Fujifilm says that is actively investigating all of the orders placed during the sale of the Limited Edition X100VI last week and any found to be “suspicious” will be canceled.
During last week’s three-day sale of the X100VI Limited Edition — during which the company made just 300 units available to purchase over three days — Fujifilm set strict rules on how many cameras a single person could buy.
“We have implemented measures that include a strict limit of one camera per order,” a Fujifilm representative told PetaPixel last week. “This policy is designed to prevent any individual from purchasing multiple units in a single transaction.”
But today, after rumors that bots had been used to acquire a majority of the X100VI Limited Edition cameras that were sold in the United States, Fujifilm says it doesn’t intend to just ship those out without checking them first.
Please be assured that we’re manually verifying orders for fraud and suspicious activity. https://t.co/iRPfAQgbnU
— FUJIFILM X/GFX USA (@FujifilmX_US) March 21, 2024
“As mentioned on our social media channels earlier, over the course of the sale days for X100VI Limited Edition, our team intercepted a large number of suspicious orders — which we know impedes the chances for our loyal fans to have the opportunity to purchase this incredible camera. The suspicious orders will be canceled as they are identified/confirmed as such.”
An unverified rumor published over the weekend claimed that a whopping 92% of orders placed for the limited edition camera were done so by a specific bot. What is not clear is if this bot was able to purchase multiple cameras for one person and if the intent was to immediately resell.
Still, Fujifilm seems as though it is attempting to determine something, even if it did not say if using a bot to make a purchase would fall under its “fraud and suspicious activity” umbrella.
The company seems confident that it has caught some as it already announced plans on how it would deal with these orders: it will raffle them off.
📷Raffle To Purchase FUJIFILM X100VI Limited Edition📷
Our team intercepted a large number of suspicious X100VI Limited Edition orders — which we know hurts the chances for our loyal fans to have the opportunity to purchase this incredible camera. The suspicious orders… pic.twitter.com/3Rz9RcDhZX
— FUJIFILM X/GFX USA (@FujifilmX_US) March 25, 2024
“The remaining X100VI Limited Edition cameras will be entered into a raffle system that will help ensure that people have an equitable chance to purchase,” a Fujifilm representative tells PetaPixel. “Stay tuned to our social channels for more details on how/when to enter.”
Given that the rush to purchase the very few cameras that were available slowed Fujifilm’s site to a crawl and greatly inhibited legitimate attempts to purchase the camera, a raffle may have been the best choice of action from the start.