you with a quote and we can make arrangements from there.

 

 

Do CAD do bulk orders?

Yes.  If you’re interested in ordering bulk quantities of any of our stock for your own distro, for your group to do some mass stickering, for Crapmas presents or otherwise, get in touch and we can chat about our bulk discount options.

 

 

How long will my CAD order take to arrive?

CAD will dispatch your order within 48 hours of receiving payment or notify you if this isn’t possible. 

 

Orders are sent by ordinary post and will take up to 6 business days to be delivered across so-called Australia after being mailed, as per Australia Post guidelines.

 

 

How do CAD calculate postage?

Using Australia Post rates - https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost_corp/media/documents/post-guides/post-charges-guide-ms11.pdf.

 

 

Isn’t an “anarchist/anti-capitalist business” an oxymoron?
The anarchist publishing company AK Press answered this perfectly and we couldn't say it better ourselves:

"There’s definitely something strange and contradictory about the concept of an anarchist business. We work hard to destroy and move beyond capitalism, toward a non-exploitative, sustainable, and just economy.  However, like it or not, capitalism is the only game in town at the moment.  The building we work in, the packages we send and receive, the computers we use—all are the result of the exploited labor of the working class.  Until we take power away from private economic tyrannies like corporations and investment groups, until we’re in control of our creative energies, almost every good or service we use or provide is administered by capitalism.  AK Press doesn’t exist to enrich its members at the expense of consumers. We’re here to provide much needed tools for intellectual self-defense.  When we call ourselves an “anarchist business” it’s with the full knowledge that the economy is not in our hands.  Yet."

 

 

Accountability on fundraising

Cracks Appearing Distro takes fundraising for campaigns and third party projects really seriously.  CAD offers special deals on consignment where our suppliers are donating all or the majority of their proceeds to posi projects. 

 

If you believe that CAD have been fundraising for a project you’re involved in, either directly or that we’ve stated that a third party stock item is raising funds for your project, feel free to get in touch.  So long as we can verify your connection with the project, we will always be happy to share transparent records of sales, funds raised and where they’ve been directed to.

 

 

Got other questions?

Hit us up at cracksappearing.distro@riseup.net.