What Is a Pre-Order?

A pre-order allows you to reserve a product before it is officially released or before it arrives in our inventory. Pre-orders are especially common for new trading card set releases — Pokémon, Panini, Topps, and other major manufacturers announce products months before they hit shelves, and pre-ordering ensures you secure your allocation before stock runs out.

At Hobby Box, we offer pre-orders on select upcoming products when we are confident in our allocation from our distributors. We are transparent about what we have confirmed and what is subject to change.

When Will You Be Charged?

Pre-orders are charged in full at the time of purchase. This is standard in the collectibles industry and serves two purposes: it confirms your reservation with us, and it secures our allocation from our distributors. If for any reason we are unable to fulfill your pre-order (see Cancellations below), you will receive a full refund with no fees.

Release Dates and Shipping Timelines

Release dates listed on pre-order products are estimates provided by the manufacturer or our distributors. Release dates in the trading card industry are frequently subject to change — sometimes pushed back by weeks, occasionally moved forward. We do not control these dates and cannot guarantee them.

Once a pre-ordered product is received at our warehouse, it is processed and shipped within our standard 1–3 business day processing window. You will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as your order leaves us. Estimated delivery after shipping: 3–7 business days.

If a release date changes significantly, we will notify all pre-order customers by email with the updated timeline.

Combining Pre-Orders With In-Stock Items

If your order contains both pre-order and in-stock items, your in-stock items will be held and shipped together with your pre-order when it arrives, unless you contact us to request separate shipment. Separate shipment may incur an additional shipping fee. Contact us at hello@hobbyboxny.com to arrange this.

Cancellations by the Customer

You may cancel your pre-order at any time before it ships for a full refund, with no cancellation fee. Email hello@hobbyboxny.com with your order number and we will process your cancellation and refund within 10 business days to your original payment method.

Once a pre-order has shipped, our standard Refund & Return Policy applies. Unopened products may be returned within 30 days; opened sealed products are final sale.

Cancellations by Hobby Box

In rare cases, we may need to cancel a pre-order if a product is discontinued, our allocation is significantly reduced, or a product becomes unavailable from our distributors. In this event, we will notify you immediately by email and issue a full refund within 10 business days. We will never substitute a different product without your explicit approval.

Authenticity of Pre-Order Products

All pre-order products are sourced through the same legitimate distribution channels as our regular inventory. Every product is guaranteed factory sealed and authentic — see our Authenticity Guarantee for details.

Questions?

Email hello@hobbyboxny.com or call +1 (718) 241-2273. We’re happy to answer any question about a specific pre-order product before you commit.