It's probably the business model they adopted of taking preorders. Part of the problem of taking pre-orders is that the customer always assumes that the money would be going to actually producing the prop. The problems come when the company attempting to make the item suffers delays, or supply shortages, or increased prices for things...or any number of speed bumps that can happen. The company soon realizes that the production costs are/will be significantly higher, and all the while, they still had to pay their operating costs (employees, insurance, rent, etc.) So, all the money actually went to operating costs, and then they have no money left to actually make the item.
Some companies go as far as trying to dig themselves out a of the hole and offering yet another item for pre-order (or a few items for preorder), trying to raise even more cash. Ultimately, 1 or 2 failed projects, results in them not being able to afford even their operating costs, and the people that pre-ordered for items just lose their money on the failed promise.
Stick with companies that don't take pre-orders. They've already raised the capital to produce the item, and they're taking all the risk so you don't have to. However, the risk being on the company in this case, they have a greater chance of going under because they have no idea if their product will sell or not, (unless there is some sort of interest list or reserve list) but at least the customers won't be owed anything.
