How Does The Pre-order Work?

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Q: How does the pre-order work?

asked on July 6, 2015

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Showing 1-10 of 133 answers

I wish these other answers were false, but they are not. I "pre-ordered" an xbox one controller on 11/25 because it had an expected prime delivery date of ~12/10 but once 12/10 came around the pre-order changed to "out of stock" yet nothing has been shipped and the manufacturer nor Amazon's outsourced customer service… see more I wish these other answers were false, but they are not. I "pre-ordered" an xbox one controller on 11/25 because it had an expected prime delivery date of ~12/10 but once 12/10 came around the pre-order changed to "out of stock" yet nothing has been shipped and the manufacturer nor Amazon's outsourced customer service seem capable of giving me any answers. So my order remains in limbo with a "delivery date pending" status and they justify it by stating, 'well we haven't charged you yet, so....' They somehow fail to understand how this is a major inconvenience for a customer. Strangest (and most frustrating) part is the item has been put back into stock for orders twice since 12/10, almost as if they need to sell a certain amount before being able to fulfill the deal and maintain whatever 35%+ profit margin. Sorry for the rant but its bad practice for such a behemoth of a company. see less I wish these other answers were false, but they are not. I "pre-ordered" an xbox one controller on 11/25 because it had an expected prime delivery date of ~12/10 but once 12/10 came around the pre-order changed to "out of stock" yet nothing has been shipped and the manufacturer nor Amazon's outsourced customer service seem capable of giving me any answers. So my order remains in limbo with a "delivery date pending" status and they justify it by stating, 'well we haven't charged you yet, so....' They somehow fail to understand how this is a major inconvenience for a customer. Strangest (and most frustrating) part is the item has been put back into stock for orders twice since 12/10, almost as if they need to sell a certain amount before being able to fulfill the deal and maintain whatever 35%+ profit margin. Sorry for the rant but its bad practice for such a behemoth of a company. Jeffrey Lantigua · December 21, 2020 59 people found this helpful. Do you? | Report You choose what you want to pre-order, add to your cart, and then continue like you purchased anything else. You don't get charged until the product ships though, usually a day or two prior to shipping. JAG · July 20, 2015 69 people found this helpful. Do you? | Report I’ve preorder books multiple times many months before release date, but I never my order on time always gets pushed back weeks and in one occasion months and in other it appears as sold out. Isn’t the point of pre ordering is to assure you will get a book? Amazon is clearly taking more pre orders than they can handle. I think I will stop pre ordering on Amazon since it’s useless most of the time. They just charge me and send me the book whenever they get more batches. I guess I will switch over a more reliable store. Luis Perez · February 17, 2020 40 people found this helpful. Do you? | Report Since there was a 50/50 split concerning when you get charged, I consulted the Amazon Help page which read:"Pre-Order Games & SoftwareSelected unreleased games and software can be pre-ordered and automatically delivered to you on release day.… see more Since there was a 50/50 split concerning when you get charged, I consulted the Amazon Help page which read:"Pre-Order Games & SoftwareSelected unreleased games and software can be pre-ordered and automatically delivered to you on release day.To pre-order games and software: Go to the product detail page for the game or software you want to pre-order. Click Pre-order PC Download or Pre-order Mac Download. Click Place your pre-order.We won't charge you for the pre-order until release day, and will send you an e-mail to confirm when the item is available in Your Games & Software Library. If you'd like to cancel your pre-order before release day, go to Your Games & Software Library and click Cancel pre-order.Note:Eligible pre-orders include Amazon's Pre-Order Price Guarantee.System requirements for unreleased games and software may not be available. If you're not sure whether your system will be compatible with a pre-order game or software, we recommend contacting the publisher directly, or placing your order after the game is officially released."So, sounds like Amazon operates pre-orders as other retailers do and Won't charge until release day. see less Since there was a 50/50 split concerning when you get charged, I consulted the Amazon Help page which read:"Pre-Order Games & SoftwareSelected unreleased games and software can be pre-ordered and automatically delivered to you on release day.To pre-order games and software: Go to the product detail page for the game or software you want to pre-order. Click Pre-order PC Download or Pre-order Mac Download. Click Place your pre-order.We won't charge you for the pre-order until release day, and will send you an e-mail to confirm when the item is available in Your Games & Software Library. If you'd like to cancel your pre-order before release day, go to Your Games & Software Library and click Cancel pre-order.Note:Eligible pre-orders include Amazon's Pre-Order Price Guarantee.System requirements for unreleased games and software may not be available. If you're not sure whether your system will be compatible with a pre-order game or software, we recommend contacting the publisher directly, or placing your order after the game is officially released."So, sounds like Amazon operates pre-orders as other retailers do and Won't charge until release day. Left Seat Adventures · July 28, 2015 37 people found this helpful. Do you? | Report Here's how Amazon pre-order works. They'll put an item in their marketplace that is typically in high demand, hence the need to order in advance. They then keep the item listed as bait to waste your time and money on assuming that this item is still available even though it's going to get snagged up by 3rd party seller… see more Here's how Amazon pre-order works. They'll put an item in their marketplace that is typically in high demand, hence the need to order in advance. They then keep the item listed as bait to waste your time and money on assuming that this item is still available even though it's going to get snagged up by 3rd party sellers and relisted right back on the site for up to 3 times the value. If I did this with concert tickets, it would be scalping and illegal but somehow it's completely ethical for consumer goods. Go figure. You sit and wait and delays will appear if your pre-order suddenly drops out of stock, even though your order status shows it to be expected by a certain date giving you false hope until you finally have to track down an Amazon agent who then decides that you will be forced to cancel your order, if they haven't already made that choice for you to begin with. How this practice is tolerated is beyond me. You would figure that a multi-billion dollar corporation working with other multi-billion dollar corporations would find a better way to keep consumers happy because we are the reason for their heavy profits and repeat business, instead they play this carrot on a stick game with our heads and wallets and in the end we get shafted when you buy that special birthday or Christmas gift in hopes of getting it and it doesn't show. You would have to think that a law would be in existence for this, to at least clean up some of the headaches that come with it. Hopefully a solution is found soon. see less Here's how Amazon pre-order works. They'll put an item in their marketplace that is typically in high demand, hence the need to order in advance. They then keep the item listed as bait to waste your time and money on assuming that this item is still available even though it's going to get snagged up by 3rd party sellers and relisted right back on the site for up to 3 times the value. If I did this with concert tickets, it would be scalping and illegal but somehow it's completely ethical for consumer goods. Go figure. You sit and wait and delays will appear if your pre-order suddenly drops out of stock, even though your order status shows it to be expected by a certain date giving you false hope until you finally have to track down an Amazon agent who then decides that you will be forced to cancel your order, if they haven't already made that choice for you to begin with. How this practice is tolerated is beyond me. You would figure that a multi-billion dollar corporation working with other multi-billion dollar corporations would find a better way to keep consumers happy because we are the reason for their heavy profits and repeat business, instead they play this carrot on a stick game with our heads and wallets and in the end we get shafted when you buy that special birthday or Christmas gift in hopes of getting it and it doesn't show. You would have to think that a law would be in existence for this, to at least clean up some of the headaches that come with it. Hopefully a solution is found soon. Charlie · December 20, 2020 32 people found this helpful. Do you? | Report as others have said, you pay when it ships. But I'd also like to add that i've read when pre-ordering something limited edition, if you edit your pre-order to change payment method, you lose your "spot in line" However I've had success easily adding gift cards to the pre-order over time to reduce what will be charged to me when it ships. For example i had a bunch of points on my amazon visa credit card saved up since i pre-ordered. Instead of trying to edit my order to add the points, i used the points to buy a gift card, then applied the gift card to the order. It's easy. s · September 9, 2015 21 people found this helpful. Do you? | Report DO NOT EXPECT TO GET YOUR ORDER ON OR NEAR RELEASE DATE. Pre order does not guarantee your spot for product. Apparently when you pre order at amazon they have no clue if they will get product or amount of product they will get essentially you have the same chance as purchasing same day as they have no clue how much sto… see more DO NOT EXPECT TO GET YOUR ORDER ON OR NEAR RELEASE DATE. Pre order does not guarantee your spot for product. Apparently when you pre order at amazon they have no clue if they will get product or amount of product they will get essentially you have the same chance as purchasing same day as they have no clue how much stock they will recieve for some reason. I thought pre order held spot for products expected and only would take orders that they knew they could fill. This is false right not i have a pre ordered game in my cart that has been out for a few days and still not shipped or even processed with the game readily available at local stores in my area. see less DO NOT EXPECT TO GET YOUR ORDER ON OR NEAR RELEASE DATE. Pre order does not guarantee your spot for product. Apparently when you pre order at amazon they have no clue if they will get product or amount of product they will get essentially you have the same chance as purchasing same day as they have no clue how much stock they will recieve for some reason. I thought pre order held spot for products expected and only would take orders that they knew they could fill. This is false right not i have a pre ordered game in my cart that has been out for a few days and still not shipped or even processed with the game readily available at local stores in my area. matt · December 18, 2020 23 people found this helpful. Do you? | Report Here is how Amazon pre-orders work. If you pre-order an item Amazon will take every person's order no matter how many of the item that manufacture has. So for example if you preorder an item and the manufacture only has (20) available, amazon will take in 10,000 orders for that item. So you the customer won't be getting your pre-order unless you happen to one of the lucky 20 out of 10,000 that ordered the item. Best option...Pre-order from ANYONE other than Amazon. Amazon has no idea how to do pre-orders, WORST COMPANY for Pre-Orders across the board!! Amazon Customer · February 4, 2022 33 people found this helpful. Do you? | Report I have had other amazon exclusive items by preorder. 8 months later they cancelled it with no recourse and after shipping to other sellers months after my pre-order. They are so big they do not care about letting down customers and collectors. Preorder with other companies. Crystal R · April 26, 2021 10 people found this helpful. Do you? | Report You do the pre-order and then once it ships you will be charged for the item. I know I have order a few items on the pre-order and that is how it has been for me every time. chris · September 14, 2015 9 people found this helpful. Do you? | Report
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