I've tried to search for this answer. Are Preorders charged when shipped or when the order is placed? Sorry if I missed this in the faqs.
Senior Software Developer
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Text swiped from the FAQ:
We don't charge your card until your order ships. However, when you place an order, we immediately authorize your card to ensure that it can be charged when we ship your order. An authorization is a non-monetary transaction that merely checks with your bank to ensure that the card is valid and has sufficient funds. Again, no money is charged to the card until we ship your order.
However, at the discretion of your bank, an authorization can (and almost always will) put a hold on that amount of your credit. The duration of this hold is entirely up to your bank. If you are checking your balance via online banking, this authorization may show up as a "pending transaction" (or it may not show up at all). We do not have any control over the duration of these holds.
An authorization will only remain open for a set period of time that depends on your bank's policies. For debit cards, an authorization will usually expire in 1–5 days, while a credit card's hold can remain open for up to 30 days (again, the duration of these holds depends upon the card issuer's policy).