Pre-Orders...Good or Bad?

[$20 on joe vs dan]

So the prevalence of Pre-Orders have kinda shy-rocketed, it seems...I'm throwing this poll out there to see how folks think about them.

Sharing a bit on my end...I think I participated in almost every pre-order this past year on LEGOs and some collectibles and let me say...not a single one panned out w/ the scarcity I was expecting...some are still TBD.  I think the hook for me (other than FOMO) is thinking I would have more money available later than now...and its always been opposite 😬

[brickvoyeur]

Preorders allow end users to get their hands on items directly, and allows the company to gauge demand and can encourage further product runs. 

This can kill quick flips if they gauge early that extra runs are needed quicker, and can kill the long hold if too many end users get their hands on it during the preorder period.

It's great for end users, but bad for scalpers.

[Brystheguy]

Agreed, I'm done with pre-orders unless it's just something I personally want. I also have yet to make money off of one and end up with a rack full of dead weight. 

[Belac]

I don't plan on Pre ordering anything Anymore. As I noted before I've watched people buy some the sets off the shelf before my pre order even shipped out. Just a Pointless hold up of my money. and also(as mentioned) lets LEGO judge demand which doesn't help resale. 

[Phil B]

Only pre-order I did was for the Mario Starter Set, because it came with the Monty Mole GWP which (so far) has remained exclusive to that pre-order. Otherwise I haven't bothered.

[MotorCityMuscle]

 

1 minute ago, Phil B said:

Only pre-order I did was for the Mario Starter Set, because it came with the Monty Mole GWP which (so far) has remained exclusive to that pre-order. Otherwise I haven't bothered.

i agree with this. 

and my answer lies somewhere in the "i'm not giving free marketing info anymore." I think that is exactly what Lego and other brands are doing with this. trying to gage production numbers. 

[exracer327]

17 minutes ago, MotorCityMuscle said:

 

I think that is exactly what Lego and other brands are doing with this. trying to gage production numbers. 

I agree with this.  I wondered if LEGO started doing that after the lackluster SW toys sales.  Lots of orphaned SW product after the last movie bombed.  The first two sets LEGO tried pre-order with was Razor Crest and Mandalorian BHz - both Star Wars.  After that, I guess LEGO is just trying to figure out where to focus production runs through the end of the year.

As for investment - I don't think we have enough data as the pre-order production runs are still running.

[$20 on joe vs dan]

1 hour ago, Belac said:

I don't plan on Pre ordering anything Anymore. As I noted before I've watched people buy some the sets off the shelf before my pre order even shipped out. Just a Pointless hold up of my money. and also(as mentioned) lets LEGO judge demand which doesn't help resale. 

if its to gauge demand, why are their limits of 1 or 2? (lets say 5000 is allocated and 5000 preorders taken...what info does that REALLY convey? that the original marketing research was correct that a new popular themed product is relatively popular?? (no duh)

I think there's also retail advantage for creating buzz early...essentially stretching out the time a product is perceived as "new" and builds the hype for the eventual drop at the stores.

Basically a nod to the 6-month old "Grand Opening" Sign at every asian business

Edited October 1, 2020 by $20 on joe vs dan

[MotorCityMuscle]

25 minutes ago, $20 on joe vs dan said:

if its to gauge demand, why are their limits of 1 or 2? (lets say 5000 is allocated and 5000 preorders taken...what info does that REALLY convey? that the original marketing research was correct that a new popular themed product is relatively popular?? (no duh)

I think there's also retail advantage for creating buzz early...essentially stretching out the time a product is perceived as "new" and builds the hype for the eventual drop at the stores.

Basically a nod to the 6-month old "Grand Opening" Sign at every asian business

conveys they need to make more? what if they did a pre-order and only 2500 orders were taken? "hey Jimmy, shut that line down, we have enough."

Lego puts caps on the majority of their purchases. Why would pre-orders be any different?

Edited October 1, 2020 by MotorCityMuscle