Pre-orders declining, 'bout time

[duffmanth]

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2015/04/24/uk-pre-orders-take-a-nosedive-as-gamers-grow-wary

[kai123]

Good. I don't preorder anywhere that requires a deposit. I preorder through Amazon only because they just hold the game for me and not my money.

[buzz_n64]

I pre-ordered a game at Gamestop once in 2003. I couldn't come in on launch day because I had to work, but figured that I was okay since I had a pre-order to reserve my copy if they ran out. I come in the day after launch day and they said they were out of the game. I showed them my pre-order reservation and all they said was sorry and that they could refund me the $5 or $10 deposit I had on it. I took my money and bought the game somewhere else. I never pre-ordered a game ever again.

[JSoup]

I used to pre-order a lot when I was a kid, then nothing for years.
Started up again when Amazon TURK became a thing and pre-orders frequently came with Amazon cash rewards. If you used TURK enough, you were basically being payed $10 to get a free game, part of why TURK is less profitable these days.

[Bojay1997]

I preorder all the time and frankly, it's the only way to get low print run collector's editions since publishers have started to restrict print runs in large part due to retailers not wanting large CEs taking up floor space. You can preorder on Bestbuy.com, Gamestop.com and Amazon.com for free, so there really is no reason not to preorder if something might sell out since you can cancel until the day of shipping and return items in store or by mail very easily.

[Gentlegamer]

I preorder all the time and frankly, it's the only way to get low print run collector's editions since publishers have started to restrict print runs in large part due to retailers not wanting large CEs taking up floor space. You can preorder on Bestbuy.com, Gamestop.com and Amazon.com for free, so there really is no reason not to preorder if something might sell out since you can cancel until the day of shipping and return items in store or by mail very easily.

This one of the only reasons to pre-order, though I think most CEs are gross baubles that should be pre-packaged inside a garbage can.

[The 1 2 P]

I only pre-order on Bestbuy.com and theres two reasons I do this. First, you can get between $10-$20(depending on the game) in reward certificates for pre-ordering and picking your game up. You can then use that money to put towards any future purchase. And second, as a rewards and gamers club member I get points back on everything so even when I pre-order and buy a new game I never have to pay more than $30. As an example I pre-ordered Halo: The Master Chief Collection for $20 and used $28 in rewards certificates(it was only $48 new for gamers club unlocked members). And for my purchase I was given an additional $10 in rewards certificates to use. But I would never pre-order anywhere else because theres really no reason to do this since games seldom sell out(other than the already mentioned limited/collector's edition although sometimes you can wait and get them for up to 80% off at retail stores) and all that extra pre-order content will eventually be made available either as a free download or as part of a GOTY edition.

Also, that survey was only for the UK. The majority of people on this site probably don't pre-order much any more but the pre-order numbers for Destiny and Watchdogs proved that games are still getting pre-ordered in very large numbers.

[Tanooki]

I got burned buying a couple CEs in the last few years as I ended up having nowhere to display the crap, so unless there's some hard core utility to it I pass. I ended up with FF Type0 PS4 in that style as a gift, which is great because I wanted that 200+pg manga in there along with the music to listen to so figuring the value of that it's not bad.

[bb_hood]

Preorders for the Jiggly Puff amiibo sold out in 3 minutes.
The Ness amiibo preorder sold out in about an hour and 45 minutes, but only because the gamestop website crashed for about an hour and 30 of those minutes.

[Tanooki]

And now let's put odds on what the percentage of those went to resale. :)

[bb_hood]

I preordered Ness and Charizard for myself.
Ness is a Gamestop exclusive so its gonna be a rare one for sure.
There is a limit of 1 amiibo preorder per address at Gamestop, and if you go to different GS locations trying to buy more they drop your orders completely.

[ProjectCamaro]

The only game I have ever preordered was Far Cry 4. I don't preorder because I normally wait at least a few months after a game comes out to buy it as the price normally drops pretty dramaticly. I preordered Far Cry 4 because it came with some extra missions and weapons for the same cost and as one of my favorite franchises I was actually willing to pay full price and buy it when it first came out. To be fair I preordered it one day before its release day so I didn't have to wait for it. Then I picked it up from the store on release day.

[WCP]

Pre-ordering games makes absolutely no sense to me (with minor exceptions...)



Pre-ordering hardware, on the other hand, makes perfect sense, and is highly recommended if you want to get your system at launch. (I've always been a habitual early adopter, and I've learned the hard way when I didn't pre-order my new gaming system well in advance...)

[Gentlegamer]

Pre-ordering on Amazon made sense a few years ago when they routinely offered $10-20 off (sometimes for a future pre-order) and free release day shipping.

In 2011, I started with Portal 2, received $10 off a future pre-order, rolled that to Gears of War 3, which gave $20 off a future pre-order, rolled that to Batman Arkham City, which gave $10 off a future pre-order, rolled that to Skyrim, which gain gave $10 off a future pre-order, rolled to Mass Effect 3 which is where the chain stopped because Amazon stopped giving pre-order deals.

Of course, from a pure price perspective there was no reason to buy any of those at launch, each could be had for $20 or under used just a few months after release.

[JSoup]

In 2011, I started with Portal 2, received $10 off a future pre-order, rolled that to Gears of War 3, which gave $20 off a future pre-order, rolled that to Batman Arkham City, which gave $10 off a future pre-order, rolled that to Skyrim, which gain gave $10 off a future pre-order, rolled to Mass Effect 3 which is where the chain stopped because Amazon stopped giving pre-order deals.

What I did to, except from Portal 2 I went to the next LEGO game and then followed that train out of the station.

[Garry Silljo]

I preorder as a means of interest free financing. It's hard for me to come up with $60 all at once, but $5 a pay and my budget feels no pain. As long as I know far enough ahead that I want a game, I start paying early and usually have it paid in full including tax by launch day, with no strain on the budget.

[The 1 2 P]

Pre-ordering on Amazon made sense a few years ago when they routinely offered $10-20 off (sometimes for a future pre-order) and free release day shipping.

In 2011, I started with Portal 2, received $10 off a future pre-order, rolled that to Gears of War 3, which gave $20 off a future pre-order, rolled that to Batman Arkham City, which gave $10 off a future pre-order, rolled that to Skyrim, which gain gave $10 off a future pre-order, rolled to Mass Effect 3 which is where the chain stopped because Amazon stopped giving pre-order deals.

This is how pre-ordering at Best Buy works, with two noticable exceptions. First, every purchase you make at Best Buy or BestBuy.com goes towards points that add up to certificates to use for any purchases made at the store(including online). And second, if you are a gamers club unlocked member(as I am) you get several additional perks, including one where all new software is 20% off. So new games are $48 before you put your certificates towards lowering the purchase price further AND you get an additional $10-20 certificate(depending on the game) to use for future purchases for each new game pre-order. Luckily I don't pre-order much so I always have at least $10-30 to put towards a new pre-order once or twice a year. This year that will go toward Halo 5 and either COD: BO III or Star Wars: Battlefront....or Batman: Arkham Knight. I haven't decided yet but the two games after certificates will cost me roughly $50 total and I'll get $20 in certificates(from pre-ordering) to put towards future purchases.