Skip to content

Strict Rules Can’t Stop Fujifilm X100VI Madness: Instant Sold Out in Japan, Causes Website Crashes and Order Suspension Issued

Back in early March, Fujifilm announced that the Fujifilm X100VI will be for sale in Japan starting today, March 28.

Well, today the sale started, and the Japanese Fujifilm webstore crashed due to “heavy access”.

Moroever, the first batch of X100VI cameras already sold out and hence Fujiiflm Japan issued an order suspension. Fujifilm writes:

Both “X100VI” Silver and Black have exceeded the planned number of sales, so we have temporarily suspended the acceptance of orders. I’m very sorry. We will post the future sales schedule as soon as we know.”

And all this despite Fujifilm Japan having set strict purchasing rules such as restricting sales to individuals with a purchase history at their store and limiting purchases to one unit per person/household.

Apology due to heavy access to Fujifilm official shopping site “Fujifilm Mall”

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

I am Sorry Scalpers, But Fujifilm USA Cares: Large Number of Limited Edition X100VI Order Canceled and Raffle Announced

 

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

 

Ein Beitrag geteilt von FUJIFILM X/GFX USA (@fujifilmx_us)

Fujifilm USA X100VI LE Raffle

You know what’s funny?

When scalpers grabbed a large numbers of limited edition Fujifilm X100VI cameras using bots, they started bragging about how many they were able to snatch.

And when somebody called them out and said that Fujifilm USA is looking manually into every order, they just gave a cheeky reply that Fujifilm is bluffing and they won’t care, as you can see from this screenshot.

And look, I get their mindset. I mean, Fujifilm couldn’t care less who bought the cameras. Bots or not, Fujifilm cashed in its money and could move on happily.

But sadly for scalpers, Fujifilm actually cares about its customers and on their social media they announced they have looked into every order, canceled a large number of them and will offer a raffle in future to give a fair chance to loyal fans.

Now it will be funny to follow all those scalpers on their discord servers and see their reaction when hundreds of their orders get canceled.

Sorry guys, this is what happens when a company actually cares about its customers!

What’s Good Customer Service

It’s when things go wrong, that you really see how good a customer service is. And things definitely went wrong in many countries with the limited edition X100VI sale.

And I call it great customer service that Fujifilm USA admitted that things went wrong, then manually checked every single X100VI LE order, canceled all suspicious orders and found new ways to distribute the X100VI LE.

Here in Europe (except for UK) we might have had the same scalper issue judging by the sheer speed all the X100VI LE sold out all across Europe. And I can find lots of X100VI LE now sold in Europe at a higher price on eBay. But I have no information on which steps Fujifilm Europe took (if any) to minimise the scalpers issue.

Scalpers Possibly Grabbed 92% of Limited Edition Fujifilm X100VI Cameras in USA thanks to This Bot

A FR-reader found some clues as far as the bot goes that people used to purchase multiple Fujifilm X100VI limited edition.

The scalpers seem to indicate in their Discord server that their checkout software (bot) secured 92% of orders on day 1.

This assertion appears credible, especially considering the notifications of successful purchases visible in the Discord server. In fact, as shown by the video below, hundreds of X100VI LE units seem to have been ordered through this bot.

One guy claims that he was able to grab four X100VI LE and he was planing to snatch a 5th model (screenshot above).

Also, below I will share a video that shows which software was used and how it works.

The video shows the time stamp of when those hundreds of orders were placed (for March 21/22). As far as the order for March 23 goes, I share them as screenshot here and here.

My hope is that the time stamp will help Fujifilm to track down every single scalper, cancel their order and find a better way to distribute the X100VI LE to make sure it falls into the hands of enthusiasts and not scalpers.


Fujifilm USA Verifies X100VI Limited Edition Orders for Fraud as Overpriced X100VI Limited Editions Flood eBay

It could not work. And it didn’t.

Fujifilm USA and Europe opened the door to scalpers by deciding to sell the limited edition Fujifilm X100VI on a first-come-first-served basis.

Well, today was D-Day, and of course all units available today sold out within minutes.

The demand was so high, that the Fujifilm USA website even crashed as we can see also from reports over at our massive X100 user group.

And then the inevitable happened: within minutes, lots of overpriced Fujifilm X100VI limited edition cameras started to show up on eBay (usually sold for around 5K).

So far all as we expected.

But now Fujifilm USA has issued a statement (see above), that they are “manually verifying orders for fraud and suspicious activity“.

So not only the server crashed due to the traffic overload, but it seems also other problems might have occured.

We can only speculate on the nature of the potential fraud Fujifilm is investigating. Maybe some people found ways to grab several units using different accounts?

We do not know, but at least it’s good to know that Fujifilm USA is aware of it and looking into it.

Limited Edition Fujifilm X100VI Sells Out Within Minutes All Over Europe, Except for UK Who Takes a Different Path

The X100VI Madness Continues

Today the limited edition Fujifilm X100VI was available for sale in almost all European countries.

And guess what?

It sold out within a few minutes everywhere.

The system Europe has set up: who comes first, gets the camera!

Of course this system is dream come true for scalpers, and I’d not be surprised if in a few days we will find 90% of the purchased limited edition X100VI cameras highly overpriced on eBay. Let’s see if somebody will be able to top the 18,000 USD X100VI limited edition.

Fujifilm UK Goes a Different Path

Fujifilm UK instead has decided to take a different path. A path that will make life to scalpers a bit more difficult.

Here is how Fujifilm UK will distribute their 110 units of limited edition X100VI cameras:

  • subscribe to the newsletter of Fujifilm UK
  • on March 25, subscribers will receive an email with a link
  • using that link, you can enter a ballot for the X100VI between March 25 and March 27
  • on April 2nd the winners will be selected and notified
  • on April 6 the winners can pay and pick up their limited edition X100VI at the House of Photography

If you want to know how to grab the limited edition X100VI in USA, check out this article.

300 Limited Edition Fujifilm X100VI Cameras for Sale Starting Tomorrow in USA

Fujifilm USA has decided the procedure to grab the limited edition Fujifilm X100VI in USA. It’s not a lottery like in Japan, but a regular first-come-first system. So here is how it goes.

  • 300 units available
  • 100 cameras will be sold daily from March 21st to March 23rd on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • buy here
  • sale will start March 21st at around 12pm ET in USA

If you miss out on it, you can always grab it second for 18,000 USD later on on eBay :D.

Fujifilm Managers Interview at DPR: “We Are Determined to Continue the X-Pro line” and About X100VI, AI and More

image courtesy: dpreview - full interview linked below
image courtesy: dpreview – full interview linked below

Japanese Fujifilm managers gave an interview to dpreview.

  • without the success of the Fujifilm X100, there would probably not be any Fujifilm X series
  • the success of the X100 gave Fujifilm confidence
  • It’s the younger generation (who currently uses smartphones) that will drive photography. There is huge potential there
  • Fujifilm must think about the differences between smartphones and real cameras and understand what could motivate younger generation to use cameras
  • smartphone connectivity is important. Joy and operability of using a real camera is important too
  • operability, image quality and quality of the product itself are important
  • they talk AI, subject detection that improved operability of cameras
  • AI might continue to provide benefit for autofocus
  • focus demand for video is different compared to stills. In video focus has to change smoothly at the speed set by the videographer
  • X100 will never have a flip-out screen, even though video features are enhanced. It’s a photography centric line
  • it’s useful for Fujifilm to have different ranges, also two lines like X-T and X-H line. It’s about finding the balance between these lines
  • Fujifilm is determined to continue the X-Pro line

You can read the full interview at dpreview here.

We remind you that Fuji Guy Billy recently said he expects the Fujifilm X-Pro4 to join the 5th generation platform, but that we will have to wait a little bit for that.

Read also:

X100VI In Stock Check

Leica D-Lux 8 Specs LEAKED: The APS-C Competitor to Fujifilm X100VI Coming May/June (Anonymous Source)

I have just received a rumor from an anonymous source (who used a nickname, thanks) regarding the Fujifilm X100VI competitor that is coming, the Leica D-Lux 7 successor.

This comes from an anonymous source, so take it with a grain of salt. But you know, even trusted sources started as anonymous or new sources, and now they are 100% solid companions when it comes to Fujifilm rumors. So let’s see how the journey of this source will be :).

So, here are the specs I have been told:

  • the name will be Leica D-Lux 8
  • 24 mp APS-C sensor
  • zoom lens
  • announcement around May / June
  • priced around 1,600 €

Keep in mind that the Leica D-Lux 8 is made with Panasonic hardware. In fact, Panasonic has the Leica D-Lux 7 clone on the market, the Panasonic Lumix LX100II.

The Leica D-Lux 8 Competitor

Leica D-Lux 7II: The Fujifilm X100VI Competitor is Coming

And suddenly, the rumors about fixed lens cameras coming from other brands are hitting the internet.

And I believe them all.

I believe them all, because given the immense success of the Fujifilm X100V first and now of the Fujifilm X100VI, it was just a matter of time until other brands would expand, refresh (or even start) their fixed lens camera offerings.

The first one to come should be the Leica D-Lux 7 successor.

The Leica D-Lux 7 was launched back in 2018 featuring a 17 Megapixel Four Thirds sensor with a fixed 24-75mm f/1.7-2.7 lens. We don’t have rumors about its specs yet, but Mirrorlessrumors speculates (not rumor) that it will get a bigger APS-C sensor and feature a fixed lens instead of a zoom. But that’s not a rumor, only a guess.

The D-Lux 7 was co-developed with Panasonic which had their own version named Lumix LX100II.

Fujifilm Sets Anti-Scalpers Rule for X100VI Purchase in Japan

Today several shops in Japan announced the lottery rules for the Fujifilm X100VI.

Those rules are targeted against the scalpers, like the requirement to have a purchase history at a given store.

If you have no purchase history at a certain store, you will also not able to enter the lottery and consequently buy the Fujifilm X100VI.

If that rule would have been set also at the Australian store, then the ridiculous resell of the limited edition Fujifilm X100VI for 18,000 USD would have been impossible. The guy who is trying to sell the limited edition X100VI at that ridiculous price just entered the lottery from USA having no purchase history at the House of Photography in Australia. He won the lottery, and of course he went ahead trying to sell it with an immense profit.

I think that’s a smart move and hopefully other Fujifilm branches around the world will take an example on how Japan is handling it.

You can read the full article about how Fujifilm Japan is handling the X100VI orders in a dedicated article at fotograficzny here.