MARC'S REMARKS
WHY PRE-ORDER?
You may have noticed that new pre-orders are being listed with "order by" dates. That's to help us order the correct number of pieces of an item to meet our customer demand. Retailers order new products 3-12 months in advance, and we use a complex formula (it's really not that complex) to come up with a number for each item.
What does this have to do with you? Well, if you don't pre-order by the "order by" date, you may miss out on an item, and we'd hate to see that happen. More and more manufacturers are producing just enough product to satisfy retailer pre-orders, meaning that many items from
Hot Toys,
Sideshow Collectibles and
DC Collectibles are selling out prior to their release date. In some case, many months before they're released.
Pre-orders are very important to both retailers and manufacturers. We rely on them to gauge interest in a piece as do manufacturers. In fact, manufacturers set edition sizes based on pre-order numbers.
I've often told customers "if you know you want an item, pre-order early." And that's the bottom line - the earlier that you pre-order, the better the chances of getting the piece that you want.
Now you know. And knowing is half the battle.
Have a great week!