Netlink Computer Inc., commonly known as NCIX in the hardware enthusiast circle, was a popular Canadian hardware and software retailer founded by Steve Wu in 1996. NCIX established its first base of operations in British Columbia, and with time, the company eventually owned numerous retail stores in Canada and as much as three shipping facilities, including one in the US. Despite having to compete against the likes of Amazon and Newegg, the Canadian retailer always appeared financially healthy, or so we thought. The company entered a financial crisis back in the month of July, and it had no choice but to close a few of their retail stores. Financial problems are like leaky pipes. If you don't fix the leak in time, it'll eventually flood your whole house. And apparently, NCIX wasn't capable of fixing theirs. With no other options available to them, the ex-retailer closed their last store on November 30 and filed for bankruptcy shortly afterwards on December 1.

NCIX haven't officially disclosed the reasons that lead to their bankruptcy or how long they've been lingering in red numbers. Being a private organization, they're not obligated by law to reveal their financial reports to the general public either. However, the internet is filled with speculations. Some blame the higher-ups in the company for bad management. Others believe it was NCIX's own stubbornness to invest in physical stores that lead them to their demise. So, is this the end for NCIX? Not quite. Companies go into bankruptcy all the time, and some do bounce back. TigerDirect and RadioShack are perfect examples. We can only hope NCIX do the same.