I was all set to order my Scramble 1chiban. I had hyped it up for a month here on the site and I was so excited to get one.
I logged onto Budovideos at the appointed release time, put an A3 in my cart, started filling in all of my important details: address, credit card info, etc.
The whole process took maybe 3 minutes.
Which was about a minute too late.
2 minutes. It took 2 minutes for them to sell out!
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I’m sure a lot of us have horror stories like the one above. (In fact, feel free to post them in the comments below).
But don’t fool yourself and expect the 23rd to be any different with Shoyoroll’s The Ring.
Fear not, my friend. I have you covered.
Below I have 5 tips that will guarantee that you get that Shoyoroll, Scramble, etc. gi that you’ve been coveting including one tip that’s a game-changer when dealing with these types of pre-sales.
Note: This article was written originally for the pre-sale release of Shoyoroll The Ring, which happened on the 23rd of July 2012. The dates mentioned here refer to that time period. But the tips listed are still very much applicable today as they were then!
1. Join the mailing list over on the right sidebar
Ask anybody on the list. There is absolutely NO WAY that you will be able to miss the release. I emailed everybody a few days ago to let them know it was coming out (time date, etc.) and I’ll probably e-mail you again on the 16th to remind you it’s only a week away and again on the 22nd.
This might seem like a lot of emails, but I’ve gotten a lot of feedback on how helpful it is and I want to make sure my readers get a gi, not everybody else.
Also, please note, in the case of The Ring, it goes on sale at 3pm PST, which is 5pm CST, and 6pm EST.
2. Bookmark
Bookmark link to sale page so you have no trouble getting to the site on sale/order day.
3. Make an account
This is the game-changer.
This tip alone will already put you ahead of the pack. Most of the people trying to buy a gi will be typing in their address, etc. just like I did on that fateful day.
BUT NOT YOU!
By making an account ahead of time and logging in 5-10 minutes before pre-sale starts, you can bypass all of that. See below on how to make an account.
Go to Budovideos.com and click on My Account.
Click ‘Click here to register.’
Enter all of your information at your leisure (you don’t have to hurry today!)
Submit it and if they send a confirmation email, make sure you get it and confirm the account.
This will save you a TON of time on sale/order day.
3. Have credit card info ready
While it isn’t possible to type your credit card info into the system ahead of time, you can have your card number already typed out in a text document.
Instead of having to read it off the card and type it in, just copy and paste it in on sale/order day to save you another valuable 10-15 seconds.
4. Paypal
This information was only previously available to my mailing list, but I really wanted to open it up to everybody to help make sure that you all can get a SYR/Scramble/etc. gi should you want one!
I wouldn't have even thought to mention Paypal if some of YOU hadn't mentioned it to me (Thanks Lester, That_hal and the others that mentioned it)!
In addition to the steps that I mentioned, I wanted to add something that a bunch of people mentioned would really speed up the ordering process on a SYR/Scramble/ETC. pre-sale.
A lot of people are intimidated by Paypal.
Don't be!
It's super fast and free to sign up and really increases your chance of getting a gi. Especially if you are an A2 and A3 (like me) and your size runs out super-fast.
Signing up for Paypal
First, register for a new paypal account. The personal version is free and easy to use.
Fill in your information and confirm whatever e-mail you have them send it to.
Log into your account and enter a credit card. Save it as your default method of payment.
On ordering day, log into your account and make sure everything is ready to go with your card.
That's it!
On Ordering Day
Follow the steps in this guide, but log into Budovideos in one tab, and your paypal account in another tab. When you go to pay, select paypal, select your card and click order and it's done! No need to even switch between windows.
5. Shoyoroll's Store
You were all set to order your Shoyoroll Ring. You read all of the previews and had been geeking out on it for a few weeks now.
You logged onto Budovideos at the appointed release time, put the in your cart, and… nothing.
Nothing happened.
You relogged on.
Again.
Then a third time.
Aaaaaaand its sold out.
I’m sure a lot of you have horror stories like the one above. (In fact, feel free to post them in the comments below).
During the release of The Ring, lot of people were bummed that Budovideos crashed for them, while it worked perfectly for others. Also, other people noted the Shoyoroll's site worked really well (while others said it kept dropping items from their cart).
These things happen when websites get flooded with requests for information.
It just happens.
So in addition to following the above tips for Budovideos and Paypal, I would definitely recommend trying to order from Shoyoroll as well. Odds are, one of the two sites will work for you (plus Paypal for expedited payment) and you'll be able to pick up a gi.
I sincerely hope these tips are helpful! I am sure they will carry over into future releases of any type of presale gi!
Summary
- Join our mailing list
- Make an account ahead of time and log into prior to pre-sale
- Have card info already on a text document to copy and paste
- Expedite payment using PayPal
- Try ordering from Shoyoroll directly
While the only TRUE way to guarantee you get one is to sign up for GUMA next year, this is the best option for non-GUMA members.
I really hope these tips have been helpful. I can guarantee that it will set you apart from everybody else trying to buy a gi on that day.
If you have any questions about any of these steps, or details about the pre-sale, you can email me, Tweet me, message me on Facebook, or just comment below!
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in this article are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links (at no extra cost to you).
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ARTICLE ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN JULY 2012
Thanks for the tips, good stuff as always. A little preparation can go a long way in getting ahead with online pre-sales! LOL I love the SYR credit card, they need to make gift cards for us gear junkies. That would be a great gift – a $500 SYR gift card… woot!
glad you liked the graphic!! Thanks for the comment Jason!
Best way is to make a paypal acount … all you do is click 3 buttons! I got my shoyoroll in less then 1 minuet!
Agreed!
They are selling it on Budo too? I thought on on the SYR site.
Definitely good tips…I purchased my first yesterday from budo. The process sucked!
I just wanted one, went through the whole order process about 5 times…I’d get to shipping, click next…and then I’d get redirected to a page. “Your shopping cart is empty.”.
I am like…”FFFFUUUU!!”.
Eventually it worked. Took 24 minutes, though. I think the ring sold old about 10 minutes later.
Hey Mike, it seems like everybody went through the same thing! I’m glad it worked for you. I’m hearing the same story over and over that the site just went NUTS. Glad you persisted and got one! I have a few ideas that I think will work next time and will definitely guarentee that all of you guys get the gis you want!
” I have a few ideas that I think will work next time and will definitely guarentee that all of you guys get the gis you want!”
Thats what you said last time. Was it a big surprise to Budovideos that there was going to be huge traffic?, and the site would have problems? I expect it will happen again and again. Shoyoroll could care less, in fact I am sure they are pleased. There is no such thing as bad publicity.
Hey Harry, thanks for the comments. While I would LOVE to take credit for a solo effort that made Budovideos crash, I think it was more the gi than me (but a boy can dream, eh?)
Like I’ve said before, it’s a total double-edged sword. Either a HUGE wait time, or not everybody gets one. It’s the price we pay for exclusivity. I’m really sorry to hear that you didn’t get one. I know a lot of people did, but if 5 or 10 of my readers didn’t get it, that really sucks. I loved all the great feedback about the tips working and whatnot, but it was brutal to read from people who were let down. Like I said, I have a few ideas, nothing insane, that will probably give people an edge versus non-readers. As far as readers competing against other GiReviews readers, then it’s just luck of the draw!
LOL! Brendan, all I meant was that those of us that had the plan ahead of time WERE ahead of the pack. When you pointed out the little secrets it took away any advantage I had. You helped to level the playing field, but took away the advantage from those who were already doing what you suggested. :(.
It was helpful to get traffic to your site, and to Shoyoroll, but not to me. I was able to buy the count, but not the ring. I waited since February, when they first announced the ring. Not fair!!!!
Believe me Harry, my goal is never traffic. If what I do is helping people, then my site will get traffic, and if my content sucks, then I won’t. I barely ever check my analytics and just try to be as helpful as possible via email, the site, FB and Twitter.
I’m sorry that you already knew about all of the things I wrote about. I think you’ll be pretty happy with the Rio Koi release. Bear has something cool he’s doing with it.
Brendan, how ironic. The tips you gave may have helped to cause the crash at Budo :(. It did not matter if you were prepared or not. Budo videos went down. Brutal!!!!!! I would rather have to wait 3 months, and at least get one.
Thanks for creating the Extra hype for Shoyoroll!
Hey Brendan. Thanks for your support in purchasing the Gi, I received your first email warning about the pre sale of the first pre SYR Ring.
Also I could not buy SYR Ring.
My Story: I did everything right because I had already made purchases earlier and already have an account in budovideos. What happened was, I put the Gi with my right size in my cart. But I could not complete the purchase because it is not passed to the next screen to the checkout. I called and spoke to budovideos they said that the site had many accesses and congested and to keep trying. In short, I just not bought. Something very unpleasant, they had to put a far larger quantity to demand. Another thing, minutes after they close sales. Many buyers were reselling SYR Ring on the EBAY for double the price. While we’re looking to buy for our own use, do not have any. I hope I can buy this time.
Thank You!
Sincerely Walter
That stinks Walter! Here’s the updated guide that might help you out as well: http://gireviews.net/how-to-get-a-pre-sale-shoyoroll-guarenteed-2/