New shipping charges at Amazon

What viridian said in plain words: ""Amazon is out to rip customers off while they can get away with it.""

That only lasts so long though. Soon enough they will be crying "what happened to our business" While the CEO floats away on his Golden Parachute, and investors cry.

LOL! I think that people can read my words without interpretation from those that live in a capitalist system and feign outrage at companies that make a profit.

Amazon, even with the increases, is hardly ripping people off. It's those that spout drivel that cause the problems.

Since you are such an expert on retail, might I suggest starting a business. I am sure that Jeff Bezos will be crying in no time.

Here is a chart of Amazon's profit margin by quarter:

http://ycharts.com/companies/AMZN/profit_margin

With a little practice, you should be able to make even less profit than Amazon.

Viridian, Thanks for posting the chart showing amazon's profit margin. What scoundrels, pirates they are. Why, for the most part, they are operating in the black. Typical behavior for 1%'er's. How do they sleep at night?

What's interesting is they have killed off the competition so there are few comps in their space, but look at the margins at ebay for instance:

http://ycharts.com/companies/EBAY/profit_margin

Of course, ebay doesn't sell products, but a service, which is a completely different model. But if one wants to take pot shots there are better places then Amazon to aim at.

Look at Wal Mart, the preeminent mass market retailer, which has not been fairing too well, they also maintain much higher margins:

http://ycharts.com/companies/WMT/profit_margin

My view is quite different. I believe that Amazon has actually pushed down prices almost across the board for many commoditized items, much as Wal Mart did. I don't really know if that's a good thing though. They left a lot of carnage in their wake.

Viridian, if I follow your reasoning, I think your comment is very insightful and is something that has occurred to me as well. We all seek low prices, but in the long run, our interests may not be well served by driving prices to the lowest possible point. Unintended consequences = carnage.