UK Retailer Box Using Ballots for Chance to Buy Xbox Series X
The UK technology retailer Box announced it will be using ballots to determine which customers have a shot at purchasing new Xbox Series X and Series S consoles. Customers can register on the company's website to win the chance for a new Xbox Series X later this December.
The company said it would be receiving its second and third shipments of new Xbox Series X and Series S consoles starting December 7 and December 14. Box didn't reveal how many new consoles it will be receiving for sale and can't guarantee all customers will have the chance to even buy one, which is why the company is using the ballot system, giving random entrants the opportunity to do so.
The company stated it's using the ballot format so that everyone has a fair shot at getting an Xbox Series X this month, all amid the next-gen console shortages. Box will be keeping its website online the entire time, allowing people to register on the company's newsletter list. The company said this will allow for a "smoother transaction" than normal and will help keep customers from competing with each other on the main website, which reduces the amount of traffic the site usually receives from people purchasing the same product.
This comes in the wake of the Xbox Series X shortages coupled with the high demand for the next-gen console. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has spoken about the Xbox Series X shortages in a past interview with The Verge, mentioning that the shortages are likely to continue into spring of 2021. However, he assured that Microsoft was already working to manufacture more consoles with some already on the way.
In the meantime, there are still people taking advantage of the demand for the new Xbox consoles for financial gain. There have been groups of scalpers securing Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles since their release, and they have been reselling them to people at exorbitantly high prices. These resellers have faced backlash from people online, but this hasn't stopped people from purchasing the excessively priced consoles from scalpers.
A UK-based scalper group called CrepChieNotify even tried to secure over 1,000 new Xbox Series X consoles from the retailer Very. According to reports by the British news channel Sky News, Very canceled all orders placed for the consoles due to a "technical error," and all customers will receive refunds in the following 10 days. Box's ballot system is a more approachable means for players to get their hands on an Xbox Series X before Christmas arrives.
Source: Video Games Chronicle
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