Google Chromecast Tops Amazon Best Sellers, International Loophole Closed

Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Chromecast is the top device on Amazon.com’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Electronics category. The news comes following reports that Amazon was accidentally shipping the Chromecast internationally, a loophole the retailer has since closed.

Amazon.com began shipping the Chromecast, which is currently only intended for U.S. customers, internationally earlier this week. The retailer explained in an email to customers that it would fix the “error” that allowed international customers to place orders, but would allow existing orders to ship. The Chromecast app for Android is not offered for download from Google Play outside of the U.S. and the manufacturer’s warranty is void for those sales as well.

The Chromecast has topped Amazon's own Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Fire HD, which often are best sellers in electronics, as tech blog Phandroid pointed out. The Chromecast has more than 2,500 reviews on the "world's largest online marketplace," with customers praising the device's abilities in lieu of its low price but criticizing the dongle's Chrome-casting feature, where tabs from Google's Web browser can be streamed to HDTVs. The feature is one way to stream music services such as Pandora (NYSE:P) and Spotify.

Google appears to have had success with the Chromecast since its release, as the device sold out hours after being released on Amazon.com, the Google Play Store and in-store and online from Best Buy. The Chromecast is a $35 media dongle that connects to a home’s WiFi network as well as a high-definition television’s HDMI port to stream services like Netflix and recently added support for Hulu Plus.

Chromecast sales were likely spurred by a promotional bundle that included three free months of Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) with the device, an offer that was canceled after 24 hours of the device’s announcement, with Google stating they were unable to keep up with demand. Hulu recently updated its iOS and Android apps to include Chromecast support for Plus members.

In a review of the Chromecast, the International Business Times advised consumers who were not Netflix users to wait for more apps to be released before making a purchase. Google said that Pandora support was “coming soon” to the Chromecast; however, the Internet radio service has not yet begun officially supporting the device.

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