How much cash has Amazon Books got?

[Enrique Diaz-Alvarez]

Jordan Hayes wrote:
> 
>         From WKiernan at concentric.net Thu Mar 18 20:55:30 1999
> 
>         Then what do they use to pay their bills from Ingram and Fed Ex
>         with?  I mean, they couldn't sending out shares of Amazon.com
>         stock to cover their suppliers's invoices?  Or are they growing
>         so fast that, even selling at a loss, this month's cash influx
>         is bigger enough continue to pay last month's bills?
> 
> Make no mistake: Amazon is *not* selling books at a loss; their gross
> profit margins are around 20% (including incoming and outgoing shipping
> costs).  They are net losing money because they spend so damn much on
> marketing and sales and advertising.
> 
> /jordan

Given the accounting games these companies play, it'd be hard to tell
whether or not those gross margins are meaningful. Even if they were,
how much _more_ do they spend on marketing and sales than a typical
bookstore? And, more importantly, can you sell books on the internet
without those expenses?

-- 
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