Amazon India Launched; Starts with Sales of Books and DVDs

Amazon, taking a huge jump to a foreign market, launched Amazon.in – Amazon India.

The website, the 10th country-specific Amazon marketplace, started by selling books and DVDs. Mobile phones and digital cameras are up next in the offerings for the website.

As part of its launch, Amazon India is giving away free eBooks in its Free Kindle eBook Fortnight promo. One free Ebook will be given away per day, and only for that day! The promo is accessible through this page.

Amit Agarwal, Amazon India’s VP and country manager, said in a statement that the vision of Amazon India is to become a trustworthy and meaningful channel for retailer sales in India.

Amazon India is different as it is strictly a marketplace wherein interested parties can have their products listed for sale – Amazon India is not selling its own items. However, they are offering services to its merchants, such as giving them the option to have Amazon India take care of logistics such as delivery, return and customer service.

Amazon didn’t have a marketplace in India before; however, it had an indirect presence in the country when, in 2012, Amazon launched Junglee.com. Junglee is a website that compares products for sale in India, both online and offline, which visitors use to compare prices and read other users’ reviews. Users couldn’t purchase the products directly from Junglee, though.

The launch of Amazon India is a sign of the increasing interest in the country’s e-commerce by American companies. Recently, eBay led an investment round in Snapdeal, an online marketplace in India.