Amazon.com launches baby, toy stores
Staff -- Kids Today, 8/1/2006
Amazon.com debuted its own toy and baby stores July 1, months after Toys "R" Us took the online retailer to court to dissolve their partnership.
Amazon and Toys "R" Us joined forces in 2000 with a multi-million-dollar deal and a 10-year partnership in which TRU's merchandise would be sold online exclusively through Amazon. Four years later TRU sued Amazon, saying the company violated exclusivity terms by allowing third parties to sell competing products on the Web site; Amazon countersued to sever the partnership. A March 2006 court decision dissolved the partnership and allowed TRU to set up its own Web site.
Amazon's baby store features product from Baby Universe, Baby Supermarket and Target and its toy store features Megahobby, All Plush, Target and eToys. The stores also allow third-party sellers to list items.
According to Amazon's announcement, every registered seller can sell toys and baby-related products at Amazon, effective immediately. Marketplace sellers can start selling these products on Amazon.com simply by creating Amazon Marketplace listings for their items. Pro Merchants can make use of Amazon's inventory loading tools to upload multiple items into Amazon Marketplace.
"We are incredibly proud of our new toy and baby stores," said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. "We've never been able to offer our customers this much selection, plus the added benefit of Amazon Prime and Free Super Saver Shipping — we think this is a winning combination that will benefit our customers for years to come."
