French pre-orders and collector's editions: how to get them from abroad
A steelbook only one French chain will have. A collector's box with a French art book inside. A limited edition sold out everywhere except on a French site that won't ship to you. Pre-orders are where shopping in France pays off most — and where "France only" hurts the most.
Video games, comics, manga, vinyl, figurines, books: publishers increasingly split their special editions by country and by retailer. A French chain gets its own bonus, a French publisher its own collector's box, and the French edition of a series sometimes comes with extras the English one never had. If you follow a series closely, sooner or later the edition you want is a French one.
Why French pre-orders are so hard to get from abroad
Retailer exclusives rarely travel. A pre-order bonus negotiated by a French retailer is meant to bring customers to its French shops and its French site. Many of those sites deliver only within France, or to a handful of neighbouring countries, and the bonus isn't offered through any other channel.
Limited runs sell out in France first. Collector's editions are produced in small numbers for one market. When they open for pre-order they are often gone within days, and by the time a reseller abroad lists one, it is at a collector's price.
The checkout wall. Even when the edition is still available, the usual blockers apply: a foreign card refused, your country missing from the address form, or delivery that stops at the border. We have described all four here.
How a pre-order works through a French address
If the French site accepts your card, you can pre-order yourself, with your FrenchShopper address as the delivery address. The retailer ships on release like it does for any French customer, the parcel reaches our warehouse, and we let you know it has arrived.
If it doesn't, send us the link and we pre-order for you: we check the listing, quote you, and once you have paid we place the pre-order with our own French account and card. Either way, the 45 days of free storage start when the item actually arrives, not when the pre-order is placed — a release date months away costs you nothing to wait for.
Five things to check before you pre-order
The language. A French edition is in French — obvious for a book or a comic. For a game, check the languages listed for that particular edition: they usually include English, but not always every language. Read the French product page or the back of the box, not the international version.
Region and format. Most current game consoles are region-free, but films on disc are a different story: French discs are often coded for Europe and may not play on a player sold elsewhere. Check before you buy anything on disc.
What the bonus actually is. Some bonuses are physical and come in the box; others are a download code that may be tied to a French account or region and not work with yours. The retailer's page usually says which; if it doesn't, assume a code may be region-locked.
The release date can move. Dates slip, sometimes by months. A pre-order follows the publisher's schedule, and so does your parcel.
Size and weight. Collector's boxes are large and often light for their size, and carriers bill the higher of actual and volumetric weight. The box is part of what you are buying, so it has to travel intact, in packaging big enough to protect it — worth knowing before you compare prices.
Release day, and after
On release day the retailer ships within France, so your edition reaches you a few days after French buyers get theirs — the time of the international leg. That is the honest trade-off: you get the edition, not the launch-day doorstep. In exchange, nothing about it is left to chance: it is opened and checked on arrival, photographed if anything is wrong, and only then sent on.
If you follow several releases, there is a better way than shipping each one as it lands: let them gather. Every item waits free of charge for 45 days from its arrival, so two releases a few weeks apart can leave in the same box, with one shipping charge — and, outside the EU, one customs clearance. How consolidation works.
If the pre-order is cancelled
It happens: a retailer receives fewer copies than expected and cancels some pre-orders, or an edition is withdrawn. If we pre-ordered for you and the retailer cancels, you are refunded for the item and for the part of our fee that no longer applies, as with any purchase that can't go through. It is also why we only quote an edition we can see on open pre-order — never one we merely hope to find.
Frequently asked questions
Can you pre-order from a French site that only ships within France?
Yes. Send us the link: we quote it, and once you have paid we place the pre-order with our French account and card. The item is delivered to our warehouse on release, checked, and sent on to you.
Do I pay storage while I wait for the release date?
No. The 45 days of free storage start when the item actually arrives at our warehouse, not when the pre-order is placed. A release months away costs you nothing to wait for.
Will a French game or film work in my country?
Most current game consoles are region-free, but check the languages of the French edition. Films on disc are different: French discs are often coded for Europe and may not play on players sold in other regions. Download codes in bonuses can be region-locked too.
What happens if the retailer cancels my pre-order?
If we placed it for you, you are refunded for the item and for the part of our fee that no longer applies, as with any purchase that cannot go through. If you placed it yourself, the retailer refunds you directly.
Can I group several releases into one parcel?
Yes, and it is the best way to do it. Each item waits free of charge for 45 days from its arrival, so releases a few weeks apart can leave together in one box, with one shipping charge.
