Indiegogo's crowdfunding insurance pays you back if projects go bust
If you've poured a lot of money into crowdfunding, you've probably backed a project that either missed its release date or was an out-and-out fraud -- and since there are rarely recourses in these cases, that often means that you've wasted your money. For Indiegogo, this is enough of a concern that it's now testing crowdfunding insurance that compensates you if a campaign goes belly-up. All you do is pay extra on top of your pledge; if the promised goods arrive more than three months late or don't show up at all, you get your money back. Indiegogo is only trialing insurance with one campaign, Olive's anti-stress wristband, but it might expand the offering if the dry run proves successful.
The peace of mind could be useful, especially for high-risk projects that could easily go off the rails. You wouldn't have to worry about losing hundreds or thousands of dollars simply because you're optimistic. With that said, this doesn't address gripes that crowdfunding sites do little to vet campaigns before they start taking cash -- you've no doubt seen some sketchy projects that were doomed to failure from the outset, assuming they were real in the first place. Insurance helps, but it's ideally combined with stricter rules that prevent ripoffs from getting a single penny.
