The Treasure Truck from Amazon is nowhere to be seen.
The Treasure Truck from Amazon is nowhere to be seen.

What happened to Amazon’s heavily-hyped Treasure Truck?

treasuretruckcarwashOne day it was cruising Seattle’s streets, primping at the car wash, and getting ready to hand out discounted items to shoppers. The next day, the “Treasure Truck” was mysteriously delayed.

Amazon has not given a reason for the delay, which came just hours before the truck was supposed to deliver its first product —a $99 stand-up paddleboard set — to customers at a pick-up zone near Lake Union. The delay came a couple days after an Amazon vice president told GeekWire that the Treasure Truck would introduce a “brand new way to shop Amazon.”

GeekWire reporters have been talking with Amazon insiders, product suppliers, and Seattle planning and transportation officials in an effort to figure out the reasons for the delay, to no avail. It seems to be a mystery to everyone else, as well.

About all we’ve heard was this tweet.

So members of the GeekWire team put our heads together and came up with a few theories of our own. Feel free to add yours below.

treasuretruck-hill1. Enraged bicyclists protested, arguing that a “Treasure Trike” is better suited for Seattle streets.

2. Jeff Bezos took it out for a joy ride, got stuck in traffic in the “Mercer Mess” (and is still there).

3. The Seafair pirates captured the Treasure Truck, and they are not giving it back!

4. The Treasure Truck ran into a steel pipe. WSDOT told Amazon about the location of the pipe, but they weren’t paying attention.

5. The Treasure Truck driver needed more time to read Amazon’s mandatory 6-page narrative before deliveries could begin.

6. The Treasure Truck broke down under the weight of excess Fire Phones being loaded up for one of the first offers.

7. Nathan Myhrvold holds the patent on Treasure Trucks.

8. Like many things in Seattle, the Treasure Truck stopped functioning after multiple days of 80+ degree temperatures.

9. The Treasure Truck was towed away after improperly parking in one of the new protected bike lanes in downtown Seattle.

10. A jealous Amazon Prime Air drone stole the Treasure Truck, and the matter is now under the jurisdiction of the FAA. A decision is expected in 2027.

11. In another bout of revenue grabbing by the City of Seattle, the originally-planned pick-up locations were suddenly outfitted with two-hour parking meters. The additional $3 per hour parking fee ate up Amazon’s entire profit margin on the project.

12. The Treasure Truck actually ended up in Oklahoma City, despite repeated assurances that it would stay in Seattle.

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