You're a dumbass if you ever thought it was going to be anything

Wasn't it a kickstarter product? I wouldn't consider venture a pre-order, tbf.

Pre-orders are reservations with pre-payment.

Crowdfunding is, well, funding. You aren't buying a product. You're funding it, which comes with additional risks and benefits.

Of course, there's always a possibility that a product is being funded using pre-orders, which is financially irresponsible (norm varies from industry to industry). But you must be a moron to pre-order a product from a startup you know nothing about and expect not to get scammed. Outright buying their product would be risky enough.

Take housing market. You're pretty much always either pre-ordering or buying second-hand.