During the dotcom crash, many business pundits thought things were so bad, that even the leading online retailer Amazon could go under. The prophets of doom don't look so clever now. The company's share price has revived, sales are rising and, most importantly, it's beginning to make money rather than spend it.
Amazon has joined big net operations such as eBay, Google and Yahoo as a fixture of modern life. These days, it is those big net brands and not rival online retailers that are probably its main competitors. Amazon is now an information resource - a general marketplace where you can sell as well as buy.
The first thing to do is to stop thinking of it as just a shop. Amazon is also a community where you can post reviews of products, create a personal area and put up a "wish list" of things you'd like to get.
Beyond this, for developers/power users, Amazon is now also a web-based application. Like eBay and Google, the company released its web services API (application programming interface), inviting outsiders to work with its product database to develop new tools (look for the Web Services link on the site's front page).
The best way into this is Paul Bausch's excellent book Amazon Hacks (published by O'Reilly), which features general tips and examples of code. Of course, most people still just go to Amazon to buy things. If so, here are 10 tips on getting the most from the site.
1. Search smarter
Amazon's basic search engine is easy to use: just choose a product category and enter your search terms. You can then use a drop-down menu to sort the results according to date, sales rating and more.
For broader subject searches, use Advanced Search (look for Power Search links in the relevant product sections). Hop over to amazon.com to use Search Inside the Book, which lets you search inside 100,000 texts for specific subjects/people - a great way of finding books of interest you may otherwise never have discovered.
2. Make the most of the tools
For certain services, Amazon needs to know who you are. When you arrive, log in (there's a link on the front page). Based on cross-referencing things you've bought with other people's purchases, Amazon's recommendations can be very good. Help them by telling them more about what you like. Gifts bought at the site skew your recommendations, so weed them out via the Improve Your Recommendations link.
3. Consult the reader reviews
The reader reviews can be very illuminating. However, some are raves contributed by friends of the author/ band and others are clearly written by morons. So browse a range before you buy. Be sceptical about readers' star ratings, which can be adversely affected by good (or bad) reviews.
4. Minimise delivery costs.
Orders over £25 are delivered free, but take a bit longer (three to five days, though I have had orders turn up in a day), so combine purchases in one large order to take advantage. If you're buying lots of things, sort them according to product availability - that way items you have to wait for won't hold the rest up.
5. Go global
US Amazon often has books not currently available in the UK. With recent exchange rates, prices have been very competitive, even with transatlantic delivery - if you don't mind waiting. Amazon in Germany and France can be good for competitively priced CDs. Once you have bought on the UK site, its system knows you, so buying on the other sites is easy.
6. Don't just buy from Amazon
Amazon hosts other sellers offering new and used products. They sometimes have products Amazon doesn't have, at better prices. Delivery isn't free for larger orders, so the small sellers can be better for a cheap single purchase. Before you buy, check their ratings from previous users.
7. Don't rush at the checkout
If you've spent over £25, you need to actively choose the free delivery option or you'll end up paying. More generally, Amazon is so easy to use you can buy way too much. You can save items in your basket for later and then think about whether you really need them (or can afford them).
8. Track your order
Check the progress of your order via the Your Account button on the front page. Aside from the list of what you ordered, you'll see an estimated dispatch time and an estimated delivery time. If the order is still "open", you can delete items that seem to be holding things up. Amazon takes measures (such as pay for faster delivery) to make sure the stuff arrives when promised. Over the past six years or so, I've only had one significantly late delivery. Amazon sent me a £5 voucher by way of apology. I have had orders with missing/wrong items. If that happens, email them straightaway via the Contact Us page.
9. Make money: link to Amazon
If you mention books/other products on your blog/homepage, join the Associates programme and put links through to relevant Amazon pages. If someone buys via your link, you can get a 10% referral fee. Look for the Associates link on the front page.
10. Set up shop on Amazon
You can sell past purchases by clicking on the link with the same title on the front page. This shows the products you have bought on Amazon, often with suggested used prices. Amazon handles payments (putting them into an account for you). To sell other things, why not set up as a "pro-merchant" and open your own shop. There is more information in the Marketplace section.
