Has your experience with Kickstarter projects been different? Did anybody receive any goods so far?
Here's what I've backed, and how they've turned out:
Successful
* Sunski Sunglasses - A resounding success. Just got my pair today, and the item was exactly as described. The glasses, packaging, and design is all top-notch
* Wear You Live - A local company (for me at least) that used the money to purchase the initial equipment. I received all items promptly and on schedule.
* Cowboy Comb - Not as ambitious (they just wanted enough interest to make producing the combs profitable) but I got my item quickly and exactly as described.
* Freaker USA - Upgraded coozies. Another project that is putting people in my area to work, plus the updates were hilarious. I got my items exactly as described and on time.
* The Jay DeMerrit Story - Used the Kickstarter campaign to build buzz and raise funds for additional footage. Ended up getting the film a few months later.
Pending
* Castle Story - A Minecraft-esque strategy game. They've released alpha, and while I haven't played it, they've been really good about updating me and I think they're actually going to ship this game...eventually.
* Fight for Space - A movie currently in production, but they seem to be making solid headway. I honestly have no idea how this one is going to turn out.
* Code Hero - This is the one all the buzz has been about recently, but apparently they've been actually making progress.
It seems to me that the easiest way to avoid getting burned is to not back a "game-changing" hardware product or a six-figure software product. I am of course glad people attempt these kinds of projects.