Sharp switches face mask sale to lottery as demand surge blocks site

Apr 24, 2020 | News On Japan

Apr 24, 2020 (Kyodo) - Sharp Corp. said Thursday it will switch its online sale of face masks from a first-come, first-served basis to a lottery after a surge in access to its e-commerce website amid the new coronavirus crisis.

After launching sales of the face masks Tuesday, the household appliance maker received far more hits than expected and had to suspend the website, with no one actually being able to purchase the item.

Its internet of things services involving remote control of household appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators were also disrupted because it used the same system as the e-commerce website.

Under the new lottery system, the Osaka-based manufacturer said it will first take orders for the face masks from midnight Sunday to 11:59 p.m. Monday on its website. It will hold a lottery the following day and notify the winners through email by Wednesday.

For the first round of the lottery, Sharp has prepared 30,000 boxes of face masks, each containing 50 masks. They will be sold at 3,278 yen ($30) a box with 660 yen charged for shipping. Purchases will be restricted to one box at a time.

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