The pros and cons of putting your small business on Amazon

Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and CEO, realized early on his site would never be the “everything store” he imagined if it had to purchase and store every product it sold like a traditional retailer. It would need an infinite supply of warehouse space and capital.

Instead, in 2000 the company launched its own marketplace, allowing independent sellers to use Amazon as a platform to offer their goods for sale. It let Amazon become the e-commerce giant it is today and has fueled the company’s staggering success.

While the small- and medium-sized businesses that largely make up that marketplace have been great for Amazon, it’s less clear whether Amazon has been equally great for them. The company has undoubtedly siphoned sales from retailers of all sorts around the US. On the other hand, it has given many entrepreneurs the chance to reach a larger audience than they ever could have otherwise.

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