Hobonichi Day: Aftermath and What will you do differently?

[@delicatexs]

i ordered from hobonichi after a few hours. i'm very used to watching popular drops and i could tell that the site was flooded by scalpers/bots (proven when there were items became listed on sites like ebay at 2x the price) which meant that hobonichi would have to fight through that which is a situation they've never encountered before. i expected it and there was no reason to panic. honestly, the most disappointing part of the night was the reaction of the hobonichi community. i understand that everyone was frustrated, but honestly seeing the way people treated the hobonichi team and berating them online for not being 'prepared' for something even ticketmaster can't deal with was eye-opening about how terrible consumerism has been. i understand that this is our emotional support planner, but people need to ask themselves if the way they reacted was justified.

[@manuelacaravane]

Well said! I totally agree with it. It's not the end if the world if I don't get a specific planner or cover. By the way, I've ordered at my local European online website, which is Hobonichi sale affiliate and could place my order within 15 minutes at 8 a.m. European time. No stress, no shipping fees and no duties 🤭.

[@ashdondondon]

Yes, I absolutely agree! It was so disappointing to see the reactions. Very eye opening for me with the amount of entitlement on display. It's disappointing when you don't get what you want, but sometimes that's all it needs to be.

[@mgtogno]

I agree with u i lost my mind...later i went back and deleted my comments, i must confess for that brief period i was part of the problem.

[@izh_h]

It was not warranted, people are mean, and it’s over a book? A book that might get put aside if it somehow doesn’t work for your life or suddenly a new book/item of interest comes out. Next year people might forget about this day and repeat the process. I don’t like bots but we also don’t have to be mean to each other over a techo

[@BlushnBlue]

I guess I must have missed awful reactions. All I heard were just a few that were disappointed on IG.

[@ashdondondon]

Honestly, this was a good year for me to sit this launch out. Yes, i am still planning on purchasing through Hobonichi, but i decided well in advance i would wait til November to order. I am certain i would have been caught up in the disappointment, but watching from the sidelines was surreal. It is a planner, and people were panicking as if it were life-altering that they could not immediately get what they wanted. I understand being disappointed. I understand being caught up in the hype. But damn, I really lost faith in the community's ability to handle things with grace and take things in stride. Consumerism is a real b-word.

[@Saturdays.Script]

So well said. And how many youtube planner content creators will be ditching their hobonichi systems a few months into the year anyway claiming its "just not working for them" I love the community but as it grows in popularity people are losing their perspectives on what's meaningful and important in life!

[@toxmot]

Good call on sitting this launch out. I think people can get easily disappointed these days which is unfortunate.

[@thepedanticplanner]

Thank you for discussing this. I'm in Germany so the sales opened at 4:00! It was my first time participating in the launch. I was apprehensive because I had heard stories of items selling out. Normally I buy my weeks in Europe. I only use the Weeks so it was no big deal. This time I REALLY had to get the Paddington Weeks. I was perturbed that it was only in Japan which meant I had to risk joining the frenzy. I had my items all queued up and went to check out. I got the message that one item was unavailable. Yep, it was the Paddington Weeks! I gave myself a stern lecture on consumerism and went to sleep. Next morning, on a whim, and hoping that it was all server error, I went to my cart. Hurrah! I was able to get the weeks! I think I will be cooler about it next year and shop at MY convenience. Thanks for reading and I hope everyone got what they wanted. Greetings, Kendra

[@toxmot]

Glad you had the patience and wisdom to step away when it wasn’t working! Instead of panic ordering from other places, you gave yourself a lecture on consumerism AND went to sleep. I applaud you :) Glad it worked out in the end too! And oh man, waking up at 4am really sucks when it didn’t work!

[@sarahcannon5319]

So I ended up waiting because when I saw the actual avecs & techos start “selling out”, I realized something was wrong. About an hour later I checked back, things were all back in stock, and was able to check out about 4 hours post launch time!

[@toxmot]

@@sarahcannon5319 glad you were able to check out!

[@elba1177]

I went back to sleep. Then I placed my order yesterday around noon (Seattle) and everything was there and in my cart. Easy.

[@simplydecemberplans]

I’m happy I was able to place my first order right at checkout. One item i wanted had said sold out but once I woke up Sunday morning it was there so I placed another order adding more things I missed that said sold out Saturday night but was now in stock again. I didn’t stress one bit about it, it’s never that serious to me. Being a global company having a big launch, things are bound to happen out of their control . I’m happy you were able to go back and get what you wanted after waiting.

[@toxmot]

@@simplydecemberplans wow, lucky! You are one of the very few to check out at launch time. Hope you enjoy everything you ordered! 😊

[@Eversew139]

I was so ready at 10pm eastern. I spent one hour and 15 minutes with the same struggles. I called my sister to see what she wanted to do when we both decided to give up for the night. The next day came I got up went to church came home took a nap and when I woke up, I checked my phone and my sister text that items that went out of stock were back in stock. We agreed to try again and it all went smoothly. Talk about experiencing all the feels. I went from angry ,disappointed, at peace, excited, hopeful ,happy. Today is September 13 and I just got my shipping notice from Hobonichi . All that time I was wondering if something was going wrong with my order because it has never taken so long to ship in the past. What a ride..

[@toxmot]

Agree, this year the ordering process was a nightmare and then the shipping took even longer. I hope Hobonichi is doing ok but it’s probably too much demand and they weren’t quite prepared. I just posted my unboxing and am happy and content with my order now.

[@RinasEssentials]

I was one of those europeans who had to wake up at 4 AM and wasn’t really much frustrated, because it is ultimately my choice to go this out of my way for a planner. I know myself not being able to resist the launch from a company I love, but when I saw the site crashing and things selling out like hot cakes, I felt actually quite calm, because I knew they would eventually restock the items later anyway. After about 5 hours, I placed my order and was able to get even some of the most anticipated items, like the Yumi Kitagishi stuff. Thanks to that, I’m left with mostly excitement for the order and inner peace for my (usually very rare) relative level headedness that allowed me to stick to my original plan in this madness. I know myself, if I would’ve ended up paying significantly more that jntended and then found out that things in fact are in stock, it would’ve left me with a bitter aftertaste, so I mustered up all the zen I have in me, which isnt much 😂

[@toxmot]

@@RinasEssentials kudos to you! ☺️ I'm so glad to hear your experience. I will need to gather that Zen for next year 😊 hope you get your order soon!

[@CurlyDeee]

I ordered from Hobonichi about 5 hours after launch. What made me the most mad was the constant dumping of my cart. I almost ordered from a different site, but the two things I really wanted were sold out everywhere! I finally had a zen moment and realized it’s just a planner. I think I ended up getting everything I wanted, but it was unnecessarily annoying. Sorry you ended up wasting money. 😢

[@kitgenz1114]

I agree, the clearing of the cart was frustrating. Every time it happened I thought it was me. 😅

[@toxmot]

I’m trying to reverse my retailer orders and I actually did the Hobonichi direct order. I saved so much! I agree though, the dumping of my cart and seeing things go out of stock was very frustrating. It just didn’t make sense that it was happening an hour in too.

[@TwoMiceOnMyBookshelf]

I forgot all about launch day and ordered on 2nd of September with no issues. Not until I heard from people posting videos about their frustrations that I realised their server crashed! Has Hobonichi contracted a fulfilment company to front the Hobonichi online store this time? So sorry for the stress and I hope you get all the Hobonichi you planned on getting.

[@toxmot]

It was definitely a disaster - I have no idea what is going on but the server couldn’t handle it.

[@LittleCocoStudio]

I completely lost my composure and panicked as well. 😬 Constantly refreshing, seeing things sell out, and having to rebuild my cart repeatedly caused me to make some pretty irrational decisions. It wasn’t until the basic things like the weekly supplement sold out, that I finally gave up. My poor partner had to listen to me venting for 2+ hours until he went to sleep. I hope you got what you wanted in the end as well! And I hope the Hobonichi team is recovering after what must have been an extremely stressful Hobonichi Day. I will probably continue to shop directly from them, unless I only need 1 or 2 items in future years. I think they’ll apply what they’ve learned from this experience and update their strategy for next year… but maybe I’m just being too optimistic about it. 😅

[@toxmot]

I surely hope they will improve from this for next year. All we can do is hope! I will expect there to be some sort of server overload as usual. To see the weekly supplement sold out would have been nuts. I couldn’t believe the origami papers were sold out and are actually still sold out. I think their demand has grown probably triple since last year. Me thinks it’s time they started doing pop-up reveals in Canada!

[@arguchik]

Did you end up going back later to place an order? I'm surprised that the weekly supplement ever showed as sold out. I've never seen them actually sell out of that. I ordered one at 3:30am PDT with no problem, and they are currently in stock. This year it was well worth it for me to purchase from the 1101 site. It saved me almost $22 overall.

[@LittleCocoStudio]

@@arguchik I did go back the next morning and got my weekly supplement. 😅 it’s hard to believe this was only a week ago. 🤣 I wish they would do a Toronto pop-up! That would be amazing!

[@arguchik]

@@LittleCocoStudio That would be amazing! Weirdly, if I were going to drive to a pop-up in North America, it would be faster to drive to Wonder Pens in Toronto than to Yoseka in Brooklyn. And I would strongly consider making that drive to see a full Hobonich launch, and to make my purchases, in person. :) (I live in Pittsburgh)

[@inkfade4281]

I hadn't really looked through all of the books/covers beforehand and was not planning to buy anything at launch, but was up at that time (10 pm for me) so decided to check out the site because I was interested in seeing what items would be super popular and might sell out. I was also in the Hobonichi subreddit and it was a dumpster fire once the site began having problems. Lots of angry people saying there were too many people trying to buy which crashed the servers, or yeah that there were bot accounts trying to buy (for resellers) and that's why Hobonichi shut it down to sort it out, etc. People were panicking and some were just being downright ugly about the whole thing, despite the fact that the vast majority of items that were *at the time* "sold out" would be restocked in like a month. I can understand a lot of people's frustration, certainly, especially since many had to wake up at odd hours and lost sleep, but I also don't understand the panic considering most of those items will be restocked. Idk. I spent the next day thinking about what I wanted and ordered just a few hours ago without any issues, thank goodness. Can't imagine the reactions from people if it does indeed occur again next year. Sorry you had a frustrating experience, it is indeed annoying when things don't go as planned, especially when larger amount of money are involved. :/

[@toxmot]

Interesting - I wasn’t aware of the subreddit. What you described sounds pretty alarming. Fortunately in the FB group, I didn’t encounter anything like that - at least not to my knowledge. I think it’s easy to get too carried away with it. Maybe this experience was a lesson to us all. Hopefully we can reflect on it and do better next year. Good on you though - you didn’t lose sleep on it and yet got what you needed! 😊

[@AuntieAlexandra]

It completely zapped the joy out of it for me. I got a couple of items on Amazon that were sold out everywhere else, and they’ve arrived today and are gorgeous, so that is helping!

[@toxmot]

Ugh, I get what you mean by the joy being zapped out of Hobonichi Day. It’s unfortunate. Just means I won’t be repeating this next year! Will learn to sit back and wait a few hours. I’m glad to hear that you received your items already though! :)

[@amacdonell]

I ordered from Yoseka . Seamless … checked out at 10:05 pm with exactly what I wanted.

[@ShelAZ11]

I had my favorites all selected and now in the cart about 15 minutes after launch. I go to checkout and got the server error right away. I refreshed my screen and tried again and still getting server error message. So then I just watched tv and thought oh I'll just try again in an hour. So I go back and put my favorites back in cart, go to check out and two items were out of stock! I was so disappointed. I thought I would still check out and buy out of stock items from somewhere else. But... got the server error message again! So then I just went to sleep and decided ordering from Hobonichi on launch day was not going to happen. The next day after coffee and breakfast I went back to the site and put my favorites back in the cart. And was able to fully check out with no problems. One item was actually out of stock unfortunately but everything else I was able to get. I'm in west coast United States.

[@toxmot]

Sounds about right, it was such a nightmare.

[@kimikobuford]

I waited until the next morning. I ordered straight from hobonichi. This was my first order buying directly from them. I never knew the amount of up charges until that system crashed. My curiosity about the system going down made me go look. I kept to my usual needs, weeks and cover and A6 avec. Hopefully everyone found peace now.

[@theartesana]

I went to sleep 😴 and still haven’t placed an order😂

[@pbnjezly404]

Me too!!

[@toxmot]

Take your time with ordering, things will always go back in stock. :)

[@theartesana]

@@toxmot IKR!

[@ky6vo]

This year, I waited to check the site to order the next day and what I wanted was sold out. So, I can wait. My heart wasn’t too enthusiastic this year. It’s a great feeling to not care. It was very liberating.😊

[@toxmot]

Cheers to that! ☺️

[@amyalphabet722]

I always wait until late in September to place my Hobonichi order. From purchase to receipt feels quicker because the Hobonichi team has worked through the shipping backlog. I feel almost lucky, I don't think my heart could have dealt with that stress. I've been bummed hearing about everyone's experience this year, how awful!

[@Sonicman415]

Last year I ordered late and have been happy with my purchases all year.. but I went to a pop up shop and had my heart set on some things.. in the end I got exactly what I wanted, 5 hours or more later.. it was stressful. I did not feel any need to lash out. Why would I.. obviously they were inundated. I may order later next year.. we will see.

[@toxmot]

Yes, I think you lucked out this year - hopefully they can fix this issue for next year. I wouldn’t be sitting there at launch time either way, it felt a bit silly to spend as much time as we all did that night.

[@bootsandberry]

Me & my friends decided to do a group buy as we hit the free shipping threshold, but at the same time, we also did a meet up to go to our local shop to support & buy there in case Hobonichi online gets any issues. I’m so grateful that they’re with me because the online experience made it bearable despite the stress. I stopped trying when the Hiroko Kubota HON got sold out & we managed to get what we wanted at our local shop. We had lunch after & went to a cafe to journal. While cafe journaling, I tried again online to buy the stuff that wasn’t available locally & I initially got an error, tried again & it went through. It was exhausting but looking back now, Hobonichi day became a memorable experience not because of the site issues but the time I spent with my friends ❤.

[@toxmot]

What a wonderful way to spend hobonichi day! Sounds very memorable 😊

[@WitNWhimsyWrites]

I luckily have a really cool stationery group chat, so we all panicked/supported each other together. We even are talking about making stickers "surviving" the end of the launch to make it more of a fun memory with friends. I definitely panicked a little, but it is just a journal and creativity is not limited by the items you buy. I ended up ordering half of my order from Yoseka and then slept on it and was able to get the other half from Hobonichi the next morning. It was frustrating, but I know the Hobonichi team is so passionate and they did not want this to happen. I hope everyone is able to enjoy their journals and that Hobonichi is able to restock some sold out items 💜

[@toxmot]

What a fun and neat idea ☺️ So memorable too to share it with friends! Hope you enjoy everything you ordered!

[@meghanmccann7384]

I just did my order just now and I was blown away that I got the cover that I wanted. I did have to order direct though because it was sold out on all my preferred US sites. I am going to have to remember to do a group order next year or something though because I just paid 28 for shipping for one planner and cover set and a pencil board. Which I understand since it is coming from Japan but I feel like I should shop smarter next year.

[@toxmot]

@@meghanmccann7384 There are options such as Amazon Japan which calculates all fees at checkout. It is charged and converted from yen. Might be worth a look next year.

[@janicebaer4636]

Next year I will wait until the next morning and if something gets sold out then I will miss it but I really dont want to stress myself out again! That was crazy!

[@maroyamoon]

Agree! Lesson learned. Everything was back in stock in the morning.

[@toxmot]

Exactly my thoughts! 💕

[@gokatie42]

the launch occurred at 5:00 AM where i’m at and i was awake due to jet lag so i tried to purchase the junaida weeks that i hoped for. the site stopped working and when i checked back later, it said “sold out”. hopped over to amazon japan and got it easily for shipping to my in-laws in japan with free shipping to boot! should have done that in the first place since my order was so small this year. 😂 i think one thing international customers overlook is that it was a sunday in japan, typically the one day off for a lot of workers and some of them worked even on their typical day off just to provide service to hobonichi customers. how lucky are we as humans to have nothing better to do than stress over a *planner*?

[@toxmot]

@@gokatie42 I completely agree! We are so lucky to be able to stress over this. I was also thinking that it was a Sunday. I hope Hobonichi is going to be ok from this and improve next year

[@HavokRose]

I always order from Yoseka so no headache for me. I like getting some other non-Hobonichi things with my order usually. I know it's more expensive but I like supporting them (and im not usually going for the super pricy covers so the extra paid to support a shop I like isn't so bad). It's such a bummer it took Hobonichi so long to recover :(

[@Saturdays.Script]

Same here. I ordered from yoseka (small order) and was sleeping like a baby 20 minutes after their launch😅 woke up the next day to the hobonichi fallout!

[@JoJoTarz]

after seeing this, I am glad I had declared a NO-BONICHI this year! this hobby has gotten way outta control. no thank you to this stress.

[@Min-RuGan]

I finally got an order in on the Hobonichi website but then cancelled it because the items I wanted were sold out. I waited until next morning and the items I wanted were available then but I still made some changes after thinking about it longer. Maybe local chapters can get together to buy in bulk and get free shipping. I wouldn’t mind being in charge of the Denver chapter

[@Min-RuGan]

Take A Note planner is also on my list but their website has checkout problems. I tried at 9 pm MST last night and 1:30 am MST this morning.

[@toxmot]

Cancelling was a smart move! Glad you were able to re-order and get what you wanted!

[@toxmot]

Oh interesting! I’ve never tried ordering there yet.

[@vickiTHESECRET]

I was a part of the crew that was very prepared but was stuck driving home from a road trip. After 6 years of Hobonichi orders, I choose not to get too worked up about checking out on time. Every year I am able to find what I was wanting in a bst group if it was sold out by the time I ordered. I logged on about 3 hours after the sale and the checkout wasn't working. I hopped on FB and saw the madness. I had no clue and immediately felt so bad for everyone who was panicking. I wish I could have given everyone a hug. There was no way in hell Hobonichi was sold out as fast as people said the system was reporting that and if so they would more than likely restock because they do that with popular items.

[@toxmot]

Good idea to use the BST group, I think it’s going to be busy there soon. Funny, in the past years I wasn’t always trying to buy at launch but this year I wanted to. Well, lesson learned.

[@Mel-je3em]

I went to sleep (after trying for several hours and reading everybody’s post and comments about it in the subreddit), most of my items weren’t that popular and I prefer just placing one order, but I wasn’t able to check out. I couldn’t justify the US markup and so I ordered in the morning from the Hobonichi site, But in the end I got most of the things I favorited. Yeah, it’ll be interesting to see how things pan out from here with Hobonichi.

[@Sonicman415]

Intelligent.

[@toxmot]

Good on you that you stuck to your guns and waited. Most of us panic ordered elsewhere and then later reversed those orders. This experience has definitely taught me a lesson to be more patient.

[@discoveringj7926]

Thank you for sharing your experience! I’m glad you were able to order directly in the end and get your other orders cancelled. What I learned for next year is to wait lol. I don’t have to purchase right at release time I can wait til the next day or like you said a couple hours after the release time, just to avoid all these issues. This year’s hobonichi day was quite an experience to say the least lol. I just hope they take this year’s issues into account for next year. Looking forward to your unboxing vid!

[@toxmot]

Thank you! Yes, I’m glad I was able in the end to order direct and so is my wallet. Next year, I will definitely wait! 🙂

[@onemorerow520]

After watching the basic journals sell out I gave up and resigned myself to the fact that I would have to purchase locally at double the cost and not purchase extra items not available outside of their website. The next morning I checked the site, saw everything was back in stock, and purchased everything I wanted. It wasn't a lot, but everything will be used. I agree with the other posts regarding the negative comments towards the Hobonichi team. All were very unnecessary.

[@2tinytreasures]

I was so disappointed at first and just gave up after 2 hours. Went to sleep feeling completely defeated. Then shocked the next morning that I could order everything! So in the end…some weird way I was able to get what I wanted after all. But yet it was very very disappointing 😢

[@toxmot]

Yea, I could have done without the stress and frustration. Glad it’s over!

[@xoSilverSurfer]

I am on EST, so sales started 10 pm the night before. I too had the problem of the server being busy, and after 2 hours, I saw that 50% of the things that I wanted was sold out. I gave up, decided to go to bed, and once in bed, I opened my phone to read about everyone's experience on reddit. I was planning to try to purchase in October, which I believe was when they would be stocking their One Piece items. Of course on reddit, numerous people were airing their grievances, but then I saw a post that said that the website was working and things were back in stock. I jumped out of bed and was able to put my order through after dealing with the "server busy" notification for 10 minutes. It was wild. I didnt place an order at another store because I like to collect the official boxes and pens.

[@Sonicman415]

Yay 🎉

[@toxmot]

Good call to wait it out! I also like to collect the boxes :) There is something special about it coming directly from Japan all nicely packaged up. I didn’t check Reddit but I can imagine all the grievances! It hit a lot of people hard and it definitely was super frustrating at the time. Glad you got your order through.

[@ChibiStarChan]

I went to bed after I saw that the site wasn't working and then checked the next morning and was able to make my order without any issues. A lot of the things that were "sold out" on the release day weren't actually sold out when I checked the site next day, which was probably due to scalpers. Anyways, I'm sorry to hear about your negative experience... I think it's best not to panic and just wait it out, because many items get restocked, plus there's a spring mini launch to look forward to if you don't get something. For me, if something I want is sold out, I think of it as "not meant to be" and move on, so maybe going into it thinking that way would help with the anxious feelings of possibly not getting something.

[@toxmot]

Thanks for your wisdom! If something like this happens again, I know I’ll be able to wait it out. I usually don’t want the popular items anyway. Even if I waited 3 hours later or in the morning, I would have been fine ordering then. Spending time clicking refresh at launch just isn’t worth it to me anymore.

[@joyfulpens]

I wrote in my journal: 8pm hobonichi day 830pm disappointment

[@toxmot]

I would like to add 9pm: panic attack 😅

[@osb8380]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, frustrations shared by many during the initial launch! What this really highlighted for me was just how large a markup many local shops are adding to Hobonichi products, well above average retail markups, even though the availability of the product has dramatically increased in North America in recent years. So good takeaway to stay patient and shop strategically, direct whenever possible. It's great to support small/local but their markups need to reflect the realities of availability and competition, etc.

[@toxmot]

Yes, “strategic” is the key word. Staying patient and waiting till the mad rush is over to order is the best because (most) things will come back in stock. I think retailers have marked up prices due to it being an imported product, they know it will sell due to popularity of the items.

[@nojuliette6870]

I am sorry to hear it was such a difficult experience for you, but glad that you made a right decision at the end! Yes, the hobonichi day sounds like new Black Friday 😅 I decided to stay away and just get my one Techo when everyone else will grab whatever they want. Seriously, all the weeks are exactly the same! Maybe language is different or a day start, but one can put on any stickers or cover and the inside that you actually use is absolutely identical. Let’s find something more meaningful to worry about.

[@MamaGraciePlans]

We’re closing on a new home this month. I decided not to order because I need blinds in my new home (23 large windows) and other things unrelated to stationery. Plus I ordered a just scribble a5 planner. 😉 I missed the website crash and I’m thankful. I’d have been stressed if I didn’t have my planner for 2025 already.

[@toxmot]

A new home is more important than a Hobonichi! Well, almost 😉 and wow, that’s a lot of windows!

[@Anne-pg6xr]

Ditto. I was so frustrated. I did go to two US shops where I paid A LOT more. Then the next day I placed an order with Hobonichi on top of the two orders. I have justified it by telling myself that I supported a small business (unfortunately not my wallet).

[@robbourne1950]

It was rough Tiffany. I decided to try the next day. I don't think there is anyway to prepare for next year. I had everything I wanted on my wishlist. I clicked em, added them and checked out. Then the freeze came. I think we just have to have a better attitude next year and give it the college try. But if they freeze again, just wait til later. 💜

[@Sonicman415]

When adults enter a room. Yes 😂🎉😂

[@toxmot]

I agree, next year my approach will be to just avoid ordering at launch time. Totally not worth it and something similar will probably happen again. Ain’t going to be clicking refresh next year. Hope you got everything on your wishlist!

[@xxflipchick22xx]

This is the same experience when buying BTS concert tickets 🤣 I decided not to buy my planners this early. Last year, a lot of shops restock after the first launch so there’s no use in buying them so soon. Glad I avoided this anxiety-inducing situation.

[@toxmot]

Good to know! Hehe. And glad you avoided this whole thing!

[@JoleeLovesIt]

First year in a while I didn’t participate. I went back to rings

[@laarnimariesotelo2379]

Probably around 8 pm PST I looked at two American sites that had the launch and the Hobonichi site was lagging. I saw that the A5 HON I wanted was sold out on the American sites but not on Hobonichi. I was busy that night and didn’t come home til 3 am to order. I didn’t have any problem ordering. I split my order from Hobonichi and Jetpens. I figured the price of Jetpens would be the cost of the price of items from Japan with shipping so I figured it may be faster to ship some stuff from there. The only things I bought from Hobonichi Japan were the A5 Hon I wanted and some other Japan only things.

[@ChanelthePomston]

From Toronto here 🇨🇦 🍁.....I was up at the launch but for the 1st time in years I didn't give into the urge to shop. My opinion, from my experiences & what I've seen. #1) Site will always crash or glitch due to the overwhelming traffic flow its a given. #2) Realistically nothing EVER gets sold out. Yes possibly for a short time frame, maybe the 1st batch got sold out....but 4 months before 2025 things will ALWAYS come back in stock. Hobonichi knows the popular demand as it grows every year. They are in the business to make money, especially during their biggest quarter of the year to make revenue gross sales. They want the sales & need the sales therefore wouldn't limit themselves to only make X amount. As of right now everything is available in my cart and it's about $650 (4 weeks, HON A5, HON A6, A6 Original, 4 covers and accessories). I'm just debating do I pull the trigger or wait till next month.

[@Sonicman415]

Rad.

[@toxmot]

I wish they could bring back the Hold function for our ordering process. We used to be able to put our order on hold and edit it for like 90 days. That was so fun to do! From now on, I guess I will be ordering a bit later and definitely not at launch. What I did notice is that some covers are marked sold out now and “restock undecided” which I guess is expected that they won’t be restocking 100% of the inventory. Did you pull the trigger?

[@LepantoLemonade]

​@@toxmotI loved that Hold function as I could get the Oct releases, but 2 shipments isn't too bad. Twice the fun😅

[@missy_naneylove3457]

Thats why I never buy on release day. So much stress. I rather pay extra on my local shop to avoid the stress. 😅😅 I just bought Weeks Mega for next year planner.

[@toxmot]

Good idea!

[@gjamstuff]

I ordered from hobonichi the day after…some of the accessories I was interested in were sold out, but that saved me from spending more 😅…when I first checked their site night of, the weeks I wanted was already sold out so I signed up for restock notifications…never received a restock notice but I just checked their site again the next day and the weeks I wanted were in stock so I placed my order with everything else I wanted, and taxes charged on it too.

[@toxmot]

Glad you checked the site in time and ordered what you wanted! Hm, I guess their site reset or glitched so the restock notification didn’t work.

[@MyMagicalPlanner]

I tried for an hour and a half but when I saw all versions of the cousin sell out (or seem to) that’s when I panicked thinking I would be able to get one and I worried it would drive everyone to Sterling Ink which in turn would result in the same thing sooo I purchased elsewhere paying the premium. I would have preferred ordering direct but once I made my purchase and just cut all the extra stuff from my order I stuck with it. I don’t like canceling orders I’ve made. For next year I’m going to try to be more patient and not stress that I won’t get a planner at all…I might just wait until the morning after launch night because I don’t want to deal with that crazy again, or maybe I’ll switch to Sterling ink completely (currently I use both). I feel like if they had somehow communicated that things really weren’t selling out it would have helped some but that might not have been clear for them either.

[@toxmot]

Good to hear you stuck with your order from other retailer. I really wanted to as well but one of my items was a pricey cover and I couldn’t justify the mark up on it. I make sure to give them my business throughout the year though. This experience definitely has made me reflect on how I will approach this for next year. I am also using Sterling ink and love it so far. I can only see them growing and expanding in the coming years.

[@BlackPearlMinistries]

I was busy working during the launch. I had so many issues last year with FedEx and didn't get my items til 8 months later. I didn't order this year. I ordered from Amazon but immediately went back to my Rollbahn notebook I recently found. I think I'm over Hobonichi. I think they will learn from this for next year. I think they could not handle the traffic combined with their new log in process. No doubt they do not want all the negative press they are getting again.

[@toxmot]

Glad you found the right notebook for you! But yeah, 8 months is too get your pkg is crazy!

[@michele9159]

It was an absolute nightmare. Site would not let me checkout and then would wipe my cart out over and over and over. Then items were selling out. :(

[@toxmot]

Did you get what you wanted in the end?

[@anni7039]

I am so sorry that you had such a bad experience. I have read about many problems. There have even been cancelations from Hobonichi for orders that could be placed at launch time. Hobonichi launch is always at 4am German time. A few years ago, I used to get up at night to order. But now I don't do that anymore because there are some European stores where the price hardly differs from the Hobonichi website. That's why I had already decided beforehand to order a large part from a shop in the Netherlands. I only wanted the Piece cover and the Paddington items directly from Hobonichi. But I didn't want to get up just for that. I thought to myself, if it's still there when I wake up, then it's great, and if not, I'll wait for a restock or destash. I then placed my order with the store in the Netherlands at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning and later ordered my desired items directly from Hobonichi. I've become a bit more relaxed because I've always somehow got all the Hobonichi items I wanted. Even the freebies. Be it through a restock or destash. Anyway, let's hope things will be better again next year.

[@toxmot]

Your approach to the process is admirable - I too would like to relax a bit and not worry too much about it selling out. It’s true, if worst comes to worst, there’s always another way to secure it. The mark ups in my city make it cost too much if ordering more than 2 items…next year I will keep in mind that the restocks will happen and it’s ok to wait :) I really miss the old times when Hobonichi would let us hold and edit our shipments.

[@anni7039]

@@toxmot Me too! This is the feature I miss the most. This option has made shopping at Hobonichi so much easier. I must admit that I would have been on the website at launch time if it wasn't at 4am. If I lived in North America, I would definitely have tried it too. I can understand the frustration of everyone who was on the website at that time. As of yesterday, the European stores with almost the same prices as Hobonichi have raised their prices significantly. I don't think they were in line with Hobonichi's price agreements. It's a pity, because this will not bring Hobonichi less traffic on the website in the future.

[@haeitsalex]

I had the same experience during the launch!! I gave up and just went to sleep. I checked in the morning, and the cover I wanted was back in stock (due to cancellations?) so I placed my order. Frustrating for sure!!

[@toxmot]

The key was to go to sleep - which you did; I wish I did that instead of panic ordering! 😅

[@8ev8ev8ev]

Sorry you went through that ...release drops always make me anxious. I usually shop from Hobonichi directly, but this year I decided to just order from Yoseka. Had to refresh a couple of times for the items to be in stock but it was an easy checkout.

[@jeanmarietucker3832]

I had three melt downs during the Hobonichi day. My manager was like what’s wrong with you. I am from Chicago but I work graveyard so I was up and ready to buy. I had everything in cart at 9:03pm. By 9:05 I could not complete my order. I freaked out. Frist panic of the night. At 9:25 every thing was selling out in my cart. Second panic attack. By 9:37 Yumi kitsugishi was sold out. I tried to order from Yoseka, jet pens, and atlas. They was sold out that’s when I started actually crying in the bathroom. By 10:30pm I place an order on jetpens. Then the hobo website restocked everything. So I just keep trying every 15-30 min. At 1:55 my order went through. 🎉 it was an emotional roller coster

[@toxmot]

Ahh, I’m sorry you had to go thru all that! It would have been so stressful to be doing it all during a work night! I probably would have gave up altogether. I’m glad you still got your Hobonichi order through! But a lot of the covers would be restocked by Hobonichi. Next year, I’m not going to order at launch and wait a few hours or in the morning. Much more pleasant experience! Enjoy your notebook!

[@RavensCove]

I ended up ordering from a local vender and my package will arrive two days from placing my order. I paid more but it was stress free and I get my package way sooner.

[@toxmot]

Getting the package earlier and not having to stress is definitely the pros of ordering indirect. Previous years, there was almost no stress at all for direct orders. Next year will be a tell-tale sign of the trend and future of online direct orders. I hope it’s good!

[@redparrot9489]

I really appreciate your final consumerism post it note thought. 💕💕💕 you describe an awful experience shared by many people. I am so sorry for everyone 😔😔😔. Not fun at all. I am new to hob - use the cousin avec a5. Wanted the same for 2025 and ordered locally. I like to support local AND I am just ordering the one item. I am a maker and have the means to custom make whatever I want so I am kind of …eh … free(?) from the vendor. As a point of order it makes me nuts when vendors deliberately UNDER supply the market. I get that this increases the feeling of exclusivity for the lucky ones and at the end of the day - this is a day timer (very nice ones!) and not - say - life-sustaining medication. Make enough for everyone. The company has internal info that would really help them. Or PRINT A SECOND RUN. It’s hard to stay not caught up in the excitement. I followed yosekas live and checked out all the items. Very nice! It was interesting to see people say they wanted X or Y and not account for the possible sold out demand issues and say I want x or y or z. Having a $ budget is also helpful (and bananas hard to keep to with all the pretties!). Adjusting the number of things to hit the budget is a way to communicate with the vendor. Ie I bought less because it’s too expensive. Anyway. Thank you for letting me share. As. Said - so truly sorry for all the trouble everyone had. 😔😔😔💕

[@toxmot]

Agree with what you said - I had to order less because the prices keep going up! I remember years ago when the cost was much less. Welcome to the Hobonichi community - hope you will enjoy your A5 cousin next year too! I hope they are not purposefully under supplying the demand..but I know that that is a business tactic.

[@Pixellatedpalette]

I was a part of a group order and because of that our order was huge. And, kid you not, our host started placing the order exactly when they launched and our orders finally went through after 5 whole hours! I mean, our host did take a nap because she woke up super early for it and because of that the whole ‘out of stock’ and ‘back in stock’ thing happened. It was one of the most frustrating and tense five hours

[@toxmot]

Oh gosh, I can’t imagine how stressful it was for the host to keep re-adding items to the cart after it disappears. 5 hours is a long time! I’m glad it’s over now and hope you got everything you wanted!

[@scrappertexasrose]

Next year I’ll just wait until the next day or later. I have plenty of covers and probably need to cut back on buying more covers anyway.

[@toxmot]

Sensible thing to do! :)

[@autumnbalmbotanicals]

I went to bed super frustrated. I hopped on in the morning expecting everything to still be sold out (I refuse to pay double stateside), and to my surprise, everything I wanted was back in stock. It was a terrible experience. This was my 4th year ordering and by far the most stressful. I’m thankful I got what I wanted, but I feel horrible for those who panic shopped elsewhere to only find out the next day everything would be available.

[@toxmot]

Yeah, it was super annoying to find out everything was in stock after a few hours. Made shopping very inconvenient and had to cancel a couple orders elsewhere unfortunately. Glad to move on and learn from this.

[@zissizalana6850]

I could not get anything from the Hobonichi site. It kept crashing or not working. I'm in Toronto, and Laywine's has Hobonichi weeks for $45. I went with that. From Hobonichi, the shipping and customs make it really expensive. I'm done! I wanted Paddington but settled for "Beautiful Wallpaper" at Laywine's.

[@toxmot]

Glad you saved the money on shipping. I would only order direct if I was buying more than 2 items. Otherwise the shipping and import fees doesn’t make it worth it. Did you receive your weeks already?

[@zissizalana6850]

I placed the order, but they are not in yet.

[@toxmot]

@@zissizalana6850 I'm confused about laywines pre-order... to me it seems like they have the stock but because of the high volume they will need time to process the order. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@thejournaldiaries]

It was awful. I woke at 2.45am and tried checking out at 3.03am and no joke spent 5 hours trying to check out. So I lost them 5 hours sleep (I never went back to bed) and checked out finally at 8am. I felt stupid staying awake 5 hours trying to click the button to checkout non stop. I should of just gone back to bed and woke up in morning as it was all in stock anyways. It was stressful. I got everything I wanted and its been shipped today so I am excited ❤

[@toxmot]

Oh, you must be enjoying your new Hobonichi items by now :) Next year will definitely avoid clicking refresh.

[@ericainacio1606]

I went through the same concerns as you and when all of the items I wanted were sold out, I went to Jetpens to place my order. I experienced the same as you with trying to refresh my browser, rebuild my cart multiple times until I gave up and went to jetpens. I did go back to the hobonichi site in the morning EST and most of what I originally wanted became available except for one item I had to order the Japanese version because the English version sold out. I was able to cancel my Jetpens order in time. Which I feel bad for Jetpens because I can only imagine how many others did the same thing. I did go back and order some fountain pens on Jetpens because I won’t order them from hobonichi because they get stuck in customs because of the ink. Next year, I will try on launch day, but I won’t panic like to did this year and just wait until morning if the site overloads.

[@toxmot]

I agree! Will do the same for next year! Enjoy your goodies!😊

[@KitsuneHyuuga709]

I tried ordering for nearly five hours till it went through. I lost the cart items five or six times. And all of the calenders, I was about to get (I was responsible for ordering stuff for five people), went out of stock, I took a break. I took a deep breath, remembered that hobonichi would often restock their items, and refreshed the pages every five minutes. After 30 minutes or so, the items all came back and I tried checking out again. It took forever, but it worked. So in the end I never considered to order somewhere else. I was a bit diappointed about the experience. But I was also kinda okay, because I considered, how many people would order at the same time and how small the traffic on other days of the year is.

[@toxmot]

Oh wow I can’t imagine having to order for multiple people at the same time. I would have been stressed re-adding everything back in the cart after a few times. But yes, they do restock most items but not all unfortunately. I won’t be racing to the launch next year.

[@paperpipopustudio]

I'm from Manila and it was 10am here when the website opened. There were only I think 2 people from my local group that were able to check out as soon as the website opened and the rest of us were left hanging. Some panic bought from resellers (which costs waaaayyy too much!). I kept refreshing for 5 hours, my cart completely wiped out for maybe 10 times and I had to add everything back again, the heartbreak I felt when some of my items went out of stock and the panic when I saw them restocked and finally able to check out at 3pm. Whaaat a day! I feel for the UK and US people who had to wake up just to place their order. It was a really stressful, disheartening day!

[@toxmot]

Oh my! I can’t imagine refreshing for 5 hours but at least it was during the day! Glad you were able to checkout eventually. Those 2 people from your local group got so lucky! I hope Hobonichi didn’t cancel their orders which I heard has happened. Hope you get your order soon!

[@DL-idk]

I might consider using the Midori hibino next time, but I’m not sure (it’s a bit too big for my liking and there isn’t the vertical monthly layout). Hobonichi has some great designs this year. I managed to get everything I want the next morning, but yes I was also one of those people who kept pressing on the checkout button for more than an hour on launch day. It was stressful. This Hobonichi launch ended up being the subject of my journaling entries for two days straight. Now it’s officially part of my life story.

[@toxmot]

Hehe, yes I love your last line :) and btw, used the MD One Day One Page, it was pretty chunky. Wouldn’t need a cover. I imagine that the Hibino is of a similar feel.

[@SaltyTribeCo]

I took it all in stride but only kinda panicked when it looked like the avec was sold out. That was confusing when the planners themselves appeared to be selling out. I only planned on this one planner and one journal after SO much contemplation. I ordered from another shop for more than I wanted but then cancelled and ordered from hobonichi the next morning without issue. I also don’t feel guilty for canceling from the other shop as I order from them on a regular basis and had already made another order to their shop a couple days earlier. I only order from hobonichi once per year and the cost savings was quite large for me.

[@toxmot]

Oh wow, I didn’t even notice that the techos were being sold out. I would have been confused but that would have been a clue that things were not right. Anyhoo, I hope you are enjoying your new Hobonichi! :)

[@sophie-vw2pg]

yes, it's very bad this year. I had same experience as yours. I was very upset. I am very seriously thinking the change. I hated the feeling of been manipulated.

[@toxmot]

Hopefully it’ll be better next year but I won’t ordering at launch.

[@JojozaHannaHawaii]

I was on the site when it launched and ran into the same problems (4pm Hawaii time 8/31). Although disappointed, I had a back up plan and ordered from another site (I won't get the free stuff with purchase from Hobonichi and I'm not sure if I overspent but I had to decide if I needed it or if it was just a want). It wasn't surprising to me so I had a plan. I understand the frustration but I also know that these things happen especially with the prevalence of bots and scalpers. I will do an order with Hobonichi on 10/1 when the one piece items drop.

[@toxmot]

All the people who are waiting to do their orders for One Piece got lucky that they didn’t have to go through this ordering nightmare. Edit: I misread your comment. Sorry you had to go through the ordering nightmare. My backup plan didn’t really work out for me because the cost was too high, it just didn’t make sense. I hope they fix it next year. It really is still cheaper to order direct if buying more than 2 items. G’luck on your Oct order!

[@FetaCheeseandZaatar]

Hi! Never heard of this company!!! But now have a crazy amount of stuff in my cart. Do you have a sponsor link or anything to give you some props!❤ sorry for your ordeal!!

[@toxmot]

I’m not sponsored! :) Thanks for checking anyways. Gluck on ordering.

[@BlushnBlue]

Mostly sorry for the local shops due to all of the cancellations. When I saw things go out of stock/emptying cart on Hobonichi I just ate the higher costs and purchased local. I believe I have 3 different orders around and it's good to support small shops so I will have to just take the loss on the extra costs and no Hobonichi pen/notebook on my 10th year with them. Maybe it would have been better to announce that the shop is closed due to major technical issues and they will announce a newer date or time to try again. People say that we should not be upset but this is a company that makes tons of money from the planner community so the community has a right to be upset by perhaps one of the most exciting planner days of the year. It may not be Hobonichi's fault but they could have said something early not only for their loyal customers but for the local shops as well.

[@toxmot]

I hear you, it was super frustrating while it happened. I was confused and not sure what was happening to the website especially after a whole hour. I would have appreciated if Hobonichi posted a message to let us know they were working on it. Great to hear you kept your orders with the small businesses! That could also mean you may receive your order even sooner!

[@JudiHakim]

I just went to sleep and ordered the next day. I was actually preparing to just wait till they restock but was surprised that everything was back in stock next day

[@toxmot]

Glad you were able to get your order through, and good you didn’t panic!

[@joistevens4454]

I ended up ordering from another company. I won’t say who but yes, I paid almost twice as much for the items. Next year, I will not do that if I can’t get it that night, I’m not gonna worry about it. If I don’t get the items I want the next day then I just won’t. So disappointed in myself.

[@maroyamoon]

We’re all learning from this experience. 😊

[@Sonicman415]

Oh hon, please enjoy your amazing items. Sometimes lessons are a little expensive. Sending you a hug.

[@toxmot]

Can you reverse those orders? Especially if the item hasn’t shipped to you yet, I’m sure it could be done. I hate to do that to other businesses but you can always check the policies. I always buy my stationery with those businesses throughout the year anyways.

[@lisamarie9918]

No, saw the “out of stock” for what I wanted and didn’t stick around. I bought a different planner for 2025. Even considered just using a grid notebook this time. I would think by now the process should not be this stressful. Just my opinion.🌸

[@toxmot]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I hope they improve for next year, I’ll be avoiding the mad rush though.

[@darlamaple6319]

I ended up ordering elsewhere because things were sold out in my cart! It was definitely the worst it has ever been :(

[@deniseplasse5126]

I went to bed and got up in the morning and got exactly what I wanted. I had a good experience. I was a little shocked the shipping went up, but all in all I am happy I didnt even try to wait for the actual launch.

[@toxmot]

Shipping was always the same for me but they included import taxes at checkout. Maybe that’s the shipping increase you saw? Otherwise I’m pretty sure the shipping cost is measured by the weight of your order. Glad you had a good experience and missed the launch disaster.

[@deniseplasse5126]

@@toxmot I am not sure what it was, but it certainly didnt stop me from buying. I was considering something different this year, and just couldnt do it. Year 5 in the cousin and I am addicted.

[@pennycandyys]

I finally got access today, I had to toss photos like crazy in order to update my Software

[@AileenTownsend]

I was very frustrated. My cart was dumped twice. And I got worried and ended up buying from a local seller for wayyy more. I spent about $100 over what I would have paid Hobonichi directly, and couldn't get the Stappo and Laccio bands that were on my wishlist. I convinced myself it was better for me to support local then sit there and deal with Hobonichi. I was really mad that such a big company had such a failed launch after all their build up. And then even more irritating was that I don't believe they ever sent a formal apology or statement to their customers or on their site. As a small business owner, I can empathize with unexpected mishaps that you can't control. But you should respect your customers by apologizing and owning up to it. I saw that Hobonichi was up again the next day and people cancelled their local orders. But, honestly I felt bad for these businesses who would also have to deal with this mess, restocking, processing refunds etc.

[@toxmot]

I hear you! So frustrating especially after being hyped up for the launch. Hobonichi did post a message that included an apology. I included it in the latter of this video. It said they experienced too much traffic on their website even though they were prepared for heavy traffic. Guess they didn't expect it would surpass expectations.

[@anna0735]

Thank you for mentioning me ( I feel like I'm famous right now ha ha) my name is actually pronounced this way= A - nood ( the A's sound like the A in the word AND but is spelled Anoud which is a common Arabic name. I'm glad you got to order from Hobonichi directly and I'm happy that I've made the same decision, as well. We deserve our freebies. ( who cares about money lol) I honestly going to follow your step and be more patient for next year, but let's see :)

[@toxmot]

Ah, thanks for correcting me! Sorry for getting your name wrong. I’ve heard of that name before and it’s very beautiful. Has your order shipped yet? Mine has changed to Shipping Soon! And yes, we deserve the freebies 😁 For next year, I will wait a few hours for sure or check the community to see if it is safe to go in 😂

[@anna0735]

@@toxmot Same with both of my orders shipping soon. The excitement is real!

[@donnadaniels1577]

My husband and I were at a friend’s for dinner, so I didn’t even try until an hour and half after launch. I really wanted the Mina Piece cover, and told myself if it sold out, I’d get myself a new pen, lol! The cover, Cousin Avec and pencil board are my birthday presents; birthday this Thursday. So when I logged in, I saw the Mina was sold out. I went back to visiting with our friends, but on the drive home, something told me to check again. The Mina cover looked to be available. I could not checkout. I posted on the FB group and people said to keep trying. I was so tired, tried numerous times, fell asleep without getting through. I woke up at about 6:00 AM CST in US, checked the site, saw my cart was still in tact, (which I still can’t understand as others said their cart kept emptying), and my order went through very smoothly. This is the first year I ordered on launch day and only because I wanted a cover I thought may be popular. I feel for everyone who spent hours trying to make it work.

[@toxmot]

Glad you were able to get what you wanted! And in a way your Birthday saved you from this fiasco!

[@charnguyen22]

I worked night shift on launch day which was 7PM for me when I started my shift. Busy night and things sold out when I was finally able to check out 5 hours later. I was stressed! But I realized it’s not the end of the world and not Hobonichi’s fault either. Then I realized they restocked everything. Even if their shipping fee was $34, I realized I probably saved $150 from ordering through Hobonichi than other retailers.

[@toxmot]

For sure ordering direct saves a ton of money especially if making a big order. I wonder if they actually restocked or cancelled scalper bot orders…one can only guess what really happened!

[@LepantoLemonade]

It hasn't been that crazy since 2016ish? & another time prior to the year I wont mention. It didnt faze me knowing what I knew going in. I decided to disengage after 17 mins of light attempt. Im not in the Planner Communities, so its making me think a Plus there. I had largely broken up with them after the Sanzen paper rollout. My Inks dont shine in that as they did for original Tomoe. Such is life: "Parting is such sweet sorrow" BUT since I have the Brown Steiff Cover with Red Telephone Booth, it is Game On for Paddington Weeks! Just received mine today, I ended up Ordering on day 3 by a whimful feeling!

[@toxmot]

I didn’t start using Hobonichi till 2017. But yes, it’s been a slow order process on launch day. This year was the worst. Glad you were able to get it done on a whim on the 3rd day! I remember the Steiff cover, it’s really cute and yes it’s so perfect with Paddington. Cheers!

[@keri_plans]

I went back to sleep and ordered from hobonichi and got everything I wanted even the piece cover and the Tambourine cover I am so so happy ❤😊 but first i panicked and cried😅 😢

[@toxmot]

I hope you are crying with joy now or soon once you get your order :)

[@keri_plans]

@toxmot I for sure will and I am gonna film an unboxing that was a crazy ordering process 🙈😅 my order will ship late October though because of the piece cover 😅

[@toxmot]

@@keri_plans looking forward to seeing your unboxing!

[@InsideKimmysMind]

I'm so sorry this happened. I wonder if this is due to the new account system they put in place. I didn't end up placing an order on the site this time. But I was hoping to put one in next month for One Piece. I hope everyone gets the planners they want.

[@toxmot]

Good thing you waited for One Piece! I think it’s also a sign that Hobonichi is becoming more and more in demand.

[@britmstone]

I was at a concert on the night of the drop. 😭😭 The venue had terrible reception. So I attempted to get on the website and it would not load. After the concert on the ride home I was able to add stuff to my cart. 2 of the items I wanted appeared to be out of stock. (A5 gingham hon and a6 cousin.) I decided to switch it up (even though it wasn’t what I really wanted) I decided to try adding an a6 gingham hon and a5 cousin. They were available. I added them to my cart. I wasn’t excited, since it wasn’t what I originally planned, but I tried. At the time it was midnight. I tried to check out and it didn’t work so I gave up until I got home. Home at 1am, and tried again and it wouldn’t allow me to check out. Went to bed. Woke up the original items I wanted were in stock, including the paddington pencil board I also wanted. Added items to my cart and finally was able to check out around 8am. I was frustrated but not as nearly as much as you, or even other buyers who had to wake up at 3am to try and secure their goods. I’m sorry to hear about your experience. I hope, despite the extra cost, you’re able to still enjoy your purchases. 💙💙

[@toxmot]

Glad you were able to get mostly of what you wanted! Even if it was after a few hours. Hope you enjoy your goodies!

[@UsagiMylene]

I was so prepared for my group and eventually i kept going out of sheer annoyance determination. 5 hours later, I got everything. Next year i ain't doing this again.

[@toxmot]

Ditto!

[@gm64709]

Things happened, I was feeling frustrated when they keep telling us to refresh but things keep getting SOLD out, that sounds very unfair! And after trying to refresh, and putting things back to my cart for an hours, I finally gave up, and also started looking at others but the item that I really wanted was also SOLD OUT at that point! So, I know Hobonichi will restore on lots of items, then the first thing I did was getting on the waiting list, and also thinking of getting the item on US Amazon later on. No biggie.

[@toxmot]

I hope you ended up getting what you wanted from either direct or another source! They restock most items. But yes it was very frustrating!

[@GlamFabMama]

I, too, was so frustrated by the whole experience. Same experience as all of you. Hours trying to check out. Items selling out. I gave up at 3am EST, that’s about than 5 hrs. Of trying. What I realized from this whole fiasco is that I DO NOT NEED any of this crap at all. None. No matter how pretty or cute. So, thank you, Hobonichi, for this insight. I am now reassessing my planner line up.

[@toxmot]

Yes, exactly. I’ve been reflecting on this whole experience and thinking how I’ll approach it next year so that I save my money AND time!

[@sorryangelina]

Last year I had the english weeks I wanted and little gifts cover sell out in my cart, so this year I was really intense about the prep-- at 10 pm I clicked as fast as humanly possible from all the things in my favourites and was able to checkout immediately.. but I know I'm in the minority and am honestly shocked I was able to purchase anything. Last year when I missed out on little gifts, I waited for my local store to re-stock and got it then upon the drop. I don't mind doing that and will probably continue to do that in the future.

[@toxmot]

Oh wow! You must’ve been really quick! You must write a book teaching us how to do it hehe.

[@sorryangelina]

Haha! Yeah I placed the order by 10:02 pm, just added everything to faves and at 10 pm just clicked as fast as possible 😂

[@LisePlansandJournals]

I do not understand the Hobonichi hype and not a single friend who loves the brand can explain to me what the hype is. Hearing all these chaotic stories about the launch day makes me even more curious why people cant seem to do without it. Im sorry this happened. I'll be in a Sterling Ink planner for work and a Personal size TN with personal sized inserts for my edc next year. Hope things get better.

[@Lorvina1]

It's a combo of great covers you can't get elsewhere and paper (which unfortunately is not as great anymore).

[@LepantoLemonade]

​@@Lorvina1It used to be that! To your point: Like a Steiff cover... That was cool. The paper was Nothing like whats on the Markets now. But, after having the Server crash other years that reflection of None of them are particularly special save for Porter maybe a Perhonen to some people (even then I question some material options for longevity given price point. I wish Roterfaden still had their Customized section, but Gillio, Nanlala are near to pricing and sustainable materials by great Company practices) Hobos dual color Covers had a toxicity warning😒... pass on that. As of 2024 there are a huge wave of Businesses keen on the movement that have opted in with their own options. Etsy really has filled a gap for Artsy Covers like William Morris/Liberty Fabrics, Harris Tweed, then theres Nomado etc. Spreading the 💰around to others seems like the best option & even better local with waay more options! I went into a Sur La Table the other day & its bareness just hit in a sad way. It would really be a low moment if it wasn't there anymore (this more to all the shops where we can have options & feel texture/see colorways. Like the newest Lamys or TWSBIs, nothing beats in Store to purchase if its available to folks) Im glad everyone who got what they wanted are Happy and to those who learned from this experience thats a valuable outcome. 2025 Here We all Come! 🎉

[@brazenspider]

I ordered from a us seller at twice the price after trying for two hours on the hobonichi site. I’ll still try to order from hobonichi in the future because there is so much more you can get there compared to the resellers. I placed an order with hobonichi the following morning too. It’s definitely not ideal, but I’m happy hobonichi seems to be working to keep things in stock. It was very frustrating for sure!

[@toxmot]

Just glad it’s over! I will not be under estimating how busy the server will be next year. Will sit it out a bit.

[@janeramsey6864]

I had no problem, but I only ordered a Cousin in English - book only - a Techo -book only, and a Cherry Weeks. I got on around 4:00 pm Japan time.

[@toxmot]

Sweet!

[@deborahsue702]

I saw the prompt that they were experiencing difficulties, but I ordered all that I wanted with no difficulties. Sorry people experienced all that. I ordered at 5:00 am EST on 9/1. Weeks, A6 cover and techo, folders, etc.

[@toxmot]

I heard by morning around 3 AM EST, the website was restored. Some people stayed up but some others just went to bed by then. Glad you didn’t have to experience the stress of it at launch time.

[@jennifersakai5826]

I was frustrated at the beginning like you. I did order from other vendors like you and also placed an order in the morning with most of the items I wanted..

[@toxmot]

Hope you can get the other items you didn’t get from other places like BST groups.. I’m thankful Hobonichi got it all running after a few hours though lol.

[@1487marta]

I tried to order right at launch time and I kept trying for two hours. My shopping cart kept emptying and things kept going out of stock. I looked at sights like yoseka and atlas, but the prices were too high for me. So I went to sleep. When I woke up in the morning I was able to get the three things I wanted from the hobonichi site. It was so frustrating and I felt so naive thinking I could just order at launch time.

[@toxmot]

Sorry to hear you also went through such a hard time. In previous years this didn’t happen and we were able to get our order thru. I hope they will improve it for next year. I just won’t be sitting there at launch time. Will give it a few hours after the mad rush is over.

[@Stormbrise]

This year, I just did not order on the day of or now… the third, I have not ordered

[@toxmot]

Have you ordered yet?

[@Stormbrise]

Nope. I may wait until I return to the US from the EU in November. I just do not feel that FOMO this year for some reason.

[@hilthomas802]

I tried for an hour and a half and finally gave up. I woke up early the next day and was able to order everything I wanted. I'm lucky in that I don't think the items I wanted were the most popular items. I just couldn't bring myself to pay the other website prices.

[@toxmot]

The other websites definitely made it hard to purchase. Some resorted to Amazon Japan and even that didn’t cost more than the mark up.

[@fufufuaru]

I don't get people stressing themselves out on release day when they know there are many others waiting as well. besides, you're not gonna die if you don't get what you want immediately, jeez. Then you'll hear some of them later saying they switched to another system and didn't use what they bought. wow.

[@toxmot]

I agree, I think other than the hype, they are afraid some covers will sell out and not be restocked which has happened before. I hope this experience will be a realization that we can take our time next year.

[@AvivaHadas]

Since I believe that some things are meant to be (the item from 2024 that I wanted) I had no fear of my choices selling out (day free & "any" weeks - I chose black with white stripe) so quite non-plussed, I went to the hobonichi site at about 11 am EST instead of trying to figure out when the sale started... I still had problems, but a refresh of my computer fixed them. & I was able to use my Apple ID instead of the one that I set up previously. Always sorry to hear about others having a disappointing experience.

[@toxmot]

It sounds like you just missed the worst 3 hour server crash. That’s lucky! Glad you didn’t run into the issues. I think the key is as you said “no fear” :)

[@cupcake32009]

I commented on your last video saying it was my first I was going to buy from the hobonichi website.........gurrrrrl....that was a disaster. I refreshed for 45 minutes and after that I went to jetpens and paid double, and I didn't get everything I wanted because of the price increase. It was pretty disheartening. I paid 45 bucks for a planner that is originally 24.....talk about frustrating. I'm trying to look at the positives that I am even in a position that I can pay that much for a planner. And that this will be the things I use to most for the upcoming year so I will get my money's worth. But because of what happened, it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth from the panic, so I won't be buying from the website anytime soon.

[@toxmot]

Oh no, it sucks that it was your first time and THIS happened! It wasn’t like this at all in previous years! I think they’ve gotten so much more popular in the last years. Does that mean you’ll be receiving your order quicker? I couldn’t stomach paying so much for just a a6 techo notebook so I did end up ordering direct after a day of contemplating. I had to cancel my other orders though. What I learned from reading all the comments here is to always try to order direct but never at launch time; so having patience will save us money and we’ll get more in the end. Hope you still enjoy your techo ☺️

[@jackiebee5715]

Did both with Hobonichi and shopped with Yoseka

[@JinxURit]

I was never able to sort out the ID conversion. I spent days trying to sort out an email glitch for the verification code. I went to a vendor here in the states. payed double and no pen. So I did not order as much this year because I was so irritated before they even went live. So Happy I made the decision to bypass Hobonichi direct.

[@toxmot]

Oh, sorry to hear about that ID issue. That sounds very frustrating already. I hope you can get that sorted out in the future. Hobonichi has excellent customer service!

[@JinxURit]

@@toxmot Indeed I spent way to much time trying to get it sorted. Truth be told I’m a person who stays very mindful of how much I’m willing to be aggravated. I would rather just find another path and stay in my happy place. Truth be told I ordered from Jet Pens and my transaction was seamless and I have received my order already. If I have to spend less than a dollar a day to purchase something that brings me so much joy 365 days of the year then I’m blessed. I also reminded myself that I’m supporting state side vendor’s. I want their business to thrive as I depend on them for so many supplies throughout the year. My Hobonichi is a place to be creative every day and record/document all that is happening in my immediate and extended family. Every year at the holidays every one enjoys reading through a year of memories, pictures and artwork. Thank you for your KZbin channel. I love seeing how people use there planner’s. 💕