Take pre-orders honestly: the page, the payment link and the promises
A pre-order takes a customer's money for something that doesn't exist yet. That's a reasonable way to fund a first production run or gauge demand, but it shifts risk onto the buyer, so the page has to be unusually clear: when it will ship, what's charged now, and what happens if things slip. Anticode builds the page and sends the order button to a checkout link from your own payment provider.
Pre-order, waitlist or crowdfunding?
Be sure a pre-order is what you want before you build one. A waitlist takes an email address and no money: lower commitment, weaker signal. Crowdfunding platforms take pledges, often charged only if a target is met, and come with an audience and a set of expectations about rewards and updates. A pre-order is a sale: the customer pays the price, you owe them the product.
If you're not yet sure you can make the thing, start with a waitlist page or a crowdfunding pre-launch page. Take pre-orders when the design is final and you know your supplier and rough timeline.
What the page must say
Write these where nobody can miss them, close to the order button, not tucked into the terms:
- It's a pre-order. In the button label and the heading: "Pre-order now, ships in March", not "Buy now".
- The expected ship date, as a month or a date range. If it's an estimate, say what it depends on.
- What's charged, and when. The full price today, or a deposit with the balance later. Most simple payment links charge in full at once, so say so.
- How to cancel and get a refund before it ships, and how long refunds take.
- What happens if it's late. That you'll email with a new date, and that buyers can cancel for a full refund at that point.
- What exactly they'll receive. Final specifications, or a clear note on what might still change, such as colour shades.
Rules on this vary by country. In the United States, the FTC's Mail, Internet or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule expects sellers to ship within the time they state (or within 30 days if they state none) and to offer buyers the choice to cancel when there's a delay. Check the rules where you and your customers are; if you're unsure, take advice before you take money.
Taking the money
Anticode doesn't run a checkout on the site. The pre-order button points at a checkout link from your own provider: Stripe Payment Links, PayPal, Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Shopify or Whop. The provider takes the payment, collects the shipping address if you've asked for it, and sends the receipt. Practical points:
- Limit the quantity at the provider if you can. Anticode has no inventory tracking, so it can't stop selling after your first batch of 500. Some providers let you cap sales on a link; otherwise watch the count and change the page when you're full.
- Make the receipt say "pre-order" and the expected ship month, using the provider's product description.
- Collect the address at checkout, not in a separate form, so nothing gets out of step.
- Let the checkout handle variants. An Anticode account has one payment link, opened by every buy button, so if you offer colours or sizes, use a product list or a checkout with options at your provider.
If you'd rather not charge until you ship, use the order form approach instead: collect the order through a form, confirm, then send a payment link when stock arrives. The take pre-orders online workflow covers both.
Building the page
Using Anticode as a pre-order page builder starts with the product and the timeline: "a pre-order page for the Fold 2 notebook cover, shipping in March, with a refund policy section". The Architect plans a landing page with the payments must-have and an FAQ, and asks where the answer changes the page, such as whether you're taking deposits. Upload prototype photos and label them honestly ("pre-production sample"). The design engine lays it out in one of seven design systems with a single action colour for the order button, and the Critic flags stock phrasing and placeholder text before the page can go live.
Keeping buyers informed
Pre-order buyers are your most patient customers until they hear nothing. Put a short "production updates" section on the page and update it in a sentence whenever something changes; version history keeps your most recent saves if you need to look back. Add a newsletter sign-up for people who aren't ready to pay yet, and connect it to Mailchimp or Kit. Email buyers directly from your payment provider's customer list or your own email tool when there's news, especially bad news.
What Anticode doesn't do here
- No inventory, stock caps or sold-out switch.
- No deposits or later balance charges. Set up deposits in your payment provider if it supports them.
- No shipping or tax calculation. Your provider's checkout handles what you configure there.
- No emails to buyers. Anticode can email you form submissions; customer emails come from your provider or email tool.
Questions people ask
Can I take pre-orders without charging until I ship?
Not through a standard payment link, which charges straight away. Use an order form instead, then send each buyer a payment link when the product is ready.
Should the price be lower for pre-orders?
A small early price rewards people for waiting and taking a risk, but it's optional. If you do it, say when it ends and keep to it.
What if I can't deliver at all?
Refund everyone promptly through your payment provider and explain why. Plan for that case before you launch, including whether you'll have the money to refund.