Pre-orders, reservations and crowdfunding in your online store: payment, deadlines and regulations

You are about to launch a product that arrives in two months. Or you manufacture in batches and do not want to produce without knowing how many you will sell. Or you have a limited edition that will sell out on day one. In all three cases, selling before you have the stock makes sense, but a pre-order is not the same as a reservation or a crowdfunding campaign, and each one is charged, delivered and taxed differently.

Three models that get confused

There is a fourth, more everyday case: an order for an out-of-stock product, which PrestaShop allows if you enable selling when out of stock. It is a de facto pre-order, and the same rules on deadlines and information apply.

When to charge

Charging when the order is placed

This is the simplest option and works with any payment method. The money comes in straight away and helps you finance the batch. In return, if you do not deliver, you have to refund, and the customer has been without their money for weeks.

Authorising now and charging at the end

With cards, the amount can be authorised without being captured. It looks like the ideal solution for all-or-nothing, but it has a serious limit: authorisations expire within a few days, depending on the gateway and the card. For a campaign lasting several weeks it does not work; you have to charge and, if it falls through, refund.

Deposit and balance on arrival

Useful for expensive or customised products. It requires handling two payments and communicating clearly what happens to the deposit if the customer changes their mind.

The delivery deadline: what the law requires

In sales to consumers, article 66 bis of Royal Legislative Decree 1/2007 (Spain's General Law for the Defence of Consumers and Users) stipulates that delivery must take place within the agreed period or, if nothing is said, within a maximum of 30 days from the contract. In a pre-order, that means something very specific: the delivery date must be agreed and clearly displayed, on the product page and in the order confirmation. «Coming soon» is not a deadline.

If you miss the deadline, the customer can give you a suitable additional period and, if you still do not deliver, terminate the contract and get back what they paid. And even if you charge weeks in advance, the 14-calendar-day right of withdrawal starts when the customer receives the product, not when they pay.

VAT on advance payments

Charging in advance has tax consequences. Article 75.Two of Law 37/1992 on VAT (the Spanish VAT Act) establishes that for advance payments, VAT becomes chargeable at the time of payment, on the amount received. In other words: a pre-order paid this quarter is declared this quarter, even if the product is delivered in the next one, and it comes with its own invoice for the advance payment. Confirm this with your adviser, especially if the campaign may fall through and you will have to issue corrections.

Crowdfunding in your own store

When the reward of a campaign is the product itself, for the customer it is an advance purchase and the same consumer rules apply. The specific regulations on crowdfunding platforms deal with investment and loans, not with reward campaigns on the manufacturer's own website, but if your case is not clear, seek advice.

What a well-run campaign does require:

• A clear target, in money or in units.
• Stating from the outset whether it is all-or-nothing (if the target is not reached, the money is refunded) or flexible (you keep what was pledged).
• Counting only what has been paid towards the target: a pending bank transfer is not a pledge.
• Informing every backer of the outcome and refunding in time if it falls through.
• Posting updates: silence during manufacturing generates more complaints than delays.

Limited units: making sure they are not sold twice

In a limited edition or a launch with few units, the problem appears in the cart. In PrestaShop, stock goes down when the order is validated; until then, all customers see the unit as available. If ten people have it in their cart at the same time, several will reach payment and some will find out it has sold out. Setting the units aside for a few minutes when they are added to the cart, with a visible countdown, avoids that unpleasant moment. The countdown has to be real: if it expires, the units are released.

Common mistakes

1. Pre-orders without a specific delivery date.
2. Mixing pre-order and in-stock products in the same order without saying whether everything ships together or separately.
3. Counting unpaid reservations to announce that the campaign is going well.
4. Using card authorisations in long campaigns.
5. Not declaring VAT on the advance payment until delivery.
6. Not announcing a delay until the customer asks.

Checklist

• Model chosen (pre-order, reservation or crowdfunding) and explained on the product page.
• Delivery date agreed, visible and with a margin.
• Payment method suited to the length of the campaign.
• Invoice and VAT for the advance payment at the time of payment.
• Refund plan if the campaign falls through.
• Limited units protected in the cart.

How to solve it in PrestaShop

RKR Crowdfunding y preventas sets up campaigns inside your store, with your usual cart and payment methods: a target in euros or in units, all-or-nothing or flexible model, reward tiers and a public page with progress bar, countdown and updates. A pledge only counts once the order is paid, and if an all-or-nothing campaign does not reach its target, the pledges become pending refunds and each backer receives an email explaining it. RKR Reserva de stock en el carrito sets units aside as soon as the customer adds them, with a countdown on the product page, the cart and the checkout; if it expires, they are released automatically. It works in its own tables, without touching your physical stock, and does not restrict products you sell on backorder.

This article is for information only and is not a substitute for legal or tax advice. For a specific case, consult your adviser.