Pre-ordering from Amazon question

[Xydarc]

So I cancelled my Persona 4 pre-order at GameStop (got ripped off of a pre-order bonus for Eternal Poison), and I want to pre-order the game from Amazon. Since I've never done it before, I have a question: do I pay for the product up front? Or do I pay for the item when it's shipped?

EDIT: Apparently "gipped" is a racist term. Removed.

[Kenzington4short]

You're charged when it ships.

Funny, I cancelled my preorder for Persona 4 a couple of weeks ago. I was going to preorder with all of the little goodies, but there's a good chance I'll never get to the game. Heck, I haven't even unwrapped P3:FES.

[Xydarc]

Thanks for the reply. With Atlus releases, you're better off pre-ordering. If it wasn't for the release of Persona 3: FES, I'd be without.

[Wraith]

Yeah, they charge you when it ships. And if their price changes at all between when you order and when it ships, you'll pay the lowest price during that period.

They did have a price policy where if their price drops within 30 (15?) days after you're charged, they'll refund you the difference, but they recently dropped that policy.


The only place I know I've been charged when I placed my preorder, rather than when it shipped, is Rosen Queen (the NIS America online store).

[Fubl]

Amazon dropped the after ship price change in sept

[JayVe]

I just ordered The Last Remnant from Amazon for an amazing $40. Haven't gotten it, and I don't know how quickly they'll ship it. But saving $20 on the game was enough to convince me that I probably don't need it the DAY it comes out. :D

[frederec]

Amazon seems to be getting much better about video games these days. They seem to be faster (though I still get the games a day or two after they show up in stores), and now they seem to be having the pre-order goodies that you used to only be able to get from Gamestop and the like.

Just a few months ago I about swore them off since I would keep preordering things from them, then when they should ship they would magically say it wasn't going to get to me for another two to four weeks, at which point I would leave and find a gamestop that had it that day. But at this point I have almost no reason to set foot in a gamestop again, and I'm liking it.

[Narradisall]

Amazon UK is great. Whenever I have ordered it arrives on the day. Never had a single problem with them. Don't know about US though. I certainly use it over any over game store.

[frederec]

In recent weeks I've had a game slated to come out one week, and wouldn't hear anything about it being shipped until around Thursday. Since I get the two-day shipping, I would expect it to come on Monday, two business days later. But they seem to ship it overnight to make sure it still shows up the same week. I've got a couple of games (Rune Factory 2 and Luminous Arc 2) arriving today that way, and Eternal Poison did the same.

[Wraith]

In recent weeks I've had a game slated to come out one week, and wouldn't hear anything about it being shipped until around Thursday. Since I get the two-day shipping, I would expect it to come on Monday, two business days later. But they seem to ship it overnight to make sure it still shows up the same week. I've got a couple of games (Rune Factory 2 and Luminous Arc 2) arriving today that way, and Eternal Poison did the same.Huh, I haven't gotten my shipping e-mail for Luminous Arc 2 yet.

Says they'll have it in stock Sunday, and mine will ship until Monday (24th). Release date was the 18th. I preordered back in September, but with free shipping...

[frederec]

Huh, I haven't gotten my shipping e-mail for Luminous Arc 2 yet.

Says they'll have it in stock Sunday, and mine will ship until Monday (24th). Release date was the 18th. I preordered back in September, but with free shipping...

Do you use amazon prime? If not, that may be the difference. What's strange is they'll sometimes ship things out on the same day, like those two games and the strategy guide for Rune Factory 2. The two games are coming one day later, but the guide isn't coming until Monday. I think there must be some sort of delivery guarantee hiding in there that I'm not watching carefully.

[Wraith]

Do you use amazon prime? If not, that may be the difference. What's strange is they'll sometimes ship things out on the same day, like those two games and the strategy guide for Rune Factory 2. The two games are coming one day later, but the guide isn't coming until Monday. I think there must be some sort of delivery guarantee hiding in there that I'm not watching carefully.Yeah, I used regular free shipping; I don't have Prime. Does using prime (or normal upgraded shipping) always mean your product will ship sooner than choosing free shipping? (I know you'll get it sooner, but do they actually fill your order before everyone else?)

[frederec]

Yeah, I used regular free shipping; I don't have Prime. Does using prime (or normal upgraded shipping) always mean your product will ship sooner than choosing free shipping? (I know you'll get it sooner, but do they actually fill your order before everyone else?)

I wouldn't expect so...but at this point I'm really just speculating. I don't know for sure. It wouldn't make sense to hold your order longer than mine. Shipping at different speeds, sure, but not holding on to it longer.

[PathMaster]

Yeah, I used regular free shipping; I don't have Prime. Does using prime (or normal upgraded shipping) always mean your product will ship sooner than choosing free shipping? (I know you'll get it sooner, but do they actually fill your order before everyone else?)

Amazon takes care of their Prime members really well.

[mesh]

Never had any trouble with pre-orders on amazon. Their packaging sucks though, so I try to find things elsewhere first.

[Wraith]

Never had any trouble with pre-orders on amazon. Their packaging sucks though, so I try to find things elsewhere first.Packaging has been hit or miss for me. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's kinda poor. But it's never been bad enough to keep me from buying there.

[bapenguin]

Amazon takes care of their Prime members really well.

Yeah prime is seriously the best $79 I ever spent on that site. It's also the worst.

[Elrik Murder]

Yeah prime is seriously the best $79 I ever spent on that site. It's also the worst.

Please explain. I did the free trial and I'm on the fence if I should keep it or not. I honestly can't justify the cost as of right now, I just did it to ensure timely arrival of X-mas presents.

[KingGorilla]

gipped

I am glad Gamestop Corp refuses to sell to racists.

[bapenguin]

Please explain. I did the free trial and I'm on the fence if I should keep it or not. I honestly can't justify the cost as of right now, I just did it to ensure timely arrival of X-mas presents.

Well you'll find yourself doing a lot more impulse purchases, including things you may not necessarily always buy online just because the shipping is free and timely.

I'm not lying when I saw I've probably ordered 50-60 things from Amazon this year - all with two day shipping. Combine that with my Amazon rewards card and I make every excuse I can to buy something from them if it's available.

So it's great because I probably have saved quite a bit of money not only in shipping, but in product savings. But it's also bad because I've probably bought things I didn't necessarily needed because I have the free shipping, points, etc.

[Sazime]

Just be warned: pre-ordering does not mean it will ship the day of release. I've ordered items 6 months in advance and have received notice that my items won't ship until the week following their release date.

Not sure how Prime members are treated, but this had caused to me cancel orders. Comes down to waiting 2 weeks, or spending $10 more for something in a local shop.

[Widgetcraft]

I don't pre-order through Amazon, as they consistently fucked me over with game pre-orders to the point that I really don't like ordering anything at all from them anymore. Basically, their games used to come from Toys'R'Us, who is completely shit to buy from online, and Amazon takes absolutely no responsibility for their "partners." If you see the Toys'R'Us logo anywhere on the product page, stay away from it.

I just order my games from Gamestop.com, with overnight shipping they'll usually get it to me on release day.

[Wraith]

I don't pre-order through Amazon, as they consistently fucked me over with game pre-orders to the point that I really don't like ordering anything at all from them anymore. Basically, their games used to come from Toys'R'Us, who is completely shit to buy from online, and Amazon takes absolutely no responsibility for their "partners." If you see the Toys'R'Us logo anywhere on the product page, stay away from it.Yeah, I generally avoid ordering from third-party sellers on Amazon (I'd be more likely to trust a known seller like Target or Toys R Us than some of these places I've never heard of, but sticking to Amazon items means less hassle). I don't know that I've ever seen a third-party seller listed as the seller for a game when it's up for preorder, though. Maybe that was more common a few years ago.

[Mike Kelehan]

Toys R Us does suck when it comes to online orders. That's why Amazon dropped them. Since then, Amazon's been nothing but great when I've ordered games from them. I wouldn't hold the Amazon of today accountable for TRU's past actions.

[Xydarc]

I am glad Gamestop Corp refuses to sell to racists.
I edited my original post. I hope it is more to your liking.