Online Orders Delayed by Warehouse Power Outages From Hurricane Sandy

From Fab.com to Amazon.com to eBay, e-commerce retailers scrambled on Tuesday to get goods to buyers on time after Hurricane Sandy tore a swathe of destruction across the U.S. northeast. The storm, which severed power to warehouses and offices, ripped up rails and roads, and shuttered airports, challenged the notion that internet retailers might benefit from problems at store chains exposed to the elements. Fab.com, a fast-growing design e-commerce startup based in New York City, handled unusually strong volumes on Monday as people hunkered down at home. Then the problems began.