Pre-Order & FOC Policy

Many of our comics are sold as pre-orders before the publisher's Final Order Cutoff (FOC), the last day stores can order a book from the distributor. We place our order with the distributor based on your pre-order, so the terms below apply to every item marked PRE-ORDER, PRESALE or PRE-FOC. They're in addition to our Refund Policy and Shipping Policy.

How pre-orders work

  • Pre-orders are charged in full at checkout. The price you pay at checkout is locked in; we won't charge you more later.
  • Release dates are set by the publisher and distributor and are estimates. Delays and reschedules are common in comics and are outside our control.
  • Pre-order items ship once they arrive at our shop, usually within 1–3 business days of release.
  • If your order mixes in-stock items and pre-orders, everything ships together when the last pre-order arrives. If you'd like in-stock items sent sooner, email us; separate shipping charges may apply.
  • Cover images on pre-order listings may be preliminary. Publishers sometimes change final art, trade dress, logos, page counts or release order.

Cancellations

  • Before FOC: email us to request a cancellation. Requests are reviewed individually. If approved, a cancellation fee of up to 15% may be deducted from your refund.
  • After FOC: your copy has already been ordered from the distributor and can't be returned to them, so in most cases orders cannot be cancelled or removed after FOC. We review every request case by case, and any approved cancellation may be issued as store credit or be subject to a cancellation fee.
  • Final once ordered: ratio/incentive variants, store and convention exclusives, signed books and limited editions cannot be cancelled once ordered.
  • Publisher cancellations: if a publisher cancels a book or it's never released, we'll refund that item in full.

Allocations and shortages

  • Distributors sometimes short, allocate or damage our orders, especially ratio variants and high-demand books. Pre-orders are filled in the order they were placed.
  • If we can't fill your item, we'll let you know and refund that item in full. No cancellation fee applies.

Condition and quality

  • New comics ship as produced by the publisher. Print quality varies by publisher and print run. Spine ticks, color breaks, miscuts, off-register printing, staple placement and light corner wear from the printer or distributor are common.
  • We inspect books when they arrive, set aside copies with obvious defects and send the best copy we have. Defects are screened, but condition is not guaranteed, and raw (ungraded) books carry no grade guarantee (for example, 9.8).
  • Printing and manufacturing variances are not defects and aren't eligible for return or refund.
  • Every book ships bagged and boarded. Damage that happens in shipping to you is covered under "Damages and issues" in our Refund Policy: contact us within 48 hours of delivery with photos.
  • Need a guaranteed grade? Shop our CGC-graded books.

Questions

Email deadstockproducts@gmail.com before ordering if you have any questions about a pre-order.