Even as Xiaomi enjoys high demand for its affordable Redmi Note 3 and flagship Mi 5 smartphones in India, it seems like the company has been hit by limited supply. After making the smartphones available in open sales, the company failed to fulfill consumer demand as the sales lasted only a few minutes. Usually Xiaomi sells both handsets every Wednesday on Mi.com/in, but the company hasn't shared details of the next sale yet.
Soon after Xiaomi concludes the flash sale-like open sale for the Redmi Note 3 and Mi 5, it puts up the next sale date and time on a dedicated webpage on its official site. This week, however, the webpage hasn't been updated as it still shows the May 25 flash sale date.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 was also sold via Amazon India simultaneously, which required pre-registrations by the probable buyers to participate in the sale. The registrations traditionally open soon after the sale concludes, but Amazon hasn't opened registrations or listed the next sale date and time on its website.
The reason behind the unexpected move remains unclear, but there are two possibilities. Xiaomi could either be facing issues with the stock or plans to end the open sales and flash sales for both of its smartphones to make them available regularly like other Redmi and Mi smartphones.
Not too long ago, the company's global VP Hugo Barra had said that the Redmi Note 3 and Mi 5 were doing exceptionally well in India since their launch in March. As the open sales for both handsets look like flash sales, the company is planning to increase the production of the handsets to balance supply and demand. Nothing is certain until Wednesday, June 1, when the company is expected to hold the next open/flash sale in India.
Meanwhile, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has been listed by Greendust as part of its "May Best Sellers" sale, which ends on May 29. The retailer is selling the Redmi Note 3 2GB+16GB variant on its site, but for a higher price. The Redmi Note 3 starts at Rs. 9,999, but Greendust is offering the base variant for Rs. 10,799.
