I want to know how to contact amazon.com to license their software
that runs all their orders as I am starting an online webstore and
would like to use their code. I've heard their licensing the code to
other companies but I cannot find any more info on the subject.

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 09 Jun 2004 11:35 PDT

Unless I am misunderstanding what you want to do, I believe you'll
find your information here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html/103-3517304-5522259?node=3434651&no=3435361&me=A36L942TSJ2AJA

If this meets your needs fully, I'll be pleased to repost this link as
an official answer. If not, of course, the quest will continue.

---

Clarification of Question by bigdumps-ga on 10 Jun 2004 07:10 PDT

Actually I'm interested in using their site architecture to sell my
own product. So I'm afraid that doesn't answer my question

Hi bigdumps-ga,

Unfortunately, Amazon does not license its software.

After asking Amazon.com customer service four times, I reached someone
who understood the question.  Laura of Amazon Web Services wrote:

"Fundamentally, what you're asking for is not available at the present
time.  Amazon does not license its underlying e-commerce software to
third-parties."

You may have heard about Amazon Services, a subsidiary launched last
year.  Working with Amazon Services is probably as close as you can
get to licensing the software.

A press release says:

"Amazon Services, Inc. is a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc.
(Nasdaq:AMZN) which offers the technology and services that power
Amazon.com to retailers seeking a world-class, cost effective
e-commerce offering for their customers.  Amazon Services offers its
retail partners use of Amazon's leading e-commerce website technology,
best-in-class fulfillment and customer service, and access to tens of
millions of customers."

Source:  http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/altavista/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040526005635&newsLang=en

Although Amazon expects to make big bucks from Amazon Services, I
could find no web site or even a page for the organization, either on
the Amazon.com site or elsewhere on the Web.  The closest thing to
access information was the PR phone number on the press release cited
above.  I believe this is because Amazon Services is interested in
dealing with small numbers of large businesses, not large numbers of
small businesses.

Amazon also offers the Marketplace, zShops, and Auctions as ways for
smaller businesses to sell through the Amazon.com site.  These are
documented on Amazon's site.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/1161232


Additional Links

internetnews.com article on Amazon Services

http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/2219931

Network World Fusion article on Amazon Services

http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0610amz.html

Associated Press article on Amazon Services on wired.com

http://www.wired.com/news/ebiz/0,1272,59354,00.html


I can't tell whether any of Amazon Services, Marketplace, zShops, or
Auctions are of interest to you, so I will end the answer here and
invite you to request a clarification if you would like more
information.  If you wish, I can try to dig up some more direct
contact information for Amazon Services.

Regards,

--efn

Very thorough with quotes and great website links as well as impecable
text. gracias senior