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Comment by CaptSpify | Hacker News Reader

Alternatively: could selling out be a method of potential advertisement?

"If they sold out, the product must be great!"

Absolutely not. They can't gain sales from this because they're sold out. High opportunity cost - flatline zero revenue for the next week, which is (at least one of) the highest demand weeks of the year.

That's ok. You can order one now for shipment in January, and buy something else to put under the tree!

1) I bet that conversions plummet on a page where the buyer can't immediately get the item. There's a reason they have optimized for fast delivery.

2) I bet that the average cart size at checkout is less than half of the cost of an Echo.

The benefits don't outweigh the costs of a marketing stunt of claiming that they are sold out.

They can't gain sales now from this, but why not in a few weeks when they have more supply?

The article touches on this. There is an equivalent product available from Google. People, in the US apparently, are more inclined to shift to a another vendor if they have the item in stock.

You don't want to have a voucher under the tree, you want the product. Delivery in January will put off everyone who wants to buy as a present.

But what if you don't want to buy it as a present? Or know someone with a birthday in January?

I'd still argue that many people are more likely to buy gadgets in December (gift to yourself).

Birthday is different though, but will not be the case for most decisions.

I'd absolutely agree more people buy gadgets in December, but I don't see how that means it couldn't be artificial scarcity.

Long term gains > Short term gains on a product like this.

Because for Amazon the echo is not the actual product, it's just the platform. Don't think they make that much profit at the current price. But people who have one will more likely stay prime members and buy things at Amazon.

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