As many of you may have noticed, the website has been having a few problems recently.
We finally nailed down what the problem was about three weeks ago: the database had some serious problems.
It was at about this point that the problem got worse and the site started going up and down a lot.
After discussing things with my webguy, we decided that things couldn't continue as they were, and there was no way to rescue the database.
The corruption in the database also meant that many of the backups we held were also affected.
That's the bad news!
The good news is that this has proved to be the perfect opportunity to revamp the site and move to a much better shopping cart.
I had planned to do this later in the year, but as you can see, circumstance has lent a hand.
So, there is now a new Hobbybox site.
The address hasn't changed, but there are a few differences.
- Existing customers will have to register again as the database problems meant I couldn't transfer your data.
- The site is moving to a weight-based postage system, so many overseas orders will actually end up cheaper on postage.
- Better search functionality - you''ll be able to search for individual products, manufacturers and categories.
- You can change currency, so if you're not in the U.K., you will be able to track the cost of your purchases much more accurately.
As I've said, some things won't change:
- The web address
- The great range of products at great prices.
- The free postage on all U.K. orders over £20.00 GBP.
Since I needed to get the site up quickly, there is a reduced list of products on the site at the moment, but I'm filling the gaps as fast as I can and adding some much-needed updates.
If you have any questions, or suggestions on how to improve the new site, then please email me at info@thehobbybox.biz.
Hope you all like the new site.