Why does it take so long to get the product made?

With preorders we place the order after the preorder period has ended. Different manufacturers have different lead times. Typically GMK takes around 12-16 weeks. Signature Plastics can take over 1 year depending on the keycap set. 

For mousepads, the production time is typically around 4-6 weeks, and another 4-6 weeks for shipping. This is because the mousepads are shipped by sea.