Tokenomics is often presented as a technical topic, but in presales it becomes a marketing tool. Most investors don’t read the fine print, and presale teams know this. Instead of explaining the full structure, many projects highlight only the parts that look attractive.
The rest is buried in charts, vague descriptions, or complicated diagrams that hide important details. Here are three common tricks that presales use to make their tokenomics look better than they really are.
Read also: How to recognize a crypto presale scam? Full guide
1. Highlighting the Presale Price While Hiding the FDV
Presale pages always show the price per token. It’s usually a small number, often a fraction of a cent. But what they don’t highlight is the fully diluted valuation (FDV) – the total value of all tokens when the full supply enters circulation.
A token that costs $0.001 might look cheap, but if the total supply is enormous, the FDV can reach unrealistic levels. When the token lists, the market can’t support this valuation, and the price adjusts sharply.
By focusing on the presale price while avoiding the full supply numbers, the project creates the impression of an affordable entry point, even though the real valuation is much higher than it appears.
Read also: Why “Cheap” Presale Tokens Are Often the Most Expensive
2. Using High Staking APY to Distract From Real Risks
Staking rewards look attractive, especially when they offer triple-digit percentages. These numbers make the tokenomics appear rewarding and encourage investors to lock their tokens for long periods. But in presales, high APY doesn’t come from real network activity. It comes from minting more tokens, which creates inflation long before the project delivers anything.
Locking tokens also prevents investors from selling when the listing happens, which conveniently reduces early selling pressure. But once the unlock period ends, the supply increases, the staking rewards lose their impact, and the price usually drops.
Read also: The Truth Behind Those 100%+ Staking Rewards in Presales
3. Hiding Large Insider Allocations Behind Vague Labels
Tokenomics charts often include categories like “marketing”, “development”, “ecosystem growth”, or “community incentives”. These labels sound legitimate, but in many presales they represent large insider allocations controlled entirely by the team.
Tokens assigned to “marketing” can end up being used for giveaways, influencer deals, or exchange fees – all of which involve selling tokens into the market. Allocations for “development” or “advisors” may unlock early or be used with little transparency. The amounts can be large enough to overwhelm any real demand.
These vague categories allow the team to hold a significant portion of the supply without clearly stating when or how those tokens will enter circulation. When listing day arrives, these insider allocations often become the main source of selling pressure.
Read also: Why Presales Are Often Registered in Offshore Jurisdictions
A System Designed to Look Safer Than It Is
Presale tokenomics are not built to protect investors. They are built to make the presale appear balanced, fair, and well thought out, even when the structure heavily favors insiders. Understanding these tricks helps investors see past the charts and focus on what the numbers truly mean.
We’ve released a full guide to recognizing presale scams!
It covers how these schemes work, how they trap investors – and how to spot the red flags. Check it out here!
