The Paradoxical Nature Of Pre-Orders

[xenopherus]

I paid off rockband and mass effect this last Friday. But it got me thinking about how the whole pre-order thing works. Didn't I just purchase the games? I left the store with a reciept, but no games in hand. The store had them in stock, but couldn't give me my games (for obvious reasons).

I was wondering, since they can't actually "sell" the games, would a voucher be a possibility? They give me the game, but don't take it out of their inventory until the 20th. Why couldn't that work? They have the paperwork to prove the item(s) were paid for. If someone wants to pay off their purchase in advance, they should get the game if it's in stock. If one wants to just put $5 down, and pay the rest on the game's release date, that would be fine too. Sort of like how layaway works. ARGH!! It makes perfect sense! Does anyone agree/disagree with this theory? Am I overlooking some huge obvious flaw?

[Chris_Gonzalez]

I paid off rockband and mass effect this last Friday. But it got me thinking about how the whole pre-order thing works. Didn't I just purchase the games? I left the store with a reciept, but no games in hand. The store had them in stock, but couldn't give me my games (for obvious reasons).

I was wondering, since they can't actually "sell" the games, would a voucher be a possibility? They give me the game, but don't take it out of their inventory until the 20th. Why couldn't that work? They have the paperwork to prove the item(s) were paid for. If someone wants to pay off their purchase in advance, they should get the game if it's in stock. If one wants to just put $5 down, and pay the rest on the game's release date, that would be fine too. Sort of like how layaway works. ARGH!! It makes perfect sense! Does anyone agree/disagree with this theory? Am I overlooking some huge obvious flaw?

Either I'm not fully understanding what you mean, or you're trying to create a system already in place. The reciept is your voucher. You get a reciept saying that you preordered it as long as you put down the minimum payment. You can still pay the rest of it off on the release date, and they aren't allowed to sell your copy until after 2 days have passed from when the game came out.

EDIT: In fact, I wasn't fully understanding your post. I wish that would work, but that would result in people getting their games before the street dates. That's a no-go.

[ChaosElement]

Am I overlooking some huge obvious flaw?

Yes. Yes you are. I have no idea what flaw you might possibly be overlooking, but yes, you are.

[Quastor]

Because that would be breaking the street date. And that's a big no-no.

[Transbrak]

all you are doing when pre ordering is getting them to hold your copy, a store can face fines if they sell games early, tecnically its not against the law but imagine if gamestop didnt care about street dates and sold stuff whenever and then ea or microsaoft or whoever said oh well you wont listen well guess what you cant carry our games anymore

so yes your overlooking the fact that it would still be breaking the street date

[Tendoza]

I have no idea how pre-orders work. Im the guy you see standing outside of your neighbourhood bestbuy an hour before it opens.

[likwidomg]

I paid off rockband and mass effect this last Friday. But it got me thinking about how the whole pre-order thing works. Didn't I just purchase the games? I left the store with a reciept, but no games in hand. The store had them in stock, but couldn't give me my games (for obvious reasons).

I was wondering, since they can't actually "sell" the games, would a voucher be a possibility? They give me the game, but don't take it out of their inventory until the 20th. Why couldn't that work? They have the paperwork to prove the item(s) were paid for. If someone wants to pay off their purchase in advance, they should get the game if it's in stock. If one wants to just put $5 down, and pay the rest on the game's release date, that would be fine too. Sort of like how layaway works. ARGH!! It makes perfect sense! Does anyone agree/disagree with this theory? Am I overlooking some huge obvious flaw?

I think you answered your own question.

[scain826]

I think the question being asked is: why mandated street dates?

(I understand the economy and importance [and incovenience] of a company's street dates. I just think that's what xenopherus is getting at.)

[Transbrak]

so there is enough time to get product to retailers and so no one gets an unfair advantage in selling product i would think

[Rodzilla]

so there is enough time to get product to retailers and so no one gets an unfair advantage in selling product i would think

Bingo. Publishers have to mass produces tons of copies of games. They then ship these out before the release date to retailers so that all the retailers have copies in time for the game's official release. If they didn't have official street dates then the moment retailers received their copies they could start selling them, which would lead to broad inconsistencies in where games were available and when, and could frequently give stores an advantage and confuse consumers. This is why mandated street dates exist.

[DShiz1029]

I paid off rockband and mass effect this last Friday. But it got me thinking about how the whole pre-order thing works. Didn't I just purchase the games? I left the store with a reciept, but no games in hand. The store had them in stock, but couldn't give me my games (for obvious reasons).

I was wondering, since they can't actually "sell" the games, would a voucher be a possibility? They give me the game, but don't take it out of their inventory until the 20th. Why couldn't that work? They have the paperwork to prove the item(s) were paid for. If someone wants to pay off their purchase in advance, they should get the game if it's in stock. If one wants to just put $5 down, and pay the rest on the game's release date, that would be fine too. Sort of like how layaway works. ARGH!! It makes perfect sense! Does anyone agree/disagree with this theory? Am I overlooking some huge obvious flaw?



If they did that, ninjas would come out of the trees and attack you. These ninjas would be sent by Microsoft...

[xenopherus]

They'd only be breaking the street date if they "sell" the game before the release date, as a regular transaction. In my dumb mind I was thinking it'd be a neat idea if they didn't take the items out of their inventory until after the fact. Let the customer have the item they paid for, then take it out of their inventory the next day (assuming the next day is the official release date).

[Atomixor]

They'd only be breaking the street date if they "sell" the game before the release date, as a regular transaction. In my dumb mind I was thinking it'd be a neat idea if they didn't take the items out of their inventory until after the fact. Let the customer have the item they paid for, then take it out of their inventory the next day (assuming the next day is the official release date).

So. You pay for it. You get it. But then they just don't write down that they sold it until the next day?

Yeah, still breaking the street date if anyone was to find out. Just because you don't write something down doesn't mean it didn't happen. See: Enron.

[Transbrak]

yeah something like that wouldn't stay secret for long

[xfMike]

If they did that, ninjas would come out of the trees and attack you. These ninjas would be sent by Microsoft...

Aren't the only "ninjas" Microsoft have just an elite pack of lawyers? :P