UPDATE: The server transition is complete! All services are now active again. If you happen to notice anything that doesn’t look correct or isn’t functioning properly, please send us a note. We appreciate your patience during this transition.

We’re almost done! Going on 25 hours, but we are now getting somewhere. Hopefully everything will be finished this evening. Currently we are easing the spiders back into motion and working on the alerts side of things.

How long will it last?

Not sure. This is the first major transition we have had to make since 2007. If we could have avoided the move, we would have, but the server we are currently running on is just too old and a bit lacking in the memory department. Increasing the memory footprint should allow our spiders to run much more efficiently while handling larger volumes of traffic and email deliveries more smoothly. (Fingers crossed.)

There will be a warning header on the old server. This header will exist on the old server throughout the transition. When this header is gone, you will know you are now on the new server.

What does this impact?

During the transition, we will lock down all account and registration capabilities. This will ensure that any changes made will be made on the correct server. It is best to just come back tomorrow if you need to make account changes or register with NowInStock.net after the aforementioned time.

Also, during this transition, you might see incorrect stock data on the site depending on which server you are currently viewing. We will try to minimize this as much as possible.

In the end, we just hope everything goes smoothly. (Hands interlocked.)

Canadian Tracking is live once again for those you who may have missed it. To see what items we are currently tracking in Canada, visit the Canadian NowInStock section of the site, which can always be accessed via the flag in the upper right, or via the url NowInStock.net/ca/.

As always, I implore all Canadians to start making the site more useful by suggesting products to be tracked. I have a hard enough time monitoring the US for all the hard-to-find products out there, let alone the UK & Canada too. This site is driven by user suggestions, so start making some for those hard-to-find Canadian items.

This Holiday Season has proven to be one of the most rewarding in recent memory. We were able to help so many users get their LeapPad Explorers and other hot items. And, the amount of positive feedback and praise received was phenomenal. I would say this year was second only to the 2007-08 year when the Nintendo Wii was extremely hot.

With that said, I hope all subscribers that were able to achieve success, and even those that may have missed out, remember we will be here all year long for anything else you may have trouble finding, plus next year for the hot items of the 2012 holiday season. We have a lot on the plate as far as development goes and we are sure a lot of you will like these changes.

So until next time, NowInStock.net is wishing all a safe and Happy Holiday Season, hopefully with many children’s faces sporting wide smiles with help from NowInStock.net.

Looking to get those grubby little hands on the elusive Star Wars: Old Republic Collector’s Edition because you failed to pre-order it like all of your other friends? Then you need to head over to our recently released Star Wars Old Republic In Stock Tracker to see if stock is available. If not, don’t fret. If you are not familiar with NowInStock.net, we are a FREE web service that tracks the availability of hard-to-find items such as Star Wars Old Republic Collector’s Edition. When we see stock available for purchase, we will notify you! To get started, register for a free account, add the items you want alerted on, set your alert delivery options (txt, email, desktop/browser), then kick back and wait for those alerts to come in.

All LeapPad Explorer Subscribers who have orders in at Target

It has been reported to NowInStock.net that users who were able to order a LeapPad Explorer through Target, on or after December 9th (maybe earlier, not able to confirm), that your orders MAY be in jeopardy of not being delivered by Christmas.

Wendy, a user of the NowInStock.net who was able to place here order on December 9th, has informed me she received and email from Target yesterday (December 16th) “stating that I might not receive the Leappad until sometime in January.” Previously, I was reported by another user that had called Target, when she couldn’t order online, and she was told they were “800 behind in delivery.” This latest information from Wendy appears to confirm that Target is indeed having order fulfillment issues and has taken on more orders than they might be able to deliver on before Christmas. This is horrible news, and I am as disappointed with the situation as the unfortunate out there.

As a result, I am disabling all LeapPad Explorer tracking for Target. This in reality comes as no surprise. Ever since this past summer when Target took full control of their own website (Amazon used to run/manage their website), they have been plagued with issue after issue (This is well documented, just look at these results). And, it appears that taking on a massive amount of orders in a very short span of time is another one of those issues.

I ordered from Target, what should I do?

If you are one of the users who was able to place an order from Target on or after December 9th, and have not received any type of shipment notice or tracking number, I highly suggest you confirm your order is indeed shipping. Call Target and get a status on your order number.

If you turn out to be one of the unlucky ones, then don’t lose faith yet. This past week there has been a decent amount of inventory being offered up at a variety of online retailers. Amazon, TRU, and Walmart have all offered up large inventories of LeapPad Explorers which lasted longer than most runs in the past. And, since December 9th, we have added a few new TRU Bundles as well as LeapFrog Store Bundles. You need to make sure these items are added to your account so you can be alerted on them.

I also urge any subscriber to read the following note that will potentially increase your chances at getting that LeapPad Explorer:
http://www.nowinstock.net/itemtoohot.php

Visit the following link to verify your account has all the latest items added to it:
http://www.nowinstock.net/toys/leapfrog/setalerts.php

Hopefully over the course of the next 5 days the last bit of inventory will rear its head and those unfortunate ones will still be able to get their hands on a last minute LeapPad Explorer.

Good luck all!

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

This morning I added the Samsung Galaxy Nexus to the Verizon Mobile Phones In Stock Tracker. Not sure how many of these phones are out there, but I do know there was tremendous interest in this mobile phone. If stock continues to hold at the current levels, there will be options in getting your own Galaxy Nexus. Visit the aforementioned tracker to see where it is available. If stock dries up, well then sign up for our FREE in stock alerts and when our trackers see stock available for purchase, we will alert you! PLEASE NOTE: I am not sure how tracking will work with Verizon Wireless or more aptly, how accurate it will be. Typically you need to enter a zip code prior to adding an item to your account. Amazon Wireless and Best Buy are great in that there is no need for a zip code to see if stock is available.

Vigilance

If you have already read my note for acquiring super hot items, and you chose to heed the advice contained within, then you might have succeeded this morning with acquiring a LeapPad Explorer from Toys R Us. In Stock statuses began to show to our tracker at about 7:42 AM EST. It continued to pop in and out of stock for the next 30 minutes. Then all of the sudden at 8:12 AM EST inventory showed as in stock constantly for the next 44 minutes. This is a prime example of what I meant by Remaining Vigilant in that note. If you are still looking for a LeapPad Explorer and are signed up for alerts, then I really suggest you read the piece on Acquiring Super Hot Items as it currently applies to the LeapPad Explorer. I have directed many people to that note and many have thanked me as a result. I wrote it for a reason, to help you get that LeapPad Explorer!

See, we at NowInStock.net do read to those product suggestion requests you make. Here are a few of the latest in stock trackers we recently launched to help users get their hands on the latest hard-to-find items:

Orbeez Soothing Spa In Stock Tracker – spa experience for the young ones.

VTech KidiJamz Studio In Stock Tracker – Let the little ones jam it out; you might just have the next Idol.

Power Wheels In Stock Tracker – Not sure if Power Wheels fit into the Play 60 motto, but they sure can be a blast!

Also, we added tracking for the Disney Princess Sing-Along Boom Box which can now be found in the Disney Tracker.

And lastly, we have been updating the UK based trackers. It looks like the US isn’t the only place having trouble picking up the LeapPads. If you are from the UK and looking for a LeapPad, then head over to the NowInStock.net UK LeapPad Explorer In Stock Tracker.

Just a  quick note to let interested parties know we just released two new trackers on the site today.

Hot Wheels

Those looking to get their hands on the Hot Wheels Wall Tracks Starter Set, you now can sign up for the free alerts via the Hot Wheels Tracker.

LEGO Kingdoms

If you are interested in getting a LEGO Kingdoms King’s Castle, then you will be happy to know we released the LEGO Kingdoms In Stock Tracker.

Weekly update on all that is happening around the world of hot, hard-to-find products and NowInStock.net

Amazon Cancels Pre-Orders for Transformer Prime

This is one of the most frustrating events to occur in sometime, at least for those that were eagerly awaiting their pre-ordered ASUS Transformer Prime. Amazon has decided to cancel a large portion, if not all, of the pre-orders placed for the Transformer Prime. And those that got their preorders are voicing their displeasure from commenting on the Amazon product pages of the Prime (which Amazon decided it should delete), to forums like over at TransformerForums.com to articles about the debacle on Engadget and Android and Me among others. I pre-ordered one myself and sure enough I also received the slap to the face. There is nothing more frustrating than having your anticipation squashed. What really irritates me is the canceling of the order. I expected delays on the Prime when I pre-ordered it, and I was willing to accept receiving my pre-order well into January/February. What I was not expecting was for Amazon to rip me out of line and kick me to the curb. This is what I call a failure of customer relations. Yet, I have a service representative trying to apologize to me when questioning the incident. I want whoever made the decision to rip me out of line to apologize for their failure. And I don’t care if the reasoning was ASUS is having issues with demand; I will wait in line!

But never fear, there are retailers still accepting pre-orders. They may or may not go through in the end, but at least you can try. If you are still interested in placing a Prime pre-order elsewhere, head over to our Transformer Prime In Stock Tracker to see who is still offering them.

LeapPad Explorer

LeapPad Explorer continues to shine in the sales department and there is no sign of demand letting up. We saw subscribers pouring into the site this past week. When adults have a neat toy, the kids will want one too. LeapPad is there to fill the void and give the kiddies something to play with while mommy and daddy use their own tablets. If you are going to want a LeapPad for Christmas day, you better register for our FREE in stock alerts now! If you really want a LeapPad, I suggest you sign up for a FREE account then get the Desktop or Browser Alerts running on your computer. These two methods are the fastest and most efficient at alerting you when stock is available. If you want to role the dice and see if stock is available right now, head over to our LeapPad In Stock Tracker.

Other Notables and New Items

While LeapPad is the clear dominator this holiday season, there are quite a few other products that are in demand, some were on the site last week, but we also have a few new ones:

Monster High Dolls – the Monster High Dolls strike again this year. With the hottest dolls being Toralei, Abbey, and Spectra. Holding steady near the top, but nowhere even close to LeapPad Explorer.
Angry Birds – taking the life of the party on your tablet offline was sure to be a hit. Angry Birds board game-style is selling like hotcakes. This past week interest has increased, but not much.
Lalaloopsy Dolls - Lalaloopsy is back again this year. Some interest is definitely there, but Monster High still tops them.
Doodle Bear – This cuddly little bear is not gaining anymore momentum.
Skylanders – seem to be warm, but even with a mention of shortages in inventory from Activision, interest still seems static.
Fijit Friends  – This is a new one of those dancing items. Not sure it will get any more interest, but I could be wrong. They are available fairly frequently.

What is NowInStock.net?

We are a web service that monitors the availability of hard-to-find products then alert you when those products come in stock. In order to receive these alerts, you need to register for FREE account, add items that you want alerted on to your account, then choose what types of alerts you want sent for each of these items. We offer TXT alerts, email alerts, browser alerts, and desktop alerts. Once in a while, we offer Twitter alerting (if Twitter allows us) when a product becomes really popular.

Looking for Fijit Friends this holiday season, but not having any luck finding them? Check out our newly launched Fijit Friends In Stock Tracker and maybe you will get lucky.

If you are not familiar with NowInStock.net, we are web service that tracks the availability of hot products, such as Fijit Friends, and then we alert you when we see them in stock. To start receiving alerts today, register for a free account, add the items you want alerted on to your account, then choose your delivery type (TXT, email, desktop/browser, or pre-order email) for each item. Once we see stock available for purchase, we will alert you!