It often surprises us that there isn’t already a well established Amazon Australia marketplace. There have been rumours and murmurs that launch has been imminent for some time but it looks like Amazon Australia could actually be edging closer.
According to reports Amazon is searching for suitable premises in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne to become its first 93,000 square metre Australian fulfilment centre.
Amazon says: “Amazon Web Services launched an Australian region in 2012, we launched a Kindle store on amazon.com.au in 2013 and we now have almost 1000 employees in the country. The next step is to bring a retail offering to Australia, and we are making those plans now. We are excited to bring thousands of new jobs to Australia, millions of dollars in additional investment, and to empower small Australian businesses through Amazon Marketplace. We are optimistic that by focusing on the things we believe customers value most — low prices, vast selection, and fast delivery — over time we’ll earn the business of Australian customers.”
It comes at a time when ecommerce in Australia is facing some uncertainty. The Australian government is contemplating a GST (Goods and Services Tax) which will target goods bought online that are being imported into Australia. The proposals, which we wrote about earlier this week, have prompted eBay to suggest that they might ban cross border trade altogether for Australian shoppers.
