When comparing your pre-order dates to others’ please keep in mind that your customer pre-order is with your vendor. It doesn’t go to the regional centers or to BMD HQ. So there are two scenarios at play here to illustrate:
Retailer B$H places an order with BMD for 200 cameras on April 8 close of day. B$H may have received 100 preorders from customers by April 8 close of day so they’re confident they receive at least 200 preorders in April based on history.
Retailer Safe$ placed an order with BMD for 2 cameras by 9:30 am April 8. They may have sold 5 cameras the previous year and they’re betting they can meet that level again by the time cameras ship. They receive their first customer preorder September 15.
Who wins the race to receive a camera? The September 15 customer preorder from Safe$.
The examples are extreme, but that’s how it plays out. With very limited production in the first run (for example there are 500 cameras ready at release) and several hundreds of retailers around the globe having made preorders during NAB 2018, the vendor orders are processed according to their date. But in the spirit of getting cameras to all vendors, the smallest early retailers may receive one or two if they ordered April 8 and the largest retailers may only receive 5 or 10 cameras initially, maybe only a couple.
This appears to be how it’s been done in the past and we’ve been reminded recently that orders are processed in sequential order based on the date. But BMD doesn’t mean they fill all of the retailers’ original orders. They mean they start shipping to the retailer based on order date. BMD also spreads the love to ensure most retailers with early orders will receive at least one camera. Only the retailers know about your preorders and only BMD Regional knows about all their retail orders. The distribution of cameras to the retailers is managed by the regional centres.
Disclaimer: this is only illustrative and any resemblance to actual retailers or facts is purely coincidental.
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