When Amazon first made public its plans to use drones for package delivery, the company said that the project would be on hold until federal regulators write rules for the commercial use of unmanned aircraft. Now that they have, Amazon has Read more
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a proposed framework of regulations around the use of drones, aka unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), taking ecommerce drone deliveries from Amazon or UPS a step closer to reality. In its story Sunday about Read more
Amazon reminded its third-party merchants of the “holiday halo” effect, explaining that while sales may slow after the holidays, that January can be a strong revenue month – and it reminded sellers to be sure to replenish their inventory. There Read more
Amazon said its customers saved $2 billion in shipping costs this holiday season through its Prime and Free Shipping programs, and it saw record growth for Prime (see Monday’s Newsflash story). “On all items purchased this holiday season, customers saved over Read more
Newsweek published an opinion piece on Christmas Day, “Why Should New Yorkers Subsidize Amazon?” The author questions the tax breaks New York has given the Washington-based company as incentives to open operations in the state and employ New York residents. Newsweek said Read more
Some sellers are rethinking the viability of international selling on the Amazon platform unless they use Fulfillment by Amazon. That’s because on Thursday, Amazon reminded sellers of its international returns policy. And for those not in compliance by January 20th, Read more
If you sell toys online, you should be aware of restrictions placed on the sale of toy guns. The New York Attorney General is investigating the sale of prohibited toy guns on Amazon and other retailers online and offline. Eric Read more
Some sellers are upset over the way Amazon is displaying estimated delivery dates and say it’s costing them sales from holiday shoppers on the last weekend before Christmas. On December 19th, sellers took to Amazon’s discussion boards to report that Read more
Citing unnamed sources, the Wall Street Journal says Google is considering the launch of two initiatives that would directly challenge Amazon.com. The first is a Buy button similar to Amazon’s popular “one-click ordering” feature, according to people familiar with the Read more
As we blogged early Tuesday morning, Amazon launched a “Make an Offer” feature in certain categories that lets shoppers haggle over the price of items. Marketplace sellers are familiar with such features – on eBay, for example, it’s called Best Offer. Read more
