They put a hold on your account for the amount of the pre-order, and they repeatedly relinquish and refresh it until the item is shipped.
So, technically, no, they're not charging you until the item ships, but you're still unable to use that money in the meantime.
I haven't ordered from them in two years because they refused to accept my two-line billing address, even when I copy-and-pasted directly from my bank's website. I've placed pickup orders, but I haven't been able to have anything delivered.
I moved a few weeks ago, and my new address is...
Looking for a copy of Really Big Sky, which was previously available in a bundle.
I'm offering Paypal and the following Steam keys:
Shadowgrounds
Shank 2
Earth 2160
Iron Grip: Warlord
Droplitz
Tropico Trilogy
Patrician IV: Rise of a Dynasty
Patrician IV
Slam Bolt Scrappers
AI War: Fleet...
Still trying to track down a copy of Monday Night Combat. I'm not interested in anything else, so please don't send me a message asking me to check your list. I have Paypal and the following Steam keys for trade:
Shadowgrounds
Shank 2
Earth 2160
Iron Grip: Warlord
Droplitz
Tropico Trilogy...
Looking for Steam copies of Monday Night Combat and X-Blades. I have Paypal, plus the following available for trade:
Shadowgrounds
Shank 2
Earth 2160
Iron Grip: Warlord
Cargo Commander x 2
Droplitz x 2
Tropico Trilogy
Patrician IV: Rise of a Dynasty
Patrician IV
Primordia
Slam Bolt Scrappers...
If anybody has a spare eShop code that they would like to convert to some actual currency, I'd be happy to accommodate.
Please PM me with your Paypal address and your price, if you are interested in making a deal.
Thanks.