That’s the question someone asked Tamebay this week on Facebook. A seller wants to start selling on Amazon Australia as soon as possible. But when will it open and will it launch with Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) in place and operational. The Financial Times (£) asked a similar question this week and surveyed the commercial landscape down under.
Here’s our answer:
The fastest way to get answers will be to sign up and register your interest. Here’s the link. Tamebay first shared this link back in April and since we’ve heard nothing of great substance of definitive development since then. Indeed, we also reported in 2016 that we expect no Amazon Australia launch before September 2017.
Amazon has been making investments and infrastructure noises for some time though. We reported in April that Amazon is searching for suitable premises in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne to become its first 93,000 square metre Australian fulfilment centre. So clearly they are going to launch at some point…
At that point Amazon said: “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.”
So when will there be a launch? We don’t know. Unusually Amazon does seem to be dragging its heels on a full Amazon website launch and the quote above is the last substantive comment we have.
So, we’ll speculate. It seems to Tamebay that an imminent launch is a good idea, not least because cashing in on Black Friday (Etc.) in the run up to Christmas 2017 seems like a very good idea. If September is out of the question, then November under these terms will be too late. October 2017 as the month we see Amazon Australia? That’s our guess. But don’t bank on it.
