Kindle Helps Boost Amazon Sales 18 Percent

Amazon reported an increase in sales of 18 percent for the first quarter, buoyed by sales of its second generation e-book, the Kindle 2.

"We're grateful and excited that Kindle sales have exceeded our most optimistic expectations," Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, said in a statement.

Total revenue came in at $4.89 billion, up 18 percent from $4.13 billion during the same period last year. Net income was $177 million, up 24 percent from $143 million last year.Amazon did not provide any additional details on number of Kindle 2 sales. The device made its debut in February, several months after Oprah Winfrey endorsed the original Kindle on her talk show.

Sales in North America and Canada were up 21 percent to $2.58 billion from last year. Global sales of electronics and other general merchandise sales were up 38 percent to $2.05 billion.

Many users were taking advantage of the third-party sellers on the site. Items shipped on behalf of that program were up more than 300 percent from last year, Amazon said.

Bezos and chief financial officer Thomas Szkutak acknowledged during a conference call with analysts that sales for big ticket items were growing, but not as fast as they were in previous years.