I keep reading that title in Seinfeld's voice.... what the deeeeal with blee blah...ok, anyway.
So here's why i do pre-orders:
Apparel: Since im having my apparel done by a professional printer now*, there is a minimum number of pieces i have to order to get something made. This can be a pretty expensive investment with a slow return. Pre-orders help me gauge interest and allows early buyers a chance to get exactly what the size/color want since my stuff is made in very low numbers and is not always consistently available. After a pre-order period is closed, i send the printer the sizes/colors I want ( pre-ordered sizes plus sizes to sell on the site) which locks in my inventory until i order again.
Masks: Plastic/silicon is another big investment so doing pre-orders is another way to make sure people are into the idea. Nothing is worse than buying up a ton of material, spending hours making a run of items, releasing it online and having a super lukewarm buying reaction.Sad trombone! All that money/time sunk in something people don't buy! Since masks are made in limited numbers now, this allows people to insure they get exactly what they want in the quantities they want before it sells out.
I'm making masks in limited numbers because i feel like it makes them a little more special. It also makes each piece more valuable for the buyer in the long run. Limiting copies keeps things fresh for me since making the same thing for too long gets stale.... and the worst thing an artist can do is stagnate.
"So why don't you take pre-orders for things like barrettes/Krakens/etc?"
-Smaller items are easier to just make on the fly, in whatever color seems fun that day. It's a smaller investment to make them and they have a pretty steady interest/demand. Besides I don't want my entire shop to be just pre-orders!
* Printing on my own not only takes up a lot of my time and is a huge hassle but was really really bad on my back and the bleach paste fumes were no bueno. This way you get a better product and i have less back pain!