9 reasons Kickstarter projects ship late

Manufacturing disasters, packing chaos and the whims of Apple are just a few of the unexpected obstacles these Kickstarter creators faced.

Certifications

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The PocketTV required certifications from multiple international consumer-electronics regulators.

Electronics makers can't control one crucial part of their development timeline: Getting certifications from regulators and other outside parties.

The creators of PocketTV, an Android-linked thumb drive device, added three weeks to their delivery estimates as they waited for FCC and CE clearances.

"We initially had forgotten to include the time needed to get these certifications into our project plan," they wrote in an update for buyers. "These are taking a little longer than expected."

The makers of the long-delayed ZPM Nocturne, a home espresso maker, recently hired a consultant to guide them through the UL safety certification process. Their newest delivery timeline adds several months for testing.

Anything iPhone-linked has to get the green light from Apple. That can be a lingering purgatory: The team behind the Cookoo watch waited almost a month for Apple (AAPL) to approve its iOS app. -Stacy Cowley

  @CNNTech - Last updated December 19 2012 01:27 PM ET

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