# Pre-order now! Due January 1, 2010 (WTF?!?!?)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-order-now-due-january-1-2010-wtf/176623>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [May 21, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-order-now-due-january-1-2010-wtf/176623 "2003-05-21T19:50:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-order-now-due-january-1-2010-wtf/176623/1 "2003-05-21T19:50:36Z")

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So I was doing my usual searching for bizarre stuff to read/listen to/watch, and I happened upon [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com)’s page for “Freaks,” the 1932 classic film of love and intrigue under the Big Top.

Great, I thought!

And it’s out on DVD! Even better!

But on closer inspection, I see this:

Freaks  
DVD ~ Wallace Ford  
Average Customer Review:  
Release Date: **January 1, 2010**  
Not Yet Released – On Order  
(Bolding mine.)

Why is Amazon trying to take orders for a DVD that won’t be released for 6+ years?

Who would pre-order this?

Is this common?

Weird …

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**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-order-now-due-january-1-2010-wtf/176623/2 "2003-05-21T19:56:32Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Spiff \*  
> \*\*  
> But on closer inspection, I see this:
> 
> Freaks  
> DVD ~ Wallace Ford  
> Average Customer Review:  
> Release Date: **January 1, 2010**  
> Not Yet Released – On Order
> 
> \*\*

Sounds like a data error. The company I work for also sells music/movies over the web. One of our data suppliers at one time used to use 1/1/2010 as a “filler” date (rather than simply using a NULL) for movies that weren’t out yet. When we cleaned up the data, we removed all such “dates” from the data.

I highly doubt the true release date is 1/1/2010.

Zev Steinhardt

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**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-order-now-due-january-1-2010-wtf/176623/3 "2003-05-21T21:39:52Z")

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looks like it was an error, it says " Availability: Release date to be announced:The release date for this video has not been finalized. You may order it now and we will ship it to you when it arrives."  
T  
heir messages for not-yet-released dvds are always annoying, especially the ones for releases that have already been announced- but aren’t coming out until the fall- that claim that the studios are taking votes to consider releasing things. There are no votes.

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**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-order-now-due-january-1-2010-wtf/176623/4 "2003-05-22T12:41:24Z")

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Thanks, you guys and/or gals.

Mystery solved.

(But I still want my _Freaks_ DVD **NOW**!)