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The Daily Insight Hub

Does Amazon make a lot of money?

Author

Andrew Campbell

Updated on January 18, 2026

Amazon reported record profit in 2018, earning $10.1 billion in net income compared with just $3 billion the prior year. Despite Amazon’s dominance in e-commerce, online sales are not actually a main profit engine for the company.

What is the main source of revenue for Amazon?

Online-store revenue remains the foundation of Amazon’s business, with $31.1 billion in net revenue in Q2 2019. It’s also the company’s slowest-growing segment, though it’s up a very respectable 14 percent.

How much money do Amazon workers make?

Our starting hourly wages are at least $15 per hour for all full time, part time, and seasonal employees and contractors. In addition to fair pay, employees have opportunities to own Amazon stock, participate in 401(k) plans with 50% company match, and enroll in paid life and accident insurance.

Does Amazon take a cut of sales?

They don’t take a big cut. They take 15% of the total of the sale (price + shipping) plus a referral fee of $1.80. Obviously, if you sell an item for 10¢, you’ll be losing money.

How bad are working conditions at Amazon?

Workers at Amazon warehouses across the nation have long complained about grueling working conditions. They say they have too few bathroom breaks, which are all timed, excessive productivity goals, and an unsafe working environment. The pandemic, they claim, only exacerbated problems as more people turned to delivery.

How much does a Level 7 make at Amazon?

Principal SDE (L7) – Average salary $656,000.

Is it possible to make money on Amazon?

If you want to make money on Amazon in 2021, you aren’t alone. Amazon has become the one-stop-shop for peoples’ shopping needs, which means that the opportunity to successfully sell on Amazon has never been greater.

How does Amazon make money from affiliate links?

If buyer buys the product from affiliate links then that $10 is to be shared with affiliate marketers. If buyer directly come to amazon and buys the product then and then only amazon gets profit. There are many high clicked areas are optimized by amazon engineers. Where amazon sells those ads space to Amazon sellers.

How much money can you make selling books on Amazon?

It’s hard to believe Amazon started off as a small website selling used books. The world’s largest retailer is now worth over $1.7 Trillion. Now you too can make money on Amazon.

Why does Amazon Prime make so much money?

In other words, new members likely cost Amazon less in variable fees than older members, so Amazon is able to keep a larger chunk of that $99 membership fee. While Prime’s membership profits aren’t as cut and dry as Costco’s, the memberships, as noted briefly early in this article, correlate with an increase in sales compared to non-members.