Microsoft Band Stock Coming in Extremely Limited Quantity (Update)

Quick Update: Since writing this article this morning I've come to learn that Microsoft delivered two very different emails today. The first was for "Early Access" to purchase a band and it arrived early this morning. Then the second email was delivered to everyone else announcing that the Band was back in stock but that inventory was limited. That gave early access people about 4 hours to buy the Band before Microsoft opened the floodgates to everyone else. How Microsoft chose "Early Access" customers is still a mystery, consdering I've been contacted by many who definitely signed-up to be notified, but weren't given signature treatment.

BTW: You should also note that to buy a Band online today, you actually do need one of the two emails. The Buy Now link contained in the email is important. Normal visitors to the Microsoft Store online now are met with an "out of stock" message. Some social media users have posted those email links publicly, so if you didn't get an email you can probably find the link there. However, I guarantee that Microsoft will probably end up turning off those links soon, considering only a limited number of Bands is available - only enough to cover the count of distributed emails and not a publicly shared link. Microsoft probably should've made a note in the email to say "hey, this is your own personal link - don't share it."

---Original article---

If you want in on the next round of Microsoft Band releases, good luck. Unless you signed up to be notified when stock was replenished using the email notification mechanism on the Microsoft Store web site, you won't be getting one right away. And, even then, you might not be eligible, either.

According to some who have learned about the pending replenishment, who also signed up to be notified, that email has never arrived.

There's a couple things that could possibly be at play here.

First, Microsoft's email notification system is flawed. This is entirely possible, but probably not the most likely culprit.

Second, after being stung by bad stock planning for the original Surface RT when the company manufactured more than it could sell, the company is extremely tentative in releasing too many and getting nipped by inventory it can't sell. The company could be working down an email list and trying to match exact numbers

Third, it's completely conceivable that the Microsoft Band's popularity isn't as great as marketing would have you believe and the company knows that. There's been no report on just how many Microsoft Bands have been sold.

And, lastly, the Microsoft Band was released in October 2014 and if new Surface tablet release schedules is any indicator, Microsoft could be revving up a version 2 of the Microsoft Band soon. The company could be fulfilling requests just before releasing new hardware. For those getting the email notification, this would be a good news/bad news scenario. Sure, they finally get their hands on a Microsoft Band, but only just in time to find it's completely outdated. That is so last year's model.

I spoke with a salesperson at my local Microsoft Store this week to check stock levels. She told me the following:

There's no regular stock shipment schedule. Microsoft Band stock replenishment is random. New bands just show up without warning.

All sizes of the Microsoft Band are delivered equally, however, small and medium-sized bands sell out quickly showing Microsoft still hasn't figured out restocking demands.

Because of this, a lot of the stores have an overstock of the large bands. If you're a large person, you're likely to casually stroll into a Microsoft Store and purchase one immediately.

Due to the stock being depleted and no clue when new stock would show, the salesperson tried to push me to any other fitness band that the store carries but with heavy emphasis on the $250 Fitbit Surge.

So, what's to believe? Did you sign-up to be notified and have yet to receive your email?