Amazon.com

Congress is wading into the roiling dispute between states and giant internet retailer Amazon.com over collecting sales taxes on online purchases. On Friday, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced legislation that would require internet-only retailers to add sales taxes to customers' bills, just as their competitors with brick-and-mortar stores do. Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) plans to introduce a similar measure in the House.

Although Amazon’s critics have identified a real problem, their solution is a mistake. They want an Amazon tax that replaces one type of unfairness with others and imposes costs on the economy out of proportion with any revenue it might generate. There’s a better solution, although not one that proponents of the Amazon tax like.

Seattle -- Amazon reported Tuesday that sales for the quarter ended June 30 soared 51% to $9.9 billion. Profits dipped 8% to $191 million from $207 million on surging operating costs, but still beat Wall Street expectations. The sales growth spanned geographies and categories, with worldwide electronics and other general merchandise sales growing the fastest at 69% to nearly $5.9 billion. Worldwide sales in the media category grew 27% to $3.66 billion. By region, sales in North America grew 51% to $5.41 billion while international segment sales grew 51% to $4.51 billion. “Low prices, expanding selection, fast delivery and

Amazon.com is poised to enter India and could start operations next year in a country where a growing middle class could substantially boost global revenues.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association may sue the state if officials don’t require Amazon.com to pay sales taxes when it begins using two distribution centers now under construction in Tennessee.

From Footwear News url=_footwear_news_amazon_beats_the_street_3735180_navSection_footwear_news; login=n; kw=; Clip Print A- A A+ Despite a slip in net income, Amazon.com Inc. beat analysts’ expectations. For the period ended June 30, net income decreased 8 percent to $191 million, or 41 a share, compared with... Read the full article by SUBSCRIBING today! Subscribe now to WWD.COM (now incorporating FootwearNews.com), the premier footwear industry resource providing decision-makers with the essential news and information to keep one step ahead of the competition. Subscription includes: Immediate access to breaking Footwear industry news 24/7, now via WWD Mobile. Downloadable PDF of FN weekly issues

Amazon launched a new app to support AmazonFresh on Android phones. Users can shop complete grocery and selected Amazon.com aisles, choose home delivery times, view past purchases, and place orders. The app also enables users to scan the barcodes of products and automatically add them to a shopping list.

Forrester Research Analyst Sucharita Mulpuru was on hand at the Retail Email Exchange symposium in San Diego last month to offer best practices for four current trends in the e-commerce space. Looking to debunk conventional wisdom, Mulpuru advised that things often turn out to be different than they initially appear. With that in mind, here are the four trends that Mulpuru addressed:

If Borders closes all its stores, competing bookstores like Barnes & Noble will probably suffer through some short-term pain. Marketplace's Jeff Tyler takes a look at the repercussions.

In a little over two days Borders will be liquidating its remaining stores and it's still a mystery about what's going to happen to its Borders.com website, its rewards program, its extended warranties for e-readers, etc. The only thing certain for consumers now is that the bookseller will continue to honor its gift cards throughout the liquidation process. But it won't be selling any new cards, Borders spokeswoman Mary Davis said on Tuesday. The company is still reviewing the plan for its Borders Rewards loyalty programs, Davis said. Customers who signed up for Borders Rewards received discounts and free