How Comic Book Preorders Work: FOC, Release Dates and Grading Time
How comic preorders work, from solicitation and final order cutoff to release, signing and grading, and what to expect when you preorder at ComicBookPlug.
A comic preorder reserves a copy of an issue before it is released. Preorders are the most reliable way to get a specific variant cover, especially a ratio or limited cover that may sell out on release day. This guide explains how the comic ordering calendar works, what happens between release and shipping, and how ComicBookPlug preorders are handled.
How comics are ordered: solicitation to release
- Solicitation. Publishers announce upcoming issues, usually about two to three months before release. The solicitation lists the creative team, the release date and every cover, including ratio variants.
- Initial orders. Retailers place their first orders through a distributor.
- Final order cutoff (FOC). FOC is the retailer's last chance to change quantities before the distributor locks the order. Ratio variant allocations depend on these final numbers, which is why a shop needs to know demand before FOC.
- Release. The issue goes on sale on its release date, which is new comic book day for most single issues.
Because ratio covers are allocated from final orders, a store can only promise a ratio cover once it knows it will have enough qualifying orders. Read our guide to ratio variants for how those allocations work.
What happens after release
A raw comic can ship soon after release. A graded or signed preorder takes longer, because each book has to go through extra steps after it arrives:
- Signing, if the listing includes a signature, at a witnessed signing for CGC Signature Series or by authentication for CGC x JSA.
- Grading, when the book is submitted, graded and sealed in its holder.
- Remarques or sketches, if the listing includes one.
- Return shipping from the grading company before the book ships to you.
Our guides to submitting comics to CGC and CGC Signature Series explain these steps in more detail.
Preorders at ComicBookPlug
- Shipping time: allow about 6 to 8 weeks for shipping after the official release date, not the purchase date. Signing, grading, remarquing and processing can add time where they apply.
- Order of shipping: orders are packed and shipped securely in the order they are received.
- Preorder windows: preorders open in batches and close at a set cutoff, after which those listings are taken down. Check the preorders collection for what is currently open.
- Read the listing: each product title names the issue, cover letter and cover artist, and any planned grade or signature. Read the product description for the terms of that listing.
Tips for buying comic preorders
- Match the cover letter. #25A and #25B are different covers. Check the full title and cover image before you check out.
- Know the release date. Shipping time is counted from the release date, so a book released next month will ship later than one released this week.
- Check who signs. A cover artist named in the title is not a signer unless the listing says the book is signed.
- Buy before the cutoff. Popular covers can sell out before the preorder window closes.
Unfamiliar terms? Our comic glossary explains FOC, print runs and more.