Amazon Throws Water On Failed Fire Phone, Retailer's Inventory Finally Exhausted

So long, farewell! Amazon’s Fire Phone launched to a collective “meh” from the tech community and from consumers. Mediocre specs and a high price tag couldn’t be saved by the free year of Prime that Amazon included with every purchase. Over the past year, Amazon has drastically slashed the price of the Fire Phone, from a high of nearly $700 off-contract to a rather bargain basement price of $130 off-contract and unlocked. Even more remarkable is the fact that Amazon still included a year of Prime for free at that low price point, effectively making the smartphone $30.

But rather than continue throwing away money on a failed smartphone that nobody seemed to care about or want, Amazon is cutting its losses and discontinuing the product. As we reported in our last Fire Phone article, the $130 offer didn’t last long, with Amazon soon after showing that the device was out of stock. The online retailer also posted the following disclaimer: “We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.”

Well, we finally have an answer — the Fire Phone won’t be back in stock. Amazon has exhausted its inventory of Fire Phones and is closing this rather disappointing chapter in its mobile devices history. An Amazon spokeswoman confirmed to GeekWire that the Fire Phone’s global inventory dwindled down to 0 in the closing days of August.

But while Amazon’s stock of Fire Phones is completely depleted, there’s at least one seller that still has phones left. eBay seller qualitycellz has a whole gaggle of Fire Phones left to sell at a price of $134.99. Interestingly enough, qualitycellz didn’t actually get its inventory from Amazon; instead, the reseller appears to have taken advantage of AT&T’s decision months ago to bail on the poor-selling device (AT&T was the exclusive wireless carrier at launch for the Fire Phone).

We have no clue what kind of deal qualitycellz was able to work out to secure AT&T’s Fire Phone inventory, but the reseller is still likely making a pretty penny selling the phones at this relatively low price. At this time, the reseller has sold over 13,000 Fire Phones, or nearly 90 percent of its inventory.