Amazon will not tell you that they are having inventory issues until after they take your money. I would also recommend using upgrade shipping as Amazon feels the United States Postal Service is perfectly suited to deliver a $350.00 electronic device. I would love to rate the performance of the Kindle if Amazon could ever tell me the estimated availability and shipping date. If this is a gift be sure to order a month in advance or they will not hit the date. In addition they give the USPS a five day window beyond the estimated date to find and or try to deliver the item. Very disappointed with the execution after payment especially during this period in our economy - one would think Amazon would have their act together when people are willing to spend $350.00 on a product.