Fascinating article from Time Magazine regarding something I find fascinating:  Views on the general direction of technology and retail sales, and how Amazon.com is rapidly becoming something other large technological companies fear:

http://techland.time.com/2012/09/24/why-pc-companies-fear-amazon/

I’m fascinated by Amazon.  Yes, my novels are available through the service, and I will forever appreciate the fact that they allowed people like me to have an avenue for promoting and selling our works.

I also admit to having some trepidation about the company.  I’ve always felt that competition in the marketplace results in the best products, and one fears that Amazon.com will eventually become the one-stop be all and end all of purchasing almost all products, from music to books to clothing to electronics.

I suspect the people at Amazon are working on doing just that!

The reality is that Amazon is successful because it is so damn good.  I have purchased many items either directly through them or used through a second hand seller operating within Amazon’s structure.  To this day and after many purchases, I can honestly say that I’ve never had a bad experience.  The closest I came to a “bad experience” was when purchasing a used book via a second hand seller through Amazon and, after waiting two plus weeks without receiving it, I sent an email to said seller asking if the book was on its way.  That same day I received a reply email from the seller saying they were sorry but they could not fulfill my order and would immediately refund my purchase charge.  This was done right away!

So, yes, I’m a fan of Amazon beyond even my own personal (and modest) for sale items present on the service.

I just hope that Amazon maintains its thus far high level of customer service and broad range of available items.