An open letter to Eastbay. Re: get better servers

[Deleted member 43946]

So as many people tonight found as they attempted to order the Royal Foamposite Ones, eastbay.com could not handle the internet traffic. After waiting patiently to simply be able to add the shoes to their shopping carts on Eastbay and all affiliated sites (footaction, foot locker) prospective buyers were forced to wait from what I've seen as minimum of five minutes, maximum of 40 minutes to be able to simply check the shoes out. Unacceptable in the age of high speed internet. I added the foamposite ones to my cart as soon as the timer changed to allow people to actually order the shoe. From their I was greeted with a message that in 10 minutes I would know if my shoe had been sold out or if I was able to order and wait for the excessive lag that bombards your servers on every single popular midnite release. To make a long story short, while I was waiting to just be able to check out on Eastbay, I ordered 2 pair from Nike.com. My checkout went smoothly with no lag and no hassle. Now tell me this? As the biggest third party distributor of Nike shoes in North America you can't invest in a  server system that can handle the bandwidth that is obviously going to be expected with releases such as these? It's been a problem for years and it will continue to cost you more and more business as you disgruntle the customers who pay your salaries.

 

[Deleted member 43946]

So as many people tonight found as they attempted to order the Royal Foamposite Ones, eastbay.com could not handle the internet traffic. After waiting patiently to simply be able to add the shoes to their shopping carts on Eastbay and all affiliated sites (footaction, foot locker) prospective buyers were forced to wait from what I've seen as minimum of five minutes, maximum of 40 minutes to be able to simply check the shoes out. Unacceptable in the age of high speed internet. I added the foamposite ones to my cart as soon as the timer changed to allow people to actually order the shoe. From their I was greeted with a message that in 10 minutes I would know if my shoe had been sold out or if I was able to order and wait for the excessive lag that bombards your servers on every single popular midnite release. To make a long story short, while I was waiting to just be able to check out on Eastbay, I ordered 2 pair from Nike.com. My checkout went smoothly with no lag and no hassle. Now tell me this? As the biggest third party distributor of Nike shoes in North America you can't invest in a  server system that can handle the bandwidth that is obviously going to be expected with releases such as these? It's been a problem for years and it will continue to cost you more and more business as you disgruntle the customers who pay your salaries.

 

[balloonoboy]

They were getting hammered, bro.

I called and was on hold for two hours.

If anything, it's Nike's fault for releasing ZKVI AND Royal foams the same day. Eastbay's been doing much better lately.

 

[balloonoboy]

They were getting hammered, bro.

I called and was on hold for two hours.

If anything, it's Nike's fault for releasing ZKVI AND Royal foams the same day. Eastbay's been doing much better lately.

 

[million dollar stacks]

 

[million dollar stacks]

 

[kickzb4hoz]

I love the we pay your salary argument.

 

[kickzb4hoz]

I love the we pay your salary argument.

 

[ruxxx]

^^Balloonboy got it right.
That's how it goes now.
With all the BS (aka "hype") surrounding certain releases,you either play the "game" or you sit in the stands and watch it go down.Unfortunately what you experienced is very much a part of the "game".Be happy you were able to order from NDC.

 

[ruxxx]

^^Balloonboy got it right.
That's how it goes now.
With all the BS (aka "hype") surrounding certain releases,you either play the "game" or you sit in the stands and watch it go down.Unfortunately what you experienced is very much a part of the "game".Be happy you were able to order from NDC.

 

[Magic33]

I think it being the winter time plays a part. It's easier to stay in your warm house and just order online or call. Dudes are less likely to wait outside.

They've made some improvements. I'm sure they notice the problem.

Hell, them(Ray and Ryan) being on NT helps a lot.

 

[Magic33]

I think it being the winter time plays a part. It's easier to stay in your warm house and just order online or call. Dudes are less likely to wait outside.

They've made some improvements. I'm sure they notice the problem.

Hell, them(Ray and Ryan) being on NT helps a lot.

 

[kevvv]

Quite frankly they don't need to invest in any better servers at all. It will cost them money and the outcome will be the same regardless of getting better servers or not. They will sell out hot releases without spending a dime on servers. Now if more servers meant more sales then I am sure they would look into it.

 

[kevvv]

Quite frankly they don't need to invest in any better servers at all. It will cost them money and the outcome will be the same regardless of getting better servers or not. They will sell out hot releases without spending a dime on servers. Now if more servers meant more sales then I am sure they would look into it.

 

[Deleted member 43946]

Originally Posted by kevvv

Quite frankly they don't need to invest in any better servers at all. It will cost them money and the outcome will be the same regardless of getting better servers or not. They will sell out hot releases without spending a dime on servers. Now if more servers meant more sales then I am sure they would look into it.

Now that's an excellent point. Yes, these will sell out. But what about the next time I decide to order something? Will I think Eastbay.com or will I decide to go another route not affiliated with Eastbay because I am so tired of just not being able to order a midnite release because their website is simply ill equipped to handle the traffic. That equals lost sales. It seems like a nickel and dime thing on Eastbay's part and that is sad...

 

[Deleted member 43946]

Originally Posted by kevvv

Quite frankly they don't need to invest in any better servers at all. It will cost them money and the outcome will be the same regardless of getting better servers or not. They will sell out hot releases without spending a dime on servers. Now if more servers meant more sales then I am sure they would look into it.

Now that's an excellent point. Yes, these will sell out. But what about the next time I decide to order something? Will I think Eastbay.com or will I decide to go another route not affiliated with Eastbay because I am so tired of just not being able to order a midnite release because their website is simply ill equipped to handle the traffic. That equals lost sales. It seems like a nickel and dime thing on Eastbay's part and that is sad...

 

[jmb1523]

I tried to order from them, but as soon as i saw a 50 min wait time, i went straight to ndc.

 

[jmb1523]

I tried to order from them, but as soon as i saw a 50 min wait time, i went straight to ndc.

 

[bc60997]

Originally Posted by caleb4god

So as many people tonight found as they attempted to order the Royal Foamposite Ones, eastbay.com could not handle the internet traffic. After waiting patiently to simply be able to add the shoes to their shopping carts on Eastbay and all affiliated sites (footaction, foot locker) prospective buyers were forced to wait from what I've seen as minimum of five minutes, maximum of 40 minutes to be able to simply check the shoes out. Unacceptable in the age of high speed internet. I added the foamposite ones to my cart as soon as the timer changed to allow people to actually order the shoe. From their I was greeted with a message that in 10 minutes I would know if my shoe had been sold out or if I was able to order and wait for the excessive lag that bombards your servers on every single popular midnite release. To make a long story short, while I was waiting to just be able to check out on Eastbay, I ordered 2 pair from Nike.com. My checkout went smoothly with no lag and no hassle. Now tell me this? As the biggest third party distributor of Nike shoes in North America you can't invest in a  server system that can handle the bandwidth that is obviously going to be expected with releases such as these? It's been a problem for years and it will continue to cost you more and more business as you disgruntle the customers who pay your salaries.

You obviously don't understand how servers work.  They have upgraded the servers and have implemented a queue system in order to allow a waiting line so that those who add them to the cart first will be able to process the order.  It isn't a matter of investing in something that can handle bandwidth.  If it couldn't handle the bandwidth it would completely shut the site down not give you a queue.  You said it best yourself as the third largest  retailer of Nike products in North America, take your business elsewhere they have there clientele and people will continue to order from them as they beat everyones price w/ no tax and free shipping. 

  

 

[bc60997]

Originally Posted by caleb4god

So as many people tonight found as they attempted to order the Royal Foamposite Ones, eastbay.com could not handle the internet traffic. After waiting patiently to simply be able to add the shoes to their shopping carts on Eastbay and all affiliated sites (footaction, foot locker) prospective buyers were forced to wait from what I've seen as minimum of five minutes, maximum of 40 minutes to be able to simply check the shoes out. Unacceptable in the age of high speed internet. I added the foamposite ones to my cart as soon as the timer changed to allow people to actually order the shoe. From their I was greeted with a message that in 10 minutes I would know if my shoe had been sold out or if I was able to order and wait for the excessive lag that bombards your servers on every single popular midnite release. To make a long story short, while I was waiting to just be able to check out on Eastbay, I ordered 2 pair from Nike.com. My checkout went smoothly with no lag and no hassle. Now tell me this? As the biggest third party distributor of Nike shoes in North America you can't invest in a  server system that can handle the bandwidth that is obviously going to be expected with releases such as these? It's been a problem for years and it will continue to cost you more and more business as you disgruntle the customers who pay your salaries.

You obviously don't understand how servers work.  They have upgraded the servers and have implemented a queue system in order to allow a waiting line so that those who add them to the cart first will be able to process the order.  It isn't a matter of investing in something that can handle bandwidth.  If it couldn't handle the bandwidth it would completely shut the site down not give you a queue.  You said it best yourself as the third largest  retailer of Nike products in North America, take your business elsewhere they have there clientele and people will continue to order from them as they beat everyones price w/ no tax and free shipping. 

  

 

[eastbayrep]

Originally Posted by caleb4god

So as many people tonight found as they attempted to order the Royal Foamposite Ones, eastbay.com could not handle the internet traffic. After waiting patiently to simply be able to add the shoes to their shopping carts on Eastbay and all affiliated sites (footaction, foot locker) prospective buyers were forced to wait from what I've seen as minimum of five minutes, maximum of 40 minutes to be able to simply check the shoes out. Unacceptable in the age of high speed internet. I added the foamposite ones to my cart as soon as the timer changed to allow people to actually order the shoe. From their I was greeted with a message that in 10 minutes I would know if my shoe had been sold out or if I was able to order and wait for the excessive lag that bombards your servers on every single popular midnite release. To make a long story short, while I was waiting to just be able to check out on Eastbay, I ordered 2 pair from Nike.com. My checkout went smoothly with no lag and no hassle. Now tell me this? As the biggest third party distributor of Nike shoes in North America you can't invest in a  server system that can handle the bandwidth that is obviously going to be expected with releases such as these? It's been a problem for years and it will continue to cost you more and more business as you disgruntle the customers who pay your salaries.

Our website did not crash last night, so I would say it was able to handle the traffic.  As for the check out timer, that helps our ordering server from being overloaded and it also helps to make sure we do not over sell on items.  For an example, having 100 customers order a size 12 at the same time when we only have 40 available for sale will cause some issues, so we have the waiting to check out feature.  Yes, waiting in line to check out is not fun, but neither is placing an order, then finding out it was canceled the following morning.  Canceling orders due to over selling is something we are trying to stop and we are definitely getting better at that.  The only time we have had to cancel an order, on the last few launches, is if the shipment we received was smaller than what we were expecting.

Getting faster servers would help with some issues, but it will not fix all of them. 

In the age of high speed internet, many people expect everything to happen instantly.  Unfortunately, this is not the case with everything online. 

Originally Posted by caleb4god

Originally Posted by kevvv

Quite frankly they don't need to invest in any better servers at all. It will cost them money and the outcome will be the same regardless of getting better servers or not. They will sell out hot releases without spending a dime on servers. Now if more servers meant more sales then I am sure they would look into it.

Now that's an excellent point. Yes, these will sell out. But what about the next time I decide to order something? Will I think Eastbay.com or will I decide to go another route not affiliated with Eastbay because I am so tired of just not being able to order a midnite release because their website is simply ill equipped to handle the traffic. That equals lost sales. It seems like a nickel and dime thing on Eastbay's part and that is sad...

That is how most businesses work, they evaluate the benefits and how much it costs to get something done.  If it is not worth the time and money, then the idea is scrapped for now.

EastbayRep - Ray

 

[eastbayrep]

Originally Posted by caleb4god

So as many people tonight found as they attempted to order the Royal Foamposite Ones, eastbay.com could not handle the internet traffic. After waiting patiently to simply be able to add the shoes to their shopping carts on Eastbay and all affiliated sites (footaction, foot locker) prospective buyers were forced to wait from what I've seen as minimum of five minutes, maximum of 40 minutes to be able to simply check the shoes out. Unacceptable in the age of high speed internet. I added the foamposite ones to my cart as soon as the timer changed to allow people to actually order the shoe. From their I was greeted with a message that in 10 minutes I would know if my shoe had been sold out or if I was able to order and wait for the excessive lag that bombards your servers on every single popular midnite release. To make a long story short, while I was waiting to just be able to check out on Eastbay, I ordered 2 pair from Nike.com. My checkout went smoothly with no lag and no hassle. Now tell me this? As the biggest third party distributor of Nike shoes in North America you can't invest in a  server system that can handle the bandwidth that is obviously going to be expected with releases such as these? It's been a problem for years and it will continue to cost you more and more business as you disgruntle the customers who pay your salaries.

Our website did not crash last night, so I would say it was able to handle the traffic.  As for the check out timer, that helps our ordering server from being overloaded and it also helps to make sure we do not over sell on items.  For an example, having 100 customers order a size 12 at the same time when we only have 40 available for sale will cause some issues, so we have the waiting to check out feature.  Yes, waiting in line to check out is not fun, but neither is placing an order, then finding out it was canceled the following morning.  Canceling orders due to over selling is something we are trying to stop and we are definitely getting better at that.  The only time we have had to cancel an order, on the last few launches, is if the shipment we received was smaller than what we were expecting.

Getting faster servers would help with some issues, but it will not fix all of them. 

In the age of high speed internet, many people expect everything to happen instantly.  Unfortunately, this is not the case with everything online. 

Originally Posted by caleb4god

Originally Posted by kevvv

Quite frankly they don't need to invest in any better servers at all. It will cost them money and the outcome will be the same regardless of getting better servers or not. They will sell out hot releases without spending a dime on servers. Now if more servers meant more sales then I am sure they would look into it.

Now that's an excellent point. Yes, these will sell out. But what about the next time I decide to order something? Will I think Eastbay.com or will I decide to go another route not affiliated with Eastbay because I am so tired of just not being able to order a midnite release because their website is simply ill equipped to handle the traffic. That equals lost sales. It seems like a nickel and dime thing on Eastbay's part and that is sad...

That is how most businesses work, they evaluate the benefits and how much it costs to get something done.  If it is not worth the time and money, then the idea is scrapped for now.

EastbayRep - Ray

 

[chewdeezy]

Ever since Eastbay installed the timer, I have no issues on orders.

 

[chewdeezy]

Ever since Eastbay installed the timer, I have no issues on orders.

 

[23retrokid]

I had an issue with eastbay for the cg XI. The timer window timed out on me causing me to loose out on them from there site. Real BS!!!