I get a lot of questions from people about how our pre-orders work, so here's the lowdown:
Why pre-order?Preference, that's why. When a hot new item arrives, we start with the pre-orders first. On release day, demand can be outrageously high for some items, and we do everything we can to get all orders packed and shipped before the last delivery truck runs. But pre-ordered merchandise is processed first, so the sooner your order is placed, the more likely it is to be shipped on day 1.
This preferential treatment can also be the difference when supply is very limited or demand so high that we run out of an item. You'll see that a lot of things we sell are limited edition, but even things that aren't can be in limited supply at release. Although in most situations, we'll be getting more product when the manufacturer can complete our shipment, we do not have control over their production limits. The only fair thing to do is to fill orders as they were received, pre-orders first, and ship the rest as soon as our supplier can manufacture, package and send the rest to us. We hate when this happens, and we know you do too. That's why we offer the option of getting your order in ahead of the last-minute rush.
Why do pre-order dates change or go by without a shipment or announcement?I promise, it isn't because we're holding back merchandise or failing to deliver! The dates we publish are given by the companies that make the things we sell - these are their own projected delivery schedules. Some of them make their deadlines on almost every product release, and we're always happy when things run like clockwork. But there can be glitches and delays before an item ever hits the shelf. Whether a supply-line problem arises in manufacturing, licensing, packaging or even shipping, sometimes merchandise just doesn't get to us when the makers thought it would. To make it even more complicated, they're often too busy scrambling to fix those issues to let us know that something has been delayed, or why it happened. We stay on top of the game, though, and try to ensure that our pre-order release dates are accurate based on the information available to us. When there's an update, we get those posted quickly to ensure that our pre-order customers know when to expect delivery.
And there's one last reason: Locking in prices. We sometimes see price increases after release, but if you've pre-ordered, you can save yourself from this possibility.
When are pre-orders charged to my card?We don't bill your credit card until your order is shipped.
Why can't I have pre-orders and regular merchandise on the same order with PayPal?You can, but we can't ship them separately, so your regular merchandise will be on hold until everything is available. This is due to PayPal's policies for merchants, so we have to ask that you divide the order if you want the available items sooner.
