Why You Can Trust CNET Sorry shoppers, Amazon is all out of Amazon Echoes
Looking to give a loved one the last-minute gift of Alexa? Good luck.
- 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
If you thought the Amazon Echo might be a good gift idea this holiday season... well, you weren't alone.
Demand for the voice-activated, "Alexa"-enabled smart speaker was apparently even higher than expected, with Amazon currently listing it as out of stock until January 19th. It's a similar story for the pint-sized Amazon Echo Dot: out of stock until December 27th.
Amazon is all sold out of Echo and Echo Dot smart speakers.
Sales of Amazon's breakout smart speaker have been strong and steady since its debut in 2014. Just last month, the Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) reported that Amazon had sold more than 5 million of them, with 2 million of those sales coming in the first ten months of 2016.
You might still be able to find Echoes and Echo Dots at retail outlets like Target and Best Buy, but as the holiday buying season winds down, you'll need to compete with other procrastinators. If you're willing to wait until after the holidays for delivery, Amazon is still offering both the Echo and the Echo Dot at their Black Friday discount prices of $140 and $40, respectively.
Shoppers in the UK are in luck, though -- the Echo is still available online at a price of £130. And no, Amazon UK won't ship units to the US.
"Customer response to Echo and Echo Dot has been incredibly positive," an Amazon spokesperson tells CNET. "Customers can order now to reserve their spot in line, and may also be able to find Echo and Echo Dot at Amazon Books stores, Prime Now, Amazon Pop-Up stores, and other retailers."