It all started last year in July when Xiaomi entered the Indian market with a bang. Our country was happily surprised when the Chinese tech company decided to launch the Mi 3, priced at a mere Rs. 13,999. It was the first time, potential Indian buyers were asked to pre-register and patiently wait at a particular time and e-commerce website, to try and buy a smartphone. Flash sales by Xiaomi caused such an uproar that even Flipkart was unable to cope with the traffic. Xiaomi brought the smartphone in small stocks, which only helped increase the enthusiasm of the Indian market to get their hands on the device.

This wildly successful (and frustrating) practice has since been [...]