[starky]

Massdrop's original version is essentially what you are describing, they were a middleman that ran drops where you would pay for something upfront and once done they would collect the money and order it from the manufacturer before shipping it to you in a couple months. They used to sell a wide variety of things, but over time they moved more and more to their collaborations and Drop branded goods in the headphone and keyboard spaces and essentially became just another online retailer.