The Harsh Truth: 90% of Crypto Presales Don’t Deliver. Here’s Why.

Crypto presale reality check: most launches don’t fail because “the devs vanished.” They fail because the incentives and mechanics are stacked against holders from day one.

What I’m seeing (and why I changed my playbook):

1. Raise first, ship later. In 2017–18, ~80% of ICOs were outright scams, and a large chunk of the rest stalled out after raising. The market is more mature now, but the core risk (money captured before value is proven) still rhymes.
2. Low float + sky-high FDV = exit liquidity. Many “best crypto presales” list at a tiny circulating supply with massive fully diluted valuations.
3. Unlock cliffs hit harder than marketing admits. If you don’t map the vesting calendar, you’re guessing. Studies across thousands of unlock events show supply shocks matter—especially when sentiment is weak.
4. Liquidity games. If LP isn’t locked—or it’s “locked” to the team’s own wallet—you’re one click from a rug. Always verify the lock on-chain; don’t trust a banner.
5. Hype outpaces product. Plenty of “ai crypto presale” narratives, few living products. Tokenomics (utility, emissions, sinks) still decide whether usage sticks.
6. Scams evolve. Rug pulls exploded in DeFi and broader crypto fraud losses keep climbing—so the base rate of “bad outcomes” is still high even if it’s not always a classic rug.

My quick filter before any presale crypto:

• Tokenomics: float today, FDV today, emissions, unlocks (team/treasury/marketing).
• Liquidity: lock proof + duration; who controls LP keys?
• Proof: working demo, code commits, partners you can verify.
• Identity: at minimum, verifiable multi-sig + trackable team wallets.
• Market path: realistic CEX/DEX plan (not “top tier soon”).
• Narrative sanity: Is this a new crypto presale solving anything—or just chasing a trend?

P.S. If you’re hunting the “best crypto presale to buy now,” remember: entries feel easy, exits don’t. DYOR, and treat every crypto presale like a startup with a public token.