Question. Why on EARTH would you preorder something??

[LordAzrael]

I think the budgeting reason is a good one. At any point I can log into the SSC website and see what I have coming down the pike. Could I do that with excell? sure, but as long as there is no cancellation fee I'll preorder it.

I actually do that too. I use Sideshow as my list, but often I can the HT preorder and get it off ebay - it really just lets me keep track of what I have coming when.

 

[Darklord Dave]

Why in the world would you NOT?

I guess I don't understand the question. If I don't order it when it first becomes available I forget about it, or forget who I ordered it from and you frequently will pay more when it's released.

 

[Valfar]

Pre-ordering anything involves paying shipping usually..so, no you don't pay more when its released if you can get it locally, which i do 95% of the time, especially for Hot Toys stuff since Toys2 is just 30mins away.

 

[SimFeliz]

Is it ensuring you get it first? Surely not. If you preorder something somewhere you're stuck waiting until they get their stock. They could be first but it's a lot better of a chance that they won't be. There's nothing worse than walking into your local store and seeing something you preordered off the internet and leave knowing you could have had it today but have to wait until wherever the hell you ordered it from gets theirs in. And then they STILL have to ship it to YOU after that so you have to wait some more. AND not only that but you've already spent the money on it, same as you would have the afternoon you walk into the store but you still don't have it yet.

I don't know where you live, but in Australia it's not that simple. Shops that stock are far and few between, and most charge outrageous prices. Even Ebay is hit and miss. When the $AU is good It's mostly cheaper to buy direct.

Is it a budgeting reason??

Simply yes, well partly. I find if I don't pre-order something when it does come out I put off buying, yet if I pre-order I usually buy it. Also I flex-pay a lot, another incentive.

 

[LChinoz]

Because I get mine reserved. Is there really more to say?

 

[plasmid303]

I'm impartial. Why would anyone have feelings of such fervor on either side of the argument?

However, I can say that I don't pre-order most collectibles unless there's an exclusive or bonus item because A) For many web stores, pre-ordering means you're locked in to any cancellation fees if you change your mind later. B) Because Hot Toys recently has had a tendency to drop the ball with the final production units, and C) because there is usually a 1-2 month window to buy most collectibles at average value before they become scarce.

 

[Johnny Utah]

I got the HT T2 T-800 for E135. A steal! When it's released it'll go up for sure.

 

[Filthyrich]

Like Valfar, I buy all my stuff locally as well but I will preorder on most things I know I want, Hot Toys, Sideshow Statues and even the occasional NECA piece.

The pre-order pricing is and the possibility of a retailer selling out are the primary reasons why I do it but it also gives me piece of mind in terms of budgeting my collecting.

I cant even remember the last time I have made an impulse buy on a collectible, its just a good habit for me

 

[Josette]

I never pre-order anything. I've never had trouble getting what I wanted, either.

 

[Geil]

Pre-ordering anything involves paying shipping usually..so, no you don't pay more when its released if you can get it locally, which i do 95% of the time, especially for Hot Toys stuff since Toys2 is just 30mins away.

haha thats not a fair comparison though :emperor
Toys2 is where ppl consider getting their preorders to get it early

 

[ProgMatinee]

i preorder because i use other peoples accounts.

 

[Master Wayne]

Why do you call ahead and make reservations at a hotel? Or a busy, well known restaurant? Or car rental place? Why do you pay rent at the first of the month? It's all the same principle, to reserve it.

 

[shocktrooper_au]

I preorder to reserve mine locally & to save a couple of $$, otherwise it's a Ebay visit or trying to get it sent from the USA or HK, while cheaper there the postage can sting & with the value of the dollar fluctuating it's a gamble if you'll get in cheaper local or not. So maybe it's stability & convenience, I know where it is, how much & when it's going to ship & the time it take to ship from a regular etailer

 

[Bullet]

I preorder because i get items at trade need to wait a little longer but for the price im paying couldnt care less

 

[uzumaki_1]

This isn't about preordering figures but i'll get to that point in 1 min. I remember when I wanted the Special Edition of Mass Effect 2. I bought it at the last minute without preordering it and got my copy abt 2 days before it came out. the minute it came out the prices on ebay for the game shot up big time. Thats one reason to preorder...so you don't pay stupid prices when its not available to everyone. Also you ask a very dum question. You should close the post you made lol...you could of asked a family member, they would have told you the answer as well...lol..

 

[YoNoSe]

The only time I preorder is for the SSC Exclusives. And at this point, that has to be a something I really want. Otherwise, I get everything cheaper locally.

 

[yruh8n]

However, there has been several times that I didn't preorder something I wanted and later found out that the item was not put into production due to "lack of interest."

This is an excellant point. The way it was explained to me is that the producer guages interest and sets the edition number at least partially based on preorder numbers. If there aren't enough preorders the decession may be made to cancel production instead of sitting on half or more of the actual products once they are manufactured. In the current economy companies (especially smaller ones) have to make educated guesses as to how much product to make without having too much inventory left over. Preorders are part of that equation.