presell

American  

[pree-sel] / priˈsɛl /

verb (used with object)

presold, preselling

1. to sell in advance, as before manufacture or construction.

   to presell a planned house.

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presell British  

/ priːˈsɛl /

verb

1. to promote (a product, entertainment, etc) with publicity in advance of its appearance

2. to prepare (the public) for a product, entertainment, etc, with advance publicity

3. to agree a sale of (a product) before it is available

4. to sell (a book) before its publication date

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Etymology

Origin of presell

First recorded in 1945–50; pre- + sell ¹

Example Sentences

It used to be that you would presell a home and then start construction, because homebuilding is less risky when you know there’s a buyer.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 16, 2022

The way it worked for the Panama City project was that the Trumps and their partners had to presell a certain number of units to be able to sell bonds to fund the project.

From Slate • Oct. 19, 2018

“Let your customers fund your idea. Sell first, build later, presell, run lean until you see demand. Don’t run out of money “

From Washington Post • Jul. 4, 2015

Others might opt to use an accounting method known as “accrual,” which can let those who presell items hold off on recognizing the income until the goods are delivered to customers.

From New York Times • Mar. 18, 2015

Plug-and-play online platforms are making it painless to presell and fulfill products on demand, driving the increasing popularity of crowdfunding among Youtube celebrities.

From Forbes • Dec. 23, 2014