Amazon's claim that Segway was a top selling item just before Xmas was hard to believe, according to several readers in my inbox. Much as I'd have loved a Ginger under my tree, I had the same doubts. After all, buyers were asked to place a non-refundable $500 deposit on a $5,000 scooter that won't ship for months, if ever. No one seems to know anyone who's ordered one.

The San Jose Mercury News' Matt Marshall already called Amazon to nag them with all the right questions: Why are you telling the press Segway is hot but stonewalling on sales figures (aside from nebulous references to its Amazon sales rank)? Aren't you guys and Segway both part of the Kleiner Perkins keiretsu? Doesn't your CEO have ties to Segway? The worms, the spice ... is there a connection? Bill Curry at Amazon gave the same reply I would have: "You're imagining things."

Of course, what we really want are numbers, not sound bytes. An Amazon vice president told Reuters sales were high among early technology buyers and people in urban areas, and added, "It's selling better than many of our digital cameras."

Early adopters? Urban areas? Hey, that's us.

So, a simple show of hands from the blogosphere: If you've ordered either (a) a Segway or (b) a digital camera from Amazon since Monday, November 18, 2002, email me or link to this page. I'll post the tally on Monday.

[Update, 12 Jan 2003: After two weeks of eerie silence, Segway owners and aspiring owners from the Segway Chat forum emailed to let me know some of them could be found there.]

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