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sittingbull |
posted 03-08-2000 01:19 PM
 
You're right. Several patents have been granted recently that shouldn't have been. This is Amazon's second undeserved patent... their first was for the 'idea' of one-click ordering. The patent office is underpaid and understaffed and not well-versed in internet business, and so internet companies with a lot of cash can afford enough lawyers to persuade the patent examiners just about anything. The real battle will be in the courts, not in the patent office, and I expect that it will be fairly easy for other internet companies with war chests to poke holes in this patent. |
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bobcobb |
posted 03-07-2000 06:11 PM
How can the get a patent on such a thing? Its an affiliate program, a referral program at the root of it. Maybe I just don't know enough about patent law but to the user it seems like a crazy thing to patent. If they can actually enforce it that will be a HUGE advantage but I don't see it standing up in court for some reason. |
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InvestorGuide Weekly Administrator |
posted 03-06-2000 12:58 PM
When Amazon.com last week won a patent for its "customer referral system," the web community mobilized with characteristic speed, splashing the Net with caustic comments, letters of protest and calls for a boycott of the bookseller turned superstore. (source: Salon) http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/03/03/patent/index.html |
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sittingbull |
posted 02-24-2000 01:30 PM
Amazon might buy eToys, but Microsoft won't buy eBay. The price is just far too high, and there isn't much synergy with its existing product line. If I were a betting man (and as an investor, I have to be), I'd say: chances Amazon buys eToys by the end of 2002: 30% chances someone buys eToys by the end of 2002: 75% chances Microsoft buys eBay by the end of 2002: 5% chances someone buys eBay by the end of 2002: 35% |
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techbull |
posted 02-23-2000 05:35 PM
Amazon.com, the world's largest Internet retailer, could buy eToys Inc., the No. 1 Internet toy store, said Henry Blodget, an analyst at Merrill Lynch & Co. Consolidation and acquisitions will shrink the number of Internet-related companies in the next few years, Blodget said, and eToys will likely be bought. "Seventy-five percent of all Internet companies will cease to exist in the next three to five years," Blodget said. "Amazon could buy eToys because it has expertise that Amazon doesn't have." Amazon, best known as an online bookseller, has increased partnerships to bolster its retail offerings. Since the year began, Amazon has agreed to buy 18 percent of closely held Living.com, which sells furniture and bedding. Amazon also said it entered a marketing agreement with online pharmacy Drugstore.com Inc. Ebay is another possible acquisition target, Blodget said in an interview after a Merrill Lynch press conference on technology. Blodget said Microsoft Corp. is one of several companies that would be likely candidates to buy the largest Internet auctioneer. |
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InvestorGuide Weekly Administrator |
posted 02-21-2000 10:38 AM
Business Week interviewed Amazon's president and COO. http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/feb2000/nf00215d.htm |
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bobcobb |
posted 02-16-2000 03:06 PM
Amazon paid $19 per new customer in the 4th quarter of 1999. The average customer bought $116 worth of merchandise. They would need 16% margins over the year to make that money back... and that is if they are able to retain the customer. I don't think the barriers to entry in e-commerce are high enough to make this work. Granted, as MaxPower pointed out, they are a darn good VC. As long as they have the e-commerce business and the name to keep that VC business coming they'll do okay. |
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MaxPower |
posted 02-15-2000 11:40 AM
Anyone who doesn't view Amazon as a venture capital company, take a look at this: Amazon's combined cash investment in six selected firms (Ashford.com, Della.com, Gear.com, HomeGrocer.com, Pets.com, and Drugstore.com) is about $160 million, and it is now estimated to be worth $1 billion to $1.5 billion, even though most of the companies aren't yet public. The company is clearly in the power position and is profiting. They are increasingly becoming the Softbank of this country (though Softbank's investments are now worth between $15 and $20 billion). |
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InvestorGuide Weekly Administrator |
posted 02-15-2000 11:06 AM
What business is amazon really in? By drawing attention to its appetite for expansion and red ink, America's leading E-tailer has cleverly concealed its grand plan from public view. Until now. http://www.inc.com/incmagazine/article/0,6540,ART16854_CNT53,00.html |
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bobcobb |
posted 02-11-2000 01:33 PM
Gross margins decreased between 4th quarter last year and this year from 21% to 13%. That's no good. Also, the SEC is reviewing Amazon’s accounting and may require some of its "inventory and warehousing costs" that are now classified by the company as "marketing and sales" expenses to be reclassified as "sost of good sold" expenses, which would further erode the company’s gross margins. I'm glad the book business is doing well cause the rest of the company isn't. BTW if they haven't turned the corner, and next quarters numbers aren't an improvement as far as margins and losses go the stock will be in for some big losses! They do play the PR game well, and make it seem like things are going well when they aren't. Maybe they should just focus on their VC activites and PR activities. |
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InvestorGuide Weekly Administrator |
posted 02-07-2000 11:44 AM
Amazon paid big bucks last April for i-librarian Alexa. Here's why: It tracks where we go on the web and what we buy when we get there. http://www.forbes.com/forbes/00/0124/6502062b.htm |
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infooverload |
posted 02-04-2000 03:09 PM
"The year 2000 could be most significant," Bezos said after the earnings release. It will be the year that the company will "visibly demonstrate its long-term potential," as "Earth's most customer-centric company." |
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newsman |
posted 02-04-2000 10:02 AM
> I guess there are still people who believe the profits will be there one day. The stock shot up not because of the results, but because Bezos said that they've turned the corner and losses will now start to decrease. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen, but investors seem to believe him. |
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gomickey |
posted 02-03-2000 05:07 PM
jhirsch, maybe this is why the stock went up despite losses, the book business was finally profitable during the past quarter. I didn't know they were even close to profitability on that. Although i think i read somewhere that they spent about $170 million on ads and they only lost $185 million for the quarter. Sounds like their margins aren't too bad. Once you acquire a customer its a lot cheaper to keep him or her than to acquire a new one... and that's what they are banking on. Expect revenues to continue to improve and margins to continue to improve. Soon they may show earnings. Or they may choose to continue to throw lots of money at customer acquisition and branding, which works well too if they are using that money wisely (unlike most dot-coms) |
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JHirsch |
posted 02-03-2000 03:20 PM
I was a little behind in my e-mails and i came across this quote from yesterday, before Amazon's earnings came out. From Joe Bosquin at the street. Remind me never to take investment advice from him  "The First Call/Thomson Financial consensus of 28 analysts calls for a loss of 48 cents per share for Amazon's fourth quarter. But as is often the case with richly valued dot-coms, Amazon faces the prospect it will have to outperform simply to avoid taking a big hit in the stock market." oops, that analyst got it totally wrong. It totally underperformed the expectations and the stock shot up and carried most of the rest of the tech sector with it. I have to admit though that I wouldn't have been suprised if the Amazon had lost 5-10% after this announcement. I guess there are still people who believe the profits will be there one day. |
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