One of the main reasons I feel comfortable about using Kickstarter is the fact that I know my funds won't get released to the company/person unless enough people "fund" it. Once enough people back it then I'm not as worried about losing my money (probably more psychological than anything) because I feel like there would be a huge uproar if someone tried running off. This doesn't really seem to give me as the "pre-ord…
Personally, I feel better knowing that I won't be charged at all until the item is shipped. And in the worst case, I would request a refund or issue a chargeback if I felt the seller was being "sketchy".