I'd usually rep a comment like this but 2 things:
1) Retail will be lets say $100 + $8 ship from most US stores ( barring no discounts at UO etc) so in essence the price at end is just 30-40 over retail
2) Whats $30- $40 to someone who works making decent money?
Not everyone has time to be checking for releases all the time or has stores that sell asics in their area. Thats a small price for convenience if getting a shoe you were really looking forward to imo. We have all seen more outrageous pre-orders.
Pretty much sums it up for me. I travel for work, so I never know where I'll be when shoes release. I can't just figure out where releases will be available based on where I'll be for a week. An extra 30 - 40 bucks is more than worth the peace of mind to me personally.
But to each it's own. I don't know everyone else's situation so I don't attempt to pass judgement.