I agree. Although you are smarter than I am with research - I did all my research post purchase (pro model after the initial October discount date, so just under 5k for mine) so I was disappointed that the units wouldn’t be ready until mid/end 2016 for me. I was saddened that I could have used someone else’s referral code and saved a hundred bucks. The 1/4" pass through limitation was the biggest hit. oy. I really need to do my research next time 
but, you know what? I’m happy with my choice. If I didn’t have enough to pay for it, I wouldn’t have paid for it straight out. I can figure a work around for the pass through (whether through design approach or physical hack when the warranty is out) and if I have to wait another 7 months for a machine this awesome that was priced at half that of a comparable unit, then so be it. I haven’t even met my Glowforge and I love it. I want it. I need it. Like a good relationship, it is worth the wait. And on the most miniscule chance that the product seems not up to par I can get my 5k back.
Wow great…I’ve been looking for somewhere in the fine print that says how long we have to return it if we don’t like it for a full refund. Where did you find that?
If you look in the FAQ on the GF site, it states:
What is the return policy?
We have an unlimited, no questions asked refund policy up until we collect your address for shipment. Once it’s shipped, our warranty applies. We don’t accept returns once the device has been delivered.
So… you CANNOT return it once it’s received. So how does “And on the most miniscule chance that the product seems not up to par I can get my 5k back” this apply?
Not to put words into @dhanvinddvs mouth, but I think he is talking about this forum, and the fact that he is very far back in line. That means he will have some time to see what people are receiving, how they are liking it, what is working (or not), etc. And that he will still have time at that point to cancel his order for a full refund.
I’ll let @dhanvinddvs speak for himself.
My take on it is that we will most likely get some feedback from the Beta testers that are not under a Non-disclosure clause, and the first few people to receive one (I’m pretty far back in the queue). On the “off-chance” that they are are all disappointed with the product, then we still have time to cancel BEFORE receiving ours.
Or you can drop in and see your neighbour’s that is closer to the top of the list. 
thanks for finding that, i had trouble logging back in when I was trying to get that exact link
feel free to put words into my mouth because that was exactly what I was going to say as soon as I could get that link that @polarbrainfreeze so generously, quickly, and unexpectedly linked in my stead
I’m glad we think alike lol 
Not sure I would say we are getting Glowforge at close to build cost. I’ve certainly not found a reference to it but I am not the best at such things.
At the very least I expect they are profiting on a sale to us to pay staff, keep the lights on and the cloud running.
Is this a serious question? We got it at half price. I’d say that MORE than covers any interest.
In the posted return policy, exactly what does “collect your address for shipment” mean? That strikes me as an odd demarcation - I’m more familiar with the product being handed over the carrier as the point of no return. I’m not assuming they’re going to ship the next day, but could it be months between collecting the shipping address and the unit finally arriving? That would pull the rug out from the strategy of looking at user reviews from the first shipments.
The reason they haven’t already collected your address is because people will move between order and ready for shipment. When they ask for your shipping address that means your unit will be shipped very shortly after. I don’t usually assume things but believe that means days.
Yeah, that’s what I figured too. So just to be clear, once they ask for your address and shortly thereafter, ship to you, you cannot get a refund. I’ve never dropped 5K on something that had a zero return policy. But the video was just so cool, and slick, and it seemed like the product was eminent. Remember: even if you hear from some other Glowforger who received their GF before you and found some huge flaw, you cannot get a refund.
With that said, I’m not saying that I want to cancel or have lost all hope, but you gotta admit that at least from the beginning to now, finding out that the R&D phase is still only beta testing, it’s kinda deceiving. As far as 50% off, nothing is 50% off until people start paying the full retail price. In theory, we are getting a discount, but I feel like I rushed to hit that “purchase now” button with that great clock counting down to end of sale price only to find that that price was extended and extended. Now there is a 20% higher price but will people actually be willing to fork over $8K for this? That has yet to be determined. I’m hopeful that this all works out. I just wish I had done a little more research. I also really wish I had my GF.
I’m assuming that once they collect your address, that means its about to go to the carrier to be shipped. As @rpegg stated, they don’t want to get your address early in case you move.
As a day-1 buyer, @rpegg is on deck to become (if not already) the most-read poster on these forums when the GF starts shipping for realzies - I for one hope they ship to you that same hour!
I usually make all sorts of assumptions to get through the day, but when thousands of dollars are involved it seems prudent to start paying more strict attention. The posting from @dan helps clarify it a bit - perhaps they can update their language for the official return policy accordingly.
So perhaps one way to game this system, is to hold back your shipping address until you’ve seen enough reviews to convince you to proceed with delivery.
This is pretty interesting: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-you-should-hold-off-buying-glowforge-laser-printer-christian-reed
The return policy is already stated very clearly.
I almost have to stop reading at this statement, “However, I still don’t believe the full transition has occurred for a non-maker to buy this machine on impulse with no background in CNC fabrication.”
I don’t know where you fall on the spectrum of having a background in CNC fabrication, but it seems a lot (majority?) of users on this forum do not have a background in CNC fab. I don’t. I’m expanding my business and was looking for just the right tool to accomplish what I needed. The Glowforge was it.
Only a small percentage of buyers are on these forums, posting at least, but with what, $27m sold over just 30 days, I’d imagine most don’t have a Fabrication background.
Epilog? Yup. I imagine not many without such a background would buy one.
Interesting note of the day, they (Epilog) are estimated to be an $8m dollar company (annual revenue). Glowforge smashed that by more than 3x in just a pre-order campaign. A lot more than established makers are buying this thing.
I did not really find that interesting, but rather uniformed and cranky. Every point he made has been addressed in the forums since then, all to my satisfaction (although maybe not to yours, which is perfectly fine). That article was posted on sept. 25th… on LinkedIn. 