Take the approach that crowdfunding is a form of investment and that the exit strategy is the item you're funding.
I'd say a gamble rather than an investment, if you win you get a shiny toy at ~40% off retail, if you lose, you lose - you might get a proportion of your money returned, or not as the case may be.
This is the first time I've been even remotely interested in a crowdfunding project, in fact more than remotely especially as the UD$/Sterling rate isn't as bad as expected given Trump & Brexit ($400 = £300) so I'll hopefully have a nice new shiny for Christmas, or be an even more miserable git than usual.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
