Online store shuts down after pricing error

An online mother and baby products store in China has announced its closure after a pricing error during the annual "Double 11" shopping spree.

The store, Minitutu, said in a statement on Saturday that some of its products were mistakenly listed with a price of 0 yuan due to an operational error. More than 150,000 orders were placed, which could lead to a potential loss of 8 million yuan ($1.1 million). The store said it was unable to fulfill the orders and would be shutting down.

Minitutu apologized to its customers, citing the complexity of managing multiple overlapping discounts and coupons during the shopping festival, which falls on Nov 11, also known as Singles Day.

Online discussions surrounding Minitutu's closure varied. Some netizens said they had canceled their orders and empathized with the difficulties faced by online businesses. However, other netizens believed that the store should take responsibility for its mistake and not simply shut down without taking further action.

This incident is not an isolated case, as several businesses in recent years have suffered losses due to similar pricing errors. Some larger businesses have chosen to fulfill the orders to maintain their brand image, considering it as an advertising expense.

Earlier this month, China Southern Airlines mistakenly sold tickets for as low as 10 yuan due to a system glitch. The airline eventually honored the tickets, earning praise from the public.

In September, C&S, a tissue paper manufacturer, experienced millions of yuan of loss after an employee's operational error. A box of tissue paper that originally cost 56.9 yuan was mistakenly set to 10 yuan for 6 boxes during the livestream sale.