Missoni collection crashed Target.com website

The long-anticipated Missoni for Target collection was launched yesterday and almost immediately the Target.com website crashed.

“You may not be able to access our site momentarily due to unusually high traffic. Please stay here and we’ll try to get you in as soon as we can! Please know that there is no need to refresh your browser. Your request will automatically retry in 30 seconds,” the Target.com website displayed in a message. But the website still doesn’t work.

People had begun forming the lines at Target stores around Los Angeles for the new Missoni collection at 5:30 a.m., with the line at the West Hollywood store wrapping twice around the block, according to KTLA.

Hundreds of shoppers lined up at many of Target stores early in the morning on Tuesday for a sale of limited offerings of its Missoni for Target collection of bikes, luggage, clothes and housewares.

And the Glendale store was reportedly sold out by 9 a.m. in Los Angeles.

The 400-piece Missoni collection includes apparel, accessories and housewares in the upscale Italian design house’s famous zigzag patterns. Prices range from $2.99 to $599.99, with most items $40 or less.

A preview showing in a New York pop-up shop sold out in less than two days last week. Ahead of the launch, Target also opened a temporary store in Manhattan at the start of New York Fashion Week last Thursday. But the colorful shop, which spanned six city blocks, was supposed to stay open for three days, but winded up closing after six hours because items sold out.

The Missoni collection was supposed to be available to the public from September 13 until October 22.

Target had planned to continue selling the line into October at all 1,700 stores around the country. But shoppers will be lucky if they can find something they want. In fact, based on a spot check by Target of stores in Minneapolis area, everything had sold out by Tuesday morning. Target is replenishing some merchandise over the next few days, but it will trickle in.

Some shoppers already are trying to capitalize on the fleeting nature of the Target’s Missoni collection. As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 1,591 listings for Missoni for Target on eBay.com that were selling for more than double the price found at the discounter. Travel totes were going for $169, while shoes were selling for $129.99.