Amazon is known for being the biggest online retail store of our time, with a huge selection of items to choose from, options to pre-order the hottest upcoming products, and delivery right to your door.
While Amazon might be the go-to for your essentials, have you hesitated to buy an item before it was released due to questions about the Amazon pre-order policy? Here’s a guide to tell you all you need to know before you place that pre-order.
Amazon pre-order policy
Amazon’s pre-order policy is available for thousands of popular products, including consoles, video games, toys, tablets, Amazon products, and more. Additionally, Amazon customers are also guaranteed the lowest price possible with the pre-order price guarantee and will be refunded if the price drops in between the order and the release of the product.
If you are curious about the specific details of the Amazon pre-order policy, such as how it works, when you will get billed for your pre-ordered item, and more, keep reading!
How does pre-order work on Amazon?
Pre-ordering on Amazon works like placing a regular order on Amazon, which begins by searching for the product you’re interested in. You’ll see an option to pre-order in the section where you can add the item to your cart.
Once the item is in your cart, continue the checkout process as normal, including entering payment information and delivery address.
Some items have a release date delivery shipping option, while others will either show 2-day delivery with Prime or free shipping with a bit longer delivery date mentioned.
From here, you can place your order as you normally would, and that’s all you have to do to pre-order on Amazon!
If there are any changes with shipping or a price drop, you’ll receive an email from Amazon informing you of the updated information.
You also can go into your account and look up your order to see if any details have changed by just clicking on the track button.
Changes to the delivery date and other important information are stored here for pre-orders, just as it is for normal purchases.
What is the Amazon pre-order price guarantee?
When you pre-order an item on Amazon that is sold by Amazon.com, the company has a pre-order price guarantee on various physical and digital items.
If you’ve placed your pre-order and the price drops in between when you have placed the order and when the item is released, Amazon will refund you the difference.
Additionally, if the item is part of the program, you’ll see the pre-order price guarantee label within the product details. Those products that do not have this message listed are not a part of the pre-order price guarantee on Amazon.
If this is the case, you’ll be refunded the difference in price within 48 hours of release if you use a credit or debit card to pay for the item.
However, if another payment method was used, you’ll have to get in touch with Amazon to receive the refund to your Amazon account.
Does Amazon charge you immediately for pre-orders?
No, Amazon does not charge you immediately for the pre-order, but the exact time the money is taken from your account depends on how early you’ve pre-ordered the item and when it ships.
In most cases, Amazon charges your payment method anywhere from a few days before the item ships or on the release date itself.
To ensure your pre-order item arrives to you on time once it’s released, it’s best to have the funds available a week before release so that the payment can be processed without issue.
If there happens to be an issue with the payment method selected, you’ll be notified through an email and given a short window of time to rectify the issue before the pre-order is canceled.
How long do Amazon pre-orders take to ship?
Amazon pre-order shipments depend upon when you’ve placed the pre-order for the item and whether you’re a Prime member.
If you have Amazon Prime and order a week or more before release, then the item will ship a few days before the release.
As for when products leave the warehouse, shipments often occur a few days before release if you’re a Prime member.
Additionally, if you are not a Prime member or have waited until the last minute to order, then your item is going to ship on the release date.
Waiting until right before the product is released to place your order makes it difficult for Amazon to ship your item and have it delivered the day of release since Prime members are given priority.
If this is the case, Amazon does refund you if you paid for the delivery of the release date and your item did not ship out in time for you to receive it on the anticipated date.
Also, Amazon will not refund the shipping if a service interruption occurred outside of Amazon’s control.
Does Amazon limit pre-orders?
Some items will have limitations on them so that everyone has a fair chance to order the product.
Typically, this happens with gaming consoles during launch regularly since only a certain number have been produced and distributed to Amazon facilities.
If the item has a limitation on it, you’ll find it on the product details page, where you would click to enter in the quantity you’d like to order.
What types of items can you pre-order on Amazon?
Amazon offers a variety of items for pre-order, including several ebooks and paperback books.
The most popular pre-ordered items on Amazon include tablets, gaming consoles, video games, toys, and the vast selection of Amazon Fire and Echo products.
Do Amazon pre-orders arrive on the day of release?
If you have chosen to pay the extra cost associated with release date delivery or are a Prime member, you’ll get your Amazon pre-order the day of release.
Release date delivery is not available for all items and only eligible products will have the release date delivery option during checkout.
If you want to know more about shopping at Amazon, you can also see our related articles on when does Amazon charges for orders, if Amazon delivers to PO boxes, and how late does Amazon delivers.
Conclusion
Amazon’s pre-order policy allows you to get the lowest price possible for the item you’ve decided to purchase with the pre-order price guarantee, and it’s available for so many products shipped by Amazon.com.
With the ease of pre-ordering items on Amazon and not being charged until the item ships, it’s a perfect choice for online shoppers.
