Amazon is not a retailer.
Amazon.com ( [ ˈæməzɒn ] or [ ˈæməzən ] ) , also called Amazon , is an American electronic commerce and cloud computing company that was founded on July 5 , 1994 , by Jeff Bezos and is based in Seattle , Washington . It is the largest Internet-based retailer in the world by total sales and market capitalization . Amazon.com started as an online bookstore , later diversifying to sell DVDs , Blu-rays , CDs , video downloads/streaming , MP3 downloads/streaming , audiobook downloads/streaming , software , video games , electronics , apparel , furniture , food , toys , and jewelry . Amazon is the fourth most valuable public company in the world , the largest internet company by revenue in the world and the ninth largest employer in the United States .