AMAZON COM INC - Quarter Report: 2017 September (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

____________________________________

FORM 10-Q

____________________________________

(Mark One)



x	QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2017



¨	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to .

Commission File No. 000-22513

____________________________________

AMAZON.COM, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

____________________________________



Delaware		91-1646860
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

410 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98109-5210

(206) 266-1000

(Address and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

____________________________________

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.



Large accelerated filer	x	Accelerated filer	¨

Non-accelerated filer	¨ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)	Smaller reporting company	¨

		Emerging growth company	¨

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No x

481,872,175 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, outstanding as of October 18, 2017

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AMAZON.COM, INC.

FORM 10-Q

For the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2017

INDEX



		Page
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1	Financial Statements	3
	Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows	3
	Consolidated Statements of Operations	4
	Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income	5
	Consolidated Balance Sheets	6
	Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements	7
Item 2	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	21
Item 3	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	33
Item 4	Controls and Procedures	34

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1	Legal Proceedings	35
Item 1A	Risk Factors	35
Item 2	Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds	44
Item 3	Defaults Upon Senior Securities	44
Item 4	Mine Safety Disclosures	44
Item 5	Other Information	44
Item 6	Exhibits	45
Signatures		46

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION



Item 1.	Financial Statements

AMAZON.COM, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in millions)

(unaudited)



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,						Twelve Months Ended September 30,
	2016			2017			2016			2017			2016			2017
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING OF PERIOD	$	12,521		$	13,203		$	15,890		$	19,334		$	10,709		$	13,656
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net income	252			256			1,622			1,176			2,105			1,926
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash from operating activities:
Depreciation of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, and other amortization, including capitalized content costs	2,084			2,912			5,819			7,980			7,572			10,277
Stock-based compensation	776			1,085			2,088			3,036			2,694			3,923
Other operating expense, net	31			43			128			146			163			177
Other expense (income), net	(23		)	(128		)	(41		)	(288		)	39			(267		)
Deferred income taxes	(81		)	(74		)	36			279			226			(2		)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Inventories	(1,095		)	(1,593		)	(383		)	(1,328		)	(1,726		)	(2,371		)
Accounts receivable, net and other	(671		)	(1,758		)	(1,443		)	(2,005		)	(2,621		)	(3,929		)
Accounts payable	2,540			3,046			(2,252		)	(1,731		)	3,887			5,551
Accrued expenses and other	441			(122		)	(531		)	(1,778		)	1,306			476
Additions to unearned revenue	2,802			3,762			7,956			10,862			10,377			14,837
Amortization of previously unearned revenue	(2,397		)	(3,578		)	(6,715		)	(10,259		)	(9,018		)	(13,521		)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	4,659			3,851			6,284			6,090			15,004			17,077
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Purchases of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, net	(1,841		)	(2,659		)	(4,731		)	(7,022		)	(6,040		)	(9,027		)
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired, and other	(84		)	(13,213		)	(113		)	(13,891		)	(430		)	(13,893		)
Sales and maturities of marketable securities	1,431			2,221			3,500			6,424			4,635			7,656
Purchases of marketable securities	(2,076		)	(5,469		)	(4,358		)	(11,298		)	(5,717		)	(14,697		)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(2,570		)	(19,120		)	(5,702		)	(25,787		)	(7,552		)	(29,961		)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from long-term debt and other	8			16,080			83			16,170			176			16,707
Repayments of long-term debt and other	(26		)	(79		)	(271		)	(202		)	(1,212		)	(285		)
Principal repayments of capital lease obligations	(938		)	(1,267		)	(2,855		)	(3,327		)	(3,579		)	(4,331		)
Principal repayments of finance lease obligations	(44		)	(49		)	(105		)	(134		)	(131		)	(175		)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(1,000		)	14,685			(3,148		)	12,507			(4,746		)	11,916
Foreign currency effect on cash and cash equivalents	46			148			332			623			241			79
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	1,135			(436		)	(2,234		)	(6,567		)	2,947			(889		)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF PERIOD	$	13,656		$	12,767		$	13,656		$	12,767		$	13,656		$	12,767
SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION:
Cash paid for interest on long-term debt	$	1		$	5		$	146		$	155		$	295		$	299
Cash paid for interest on capital and finance lease obligations	50			112			145			235			188			296
Cash paid for income taxes, net of refunds	91			172			317			865			390			960
Property and equipment acquired under capital leases	1,369			2,256			3,666			6,867			4,998			8,905
Property and equipment acquired under build-to-suit leases	211			750			793			2,698			956			3,114

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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AMAZON.COM, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in millions, except per share data)

(unaudited)



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016			2017			2016			2017
Net product sales	$	22,339		$	28,768		$	64,036		$	77,248
Net service sales	10,375			14,976			28,210			40,165
Total net sales	32,714			43,744			92,246			117,413
Operating expenses:
Cost of sales	21,260			27,549			59,306			73,439
Fulfillment	4,335			6,420			11,900			16,275
Marketing	1,738			2,479			4,720			6,629
Technology and content	4,135			5,944			11,541			16,306
General and administrative	639			960			1,715			2,630
Other operating expense, net	32			45			133			155
Total operating expenses	32,139			43,397			89,315			115,434
Operating income	575			347			2,931			1,979
Interest income	26			54			71			137
Interest expense	(118		)	(228		)	(351		)	(510		)
Other income (expense), net	8			143			75			329
Total non-operating income (expense)	(84		)	(31		)	(205		)	(44		)
Income before income taxes	491			316			2,726			1,935
Provision for income taxes	(229		)	(58		)	(1,012		)	(755		)
Equity-method investment activity, net of tax	(10		)	(2		)	(92		)	(4		)
Net income	$	252		$	256		$	1,622		$	1,176
Basic earnings per share	$	0.53		$	0.53		$	3.43		$	2.46
Diluted earnings per share	$	0.52		$	0.52		$	3.36		$	2.39
Weighted-average shares used in computation of earnings per share:
Basic	474			481			473			479
Diluted	485			494			483			492

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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AMAZON.COM, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(in millions)

(unaudited)



	Three Months Ended September 30,					Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2017			2016		2017
Net income	$	252	$	256		$	1,622	$	1,176
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax of $6, $10, $18, and $(5)	19		104			133		486
Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities:
Unrealized gains (losses), net of tax of $(15), $(1), $(32), and $1	29		(2		)	65		(10		)
Reclassification adjustment for losses (gains) included in “Other income (expense), net,” net of tax of $(1), $0, $(2), and $0	2		3			4		8
Net unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities	31		1			69		(2		)
Total other comprehensive income (loss)	50		105			202		484
Comprehensive income	$	302	$	361		$	1,824	$	1,660

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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AMAZON.COM, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in millions, except per share data)



	December 31, 2016			September 30, 2017
				(unaudited)
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	19,334		$	12,767
Marketable securities	6,647			11,543
Inventories	11,461			13,711
Accounts receivable, net and other	8,339			10,557
Total current assets	45,781			48,578
Property and equipment, net	29,114			45,335
Goodwill	3,784			13,271
Other assets	4,723			8,083
Total assets	$	83,402		$	115,267
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	25,309		$	26,075
Accrued expenses and other	13,739			15,844
Unearned revenue	4,768			5,153
Total current liabilities	43,816			47,072
Long-term debt	7,694			24,710
Other long-term liabilities	12,607			18,827
Commitments and contingencies (Note 3)
Stockholders’ equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value:
Authorized shares — 500
Issued and outstanding shares — none	—			—
Common stock, $0.01 par value:
Authorized shares — 5,000
Issued shares — 500 and 505
Outstanding shares — 477 and 482	5			5
Treasury stock, at cost	(1,837		)	(1,837		)
Additional paid-in capital	17,186			20,212
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(985		)	(501		)
Retained earnings	4,916			6,779
Total stockholders’ equity	19,285			24,658
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	83,402		$	115,267

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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AMAZON.COM, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(unaudited)

Note 1 — ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Unaudited Interim Financial Information

We have prepared the accompanying consolidated financial statements pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for interim financial reporting. These consolidated financial statements are unaudited and, in our opinion, include all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments and accruals necessary for a fair presentation of our consolidated balance sheets, operating results, and cash flows for the periods presented. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for 2017 due to seasonal and other factors. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) have been omitted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in Item 8 of Part II, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Amazon.com, Inc., its wholly-owned subsidiaries, and those entities in which we have a variable interest and of which we are the primary beneficiary, including certain entities in India and China and that support our seller lending financing activities (collectively, the “Company”). Intercompany balances and transactions between consolidated entities are eliminated. The financial results of Whole Foods Market, Inc. (“Whole Foods Market”) have been included in our consolidated financial statements from the date of acquisition on August 28, 2017.

Use of Estimates

Earnings per Share

Basic earnings per share is calculated using our weighted-average outstanding common shares. Diluted earnings per share is calculated using our weighted-average outstanding common shares including the dilutive effect of stock awards as determined under the treasury stock method. In periods when we have a net loss, stock awards are excluded from our calculation of earnings per share as their inclusion would have an antidilutive effect.

The following table shows the calculation of diluted shares (in millions):



	Three Months Ended September 30,		Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016	2017	2016	2017
Shares used in computation of basic earnings per share	474	481	473	479
Total dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards	11	13	10	13
Shares used in computation of diluted earnings per share	485	494	483	492

Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted

In July 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) modifying the accounting for inventory. Under this ASU, the measurement principle for inventory changed from lower of cost or market value to lower of cost and net realizable value. The ASU defines net realizable value as the estimated selling price in

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the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. The ASU is applicable to inventory that is accounted for under the first-in, first-out method. We adopted this ASU in Q1 2017 with no material impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued an ASU amending the accounting for stock-based compensation and requiring excess tax benefits and deficiencies to be recognized as a component of income tax expense rather than equity. The inclusion of excess tax benefits and deficiencies as a component of our income tax expense will increase volatility within our provision for income taxes as the amount of excess tax benefits or deficiencies from stock-based compensation awards depends on our stock price at the date the awards vest. This guidance also requires excess tax benefits to be presented as an operating activity on the statement of cash flows and allows an entity to make an accounting policy election to either estimate expected forfeitures or to account for them as they occur. We adopted this ASU in Q1 2017 by recording the cumulative impact through an increase in retained earnings of $687 million, and we will continue to estimate expected forfeitures. Additionally, we retrospectively adjusted our consolidated statements of cash flows to reclassify excess tax benefits of $173 million, $493 million and $401 million for the three months, nine months, and twelve months ended September 30, 2016 from financing activities to operating activities.

Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In May 2014, the FASB issued an ASU amending revenue recognition guidance and requiring more detailed disclosures to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. We will adopt this ASU on January 1, 2018 with a cumulative adjustment that will increase retained earnings as opposed to retrospectively adjusting prior periods. The adjustment will primarily relate to the unredeemed portion of our gift cards, which we will begin to recognize over the expected customer redemption period, which is substantially within nine months, rather than waiting until gift cards expire or when the likelihood of redemption becomes remote, generally two years from the date of issuance. Prospectively, revenue related to Amazon-branded electronic devices sold through retailers will be recognized upon sale to the retailer rather than to end customers. We also anticipate a change to the recognition and classification of Amazon Prime memberships, which are currently considered arrangements with multiple deliverables that are allocated among products sales and service sales. Upon adoption of the ASU, Amazon Prime memberships will be accounted for as a single performance obligation recognized ratably over the membership period and will be classified as service sales. Other changes that we have identified relate primarily to the presentation of revenue. Certain advertising services will be classified as revenue rather than a reduction in cost of sales, and sales of apps and in-app content will primarily be presented on a net basis. Our assessment of policy changes resulting from this ASU is substantially complete and we are currently evaluating the quantitative impact of these changes in both recognition and presentation and the related disclosures.

In February 2016, the FASB issued an ASU amending the accounting for leases. The new guidance requires the recognition of lease assets and liabilities for operating leases with terms of more than 12 months, in addition to those currently recorded, on our consolidated balance sheets. Presentation of leases within the consolidated statements of operations and consolidated statements of cash flows will be generally consistent with the current lease accounting guidance. The ASU is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. We plan to adopt this ASU beginning in Q1 2019. We are currently evaluating the impact and expect the ASU will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements, primarily to the consolidated balance sheets and related disclosures.

In October 2016, the FASB issued an ASU amending the accounting for income taxes. The new guidance requires the recognition of the income tax consequences of an intercompany asset transfer, other than transfers of inventory, when the transfer occurs. For intercompany transfers of inventory, the income tax effects will continue to be deferred until the inventory has been sold to a third party. The ASU is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. We will adopt this ASU beginning in Q1 2018. We estimate the ASU will have an impact of approximately $400 million on our consolidated financial statements, including retained earnings and deferred taxes. This estimate takes into account valuation allowances that we anticipate recording against certain material deferred tax assets. However, the final impact will depend on the balance of property transferred among subsidiaries as of the adoption date. We will recognize incremental deferred tax expense as these deferred tax assets are utilized. Any change in our assessment of the likelihood of our ability to realize deferred tax assets will be reflected as an income tax benefit during the quarter of such change.

In November 2016, the FASB issued an ASU amending the presentation of restricted cash within the statement of cash flows. The new guidance requires that restricted cash be included within cash and cash equivalents on the statement of cash flows. The ASU is effective retrospectively for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. We will adopt this ASU beginning in Q1 2018.

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Note 2 — CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND MARKETABLE SECURITIES

As of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017, our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities primarily consisted of cash, U.S. and foreign government and agency securities, AAA-rated money market funds, and other investment grade securities. Cash equivalents and marketable securities are recorded at fair value. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. To increase the comparability of fair value measures, the following hierarchy prioritizes the inputs to valuation methodologies used to measure fair value:

Level 1—Valuations based on quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities in active markets.

Level 2—Valuations based on observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3—Valuations based on unobservable inputs reflecting our own assumptions, consistent with reasonably available assumptions made by other market participants. These valuations require significant judgment.

We measure the fair value of money market funds and equity securities based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. All other financial instruments were valued either based on recent trades of securities in inactive markets or based on quoted market prices of similar instruments and other significant inputs derived from or corroborated by observable market data. We did not hold any cash, cash equivalents, or marketable securities categorized as Level 3 assets as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017.

The following table summarizes, by major security type, our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and are categorized using the fair value hierarchy (in millions):



	December 31, 2016			September 30, 2017
	Total Estimated Fair Value			Cost or Amortized Cost		Gross Unrealized Gains		Gross Unrealized Losses			Total Estimated Fair Value
Cash	$	6,883		$	8,658	$	—	$	—		$	8,658
Level 1 securities:
Money market funds	11,940			4,625		—		—			4,625
Equity securities	51			34		33		—			67
Level 2 securities:
Foreign government and agency securities	337			807		—		—			807
U.S. government and agency securities	4,816			5,400		2		(9		)	5,393
Corporate debt securities	2,104			4,403		2		(3		)	4,402
Asset-backed securities	353			853		—		(2		)	851
Other fixed income securities	97			701		—		—			701
	$	26,581		$	25,481	$	37	$	(14	)	$	25,504
Less: Restricted cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities (1)	(600		)								(1,194		)
Total cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities	$	25,981									$	24,310

___________________


(1)	We are required to pledge or otherwise restrict a portion of our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities as collateral for real estate leases, workers’ compensation obligations, amounts due to third-party sellers in certain jurisdictions, debt, and standby and trade letters of credit.


(2)	We classify cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities with use restrictions of less than twelve months as “Accounts receivable, net and other” and of twelve months or longer as non-current “Other assets” on our consolidated balance sheets. See “Note 3 — Commitments and Contingencies.”

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The following table summarizes the contractual maturities of our cash equivalents and marketable fixed-income securities as of September 30, 2017 (in millions):



	Amortized Cost		Estimated Fair Value
Due within one year	$	11,305	$	11,303
Due after one year through five years	4,355		4,351
Due after five years through ten years	317		316
Due after ten years	812		809
Total	$	16,789	$	16,779

Actual maturities may differ from the contractual maturities because borrowers may have certain prepayment conditions.

We also hold equity warrant assets giving us the right to acquire stock of other companies. As of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017, these warrants had a fair value of $223 million and $455 million, and are recorded within “Other assets” on our consolidated balance sheets. The related gain (loss) recorded in “Other income (expense), net” was $9 million and $76 million in Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $(11) million and $145 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017. These assets are primarily classified as Level 2 assets.

Note 3 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Commitments

We have entered into non-cancellable operating, capital, and finance leases for equipment and office, fulfillment, sortation, delivery, data center, physical store, and renewable energy facilities. Rental expense under operating lease agreements was $367 million and $553 million for Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $1.0 billion and $1.4 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017.

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The following summarizes our principal contractual commitments, excluding open orders for purchases that support normal operations and are generally cancellable, as of September 30, 2017 (in millions):



	Three Months Ended December 31,		Year Ended December 31,
	2017		2018		2019		2020		2021		Thereafter		Total
Debt principal and interest	$	1,182	$	902	$	2,212	$	2,087	$	1,833	$	33,849	$	42,065
Capital lease obligations, including interest (1)	1,543		5,406		4,024		1,813		514		671		13,971
Finance lease obligations, including interest (2)	98		391		406		410		421		3,890		5,616
Operating leases	925		2,321		2,254		2,112		1,922		12,535		22,069
Unconditional purchase obligations (3)	817		3,571		3,412		3,115		2,984		10,895		24,794
Other commitments (4) (5)	384		1,241		849		678		522		4,338		8,012
Total commitments	$	4,949	$	13,832	$	13,157	$	10,215	$	8,196	$	66,178	$	116,527

___________________


(1)	Excluding interest, current capital lease obligations of $4.0 billion and $5.3 billion are recorded within “Accrued expenses and other” as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017, and $5.1 billion and $7.6 billion are recorded within “Other long-term liabilities” as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017.


(2)	Excluding interest, current finance lease obligations of $144 million and $239 million are recorded within “Accrued expenses and other” as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017, and $2.4 billion and $4.3 billion are recorded within “Other long-term liabilities” as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017.

(3)

Includes unconditional purchase obligations related to certain products offered in our Whole Foods Market stores and long-term agreements to acquire and license digital media content that are not reflected on the consolidated balance sheets. For those digital media content agreements with variable terms, we do not estimate the total obligation beyond any minimum quantities and/or pricing as of the reporting date. Purchase obligations associated with renewal provisions solely at the option of the content provider are included to the extent such commitments are fixed or a minimum amount is specified.


(4)	Includes the estimated timing and amounts of payments for rent and tenant improvements associated with build-to-suit lease arrangements and equipment lease arrangements that have not been placed in service and digital media content liabilities associated with long-term digital media content assets with initial terms greater than one year.


(5)	Excludes $2.1 billion of accrued tax contingencies for which we cannot make a reasonably reliable estimate of the amount and period of payment, if any.

Pledged Assets

As of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017, we have pledged or otherwise restricted $715 million and $1.3 billion of our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, and certain property and equipment as collateral for real estate leases, workers’ compensation obligations, amounts due to third-party sellers in certain jurisdictions, debt, and standby and trade letters of credit.

Other Contingencies

In 2016, we determined that we processed and delivered orders of consumer products for certain individuals and entities located outside Iran covered by the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act or other United States sanctions and export control laws. The consumer products included books, music, other media, apparel, home and kitchen, health and beauty, jewelry, office, consumer electronics, software, lawn and patio, grocery, and automotive products. Our review is ongoing and we have voluntarily reported these orders to the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and the United States Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security. We intend to cooperate fully with OFAC and BIS with respect to their review, which may result in the imposition of penalties. For additional information, see Item 5 of Part II, “Other Information — Disclosure Pursuant to Section 13(r) of the Exchange Act.”

We are subject to claims related to various indirect taxes (such as sales, value added, consumption, service, and similar taxes), including in jurisdictions in which we already collect and remit such taxes. If the relevant taxing authorities were successfully to pursue these claims, we could be subject to significant additional tax liabilities. For example, in June 2017, the State of South Carolina issued an assessment for uncollected sales and use taxes for the period from January 2016 to March 2016, including interest and penalties. South Carolina is alleging that we should have collected sales and use taxes on transactions by our third-party sellers. We believe the assessment is without merit. If South Carolina or other states were successfully to seek additional adjustments of a similar nature, we could be subject to significant additional tax liabilities. We intend to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter.

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Legal Proceedings

The Company is involved from time to time in claims, proceedings, and litigation, including the matters described in Item 8 of Part II, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data — Note 7 — Commitments and Contingencies — Legal Proceedings” of our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K and in Item 1 of Part I, “Financial Statements — Note 3 — Commitments and Contingencies — Legal Proceedings” of our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ended March 31, 2017 and June 30, 2017, as supplemented by the following:

In March 2014, Kaavo, Inc. filed a complaint against Amazon.com, Inc. and Amazon Web Services, Inc. for patent infringement in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. The complaint alleges, among other things, that Amazon Web Services’ Elastic Beanstalk and CloudFormation infringe U.S. Patent No. 8,271,974, entitled “Cloud Computing Lifecycle Management For N-Tier Applications.” The complaint seeks injunctive relief, an unspecified amount of damages, costs, and interest. In July 2015, Kaavo Inc. filed another complaint against Amazon.com, Inc. and Amazon Web Services, Inc. in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. The 2015 complaint alleges, among other things, that CloudFormation infringes U.S. Patent No. 9,043,751, entitled “Methods And Devices For Managing A Cloud Computing Environment.” The 2015 complaint seeks injunctive relief, an unspecified amount of damages, enhanced damages, attorneys’ fees, costs, and interest. In September 2017, the 2015 case was stayed pending resolution of a review petition we filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. We dispute the allegations of wrongdoing and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in these matters.

Beginning in September 2015, two cases have been filed alleging that Amazon violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act with regard to processes undertaken to perform criminal background checks on candidates for employment and employees. In September 2015, Hargrett v. Amazon.com LLC and Amazon.comdedc, LLC was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. In August 2017, Mathis v. Amazon.comdedc, LLC and Accurate Background, LLC was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The plaintiffs variously purport to represent a nationwide class of certain candidates for employment and employees who were subject to a background check, and allege that Amazon failed either to provide proper disclosures before obtaining background checks or to provide appropriate notice before using background check information in employment decisions. The complaints seek an unspecified amount of statutory damages, punitive damages, costs, and attorneys’ fees. We dispute the allegations of wrongdoing and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in these matters.

In October 2017, SRC Labs, LLC and Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia a complaint for patent infringement against Amazon Web Services, Inc., Amazon.com, Inc., and VADATA, Inc. The complaint alleges, among other things, that EC2 F1 Instances infringe U.S. Patent Nos. 6,434,687, entitled “System and method for accelerating web site access and processing utilizing a computer system incorporating reconfigurable processors operating under a single operating system image” 7,149,867, entitled “System and method of enhancing efficiency and utilization of memory bandwidth in reconfigurable hardware” 7,225,324 and 7,620,800, both entitled “Multi-adaptive processing systems and techniques for enhancing parallelism and performance of computational functions” and 9,153,311, entitled “System and method for retaining DRAM data when reprogramming reconfigurable devices with DRAM memory controllers.” The complaint seeks an unspecified amount of damages, enhanced damages, interest, and a compulsory on-going royalty. We dispute the allegations of wrongdoing and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter.

The outcomes of our legal proceedings and other contingencies are inherently unpredictable, subject to significant uncertainties, and could be material to our operating results and cash flows for a particular period. In addition, for some matters for which a loss is probable or reasonably possible, an estimate of the amount of loss or range of losses is not possible and we may be unable to estimate the possible loss or range of losses that could potentially result from the application of non-monetary remedies.

See also “Note 7 — Income Taxes.”

Note 4 — ACQUISITIONS, GOODWILL, AND ACQUIRED INTANGIBLE ASSETS

2017 Acquisition Activity

On May 12, 2017, we acquired Souq Group Ltd. (“Souq”), an e-commerce company, for approximately $579 million, net of cash acquired, and on August 28, 2017, we acquired Whole Foods Market, a grocery store chain, for approximately $13.2 billion, net of cash acquired. Both acquisitions are intended to expand our retail presence. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, we also acquired certain other companies for an aggregate purchase price of $126 million. The primary reason for our other 2017 acquisitions was to acquire technologies and know-how to enable Amazon to serve customers more effectively.

Acquisition-related costs were expensed as incurred and were not significant. Due to the limited amount of time since the Whole Foods Market acquisition, the valuation of certain assets and liabilities is preliminary and subject to change. The aggregate purchase price of Whole Foods Market and the other 2017 acquisitions, which primarily includes the acquisition of Souq, was allocated as follows (in millions):

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	Whole Foods Market			Other 2017 Acquisitions			Total
Purchase Price
Cash paid, net of cash acquired	$	13,176		$	612		$	13,788
Indemnification holdback	—			93			93
	$	13,176		$	705		$	13,881
Allocation
Goodwill	$	8,985		$	446		$	9,431
Intangible assets (1):
Marketing-related	1,928			59			1,987
Contract-based	408			33			441
Technology-based	—			129			129
Customer-related	—			48			48
	2,336			269			2,605
Property and equipment	3,826			16			3,842
Deferred tax assets	96			15			111
Other assets acquired	1,710			130			1,840
Long-term debt	(1,158		)	(7		)	(1,165		)
Deferred tax liabilities	(934		)	(20		)	(954		)
Other liabilities assumed	(1,685		)	(144		)	(1,829		)
	$	13,176		$	705		$	13,881

___________________

(1)

Acquired intangible assets for Whole Foods Market have estimated useful lives of between one and twenty-five years, with a weighted-average amortization period of twenty-four years, primarily driven by the Whole Foods Market tradename, and acquired intangible assets for other 2017 acquisitions have estimated useful lives of between one and seven years, with a weighted-average amortization period of four years.

We determined the estimated fair value of identifiable intangible assets acquired primarily by using the income approach. These assets are included within “Other assets” on our consolidated balance sheets and are being amortized to operating expenses on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives.

Pro Forma Financial Information (unaudited)

The acquired companies were consolidated into our financial statements starting on their respective acquisition dates. The aggregate net sales and operating income of Whole Foods Market consolidated into our financial statements since the date of acquisition was $1.3 billion and $21 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017. The aggregate net sales and operating loss of other acquisitions consolidated into our financial statements since the respective dates of acquisition was $222 million and $(80) million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017. The following financial information, which excludes certain acquired companies for which the pro forma impact is not meaningful, presents our results as if the acquisitions during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 had occurred on January 1, 2016 (in millions):



	Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2017
Net sales	$	103,476	$	127,441
Net income	$	1,597	$	1,137

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These pro forma results are based on estimates and assumptions, which we believe are reasonable. They are not the results that would have been realized had the acquisitions actually occurred on January 1, 2016 and are not necessarily indicative of our consolidated results of operations in future periods. The pro forma results include adjustments related to purchase accounting, primarily interest expense related to the proceeds from the issuance of the August 2017 Notes used in connection with the acquisition of Whole Foods Market and amortization of intangible assets.

Goodwill

The goodwill of the acquired companies is primarily related to expected improvements in technology performance and functionality, as well as sales growth from future product and service offerings and new customers, together with certain intangible assets that do not qualify for separate recognition. The goodwill of acquired companies is generally not deductible for tax purposes. The following summarizes our goodwill activity in the first nine months of 2017 by segment (in millions):



	North America		International		AWS		Consolidated
Goodwill - December 31, 2016	$	2,044	$	694	$	1,046	$	3,784
New acquisitions (1)	9,056		357		18		9,431
Other adjustments (2)	5		40		11		56
Goodwill - September 30, 2017	$	11,105	$	1,091	$	1,075	$	13,271

___________________


(1)	Primarily includes the acquisition of Whole Foods Market in the North America segment and Souq in the International segment.


(2)	Primarily includes changes in foreign exchange rates.

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Note 5 — LONG-TERM DEBT

In November 2012, December 2014, and August 2017, we issued $3.0 billion, $6.0 billion, and $16.0 billion of unsecured senior notes, and in August 2017, with our acquisition of Whole Foods Market, we assumed $1.0 billion of unsecured senior notes (collectively, the “Notes”). As described in the table below, $25.3 billion was outstanding as of September 30, 2017. As of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017, the net unamortized discount and debt issuance costs on the Notes was $90 million and $100 million. We also have other long-term debt with a carrying amount, including the current portion and borrowings under our credit facility, of $588 million and $597 million as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017. The face value of our total long-term debt obligations is as follows (in millions):



	December 31, 2016			September 30, 2017
1.200% Notes due on November 29, 2017 (1)	$	1,000		$	1,000
2.600% Notes due on December 5, 2019 (2)	1,000			1,000
1.900% Notes due on August 21, 2020 (3)	—			1,000
3.300% Notes due on December 5, 2021 (2)	1,000			1,000
2.500% Notes due on November 29, 2022 (1)	1,250			1,250
2.400% Notes due on February 22, 2023 (3)	—			1,000
2.800% Notes due on August 22, 2024 (3)	—			2,000
3.800% Notes due on December 5, 2024 (2)	1,250			1,250
5.200% Notes due on December 3, 2025 (4)	—			1,000
3.150% Notes due on August 22, 2027 (3)	—			3,500
4.800% Notes due on December 5, 2034 (2)	1,250			1,250
3.875% Notes due on August 22, 2037 (3)	—			2,750
4.950% Notes due on December 5, 2044 (2)	1,500			1,500
4.050% Notes due on August 22, 2047 (3)	—			3,500
4.250% Notes due on August 22, 2057 (3)	—			2,250
Credit Facility	495			550
Other long-term debt	93			47
Total debt	8,838			25,847
Less current portion of long-term debt	(1,056		)	(1,037		)
Face value of long-term debt	$	7,782		$	24,810

_____________________________


(1)	Issued in November 2012, effective interest rates of the 2017 and 2022 Notes were 1.38% and 2.66%.


(2)	Issued in December 2014, effective interest rates of the 2019, 2021, 2024, 2034, and 2044 Notes were 2.73%, 3.43%, 3.90%, 4.92%, and 5.11%.


(3)	Issued in August 2017, effective interest rates of the 2020, 2023, 2024, 2027, 2037, 2047, and 2057 Notes were 2.16%, 2.56%, 2.95%, 3.25%, 3.94%, 4.13%, and 4.33%.


(4)	Assumed in connection with the acquisition of Whole Foods Market, the effective interest rate of the 2025 Notes was 3.03%.

Interest on the Notes issued in 2012 is payable semi-annually in arrears in May and November. Interest on the Notes issued in 2014 is payable semi-annually in arrears in June and December. Interest on the Notes issued in 2017 is payable semi-annually in arrears in February and August. Interest on the 2025 Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears in June and December. We may redeem the Notes at any time in whole, or from time to time, in part at specified redemption prices. We are not subject to any financial covenants under the Notes. The proceeds from the November 2012 and the December 2014 Notes were used for general corporate purposes. The proceeds from the August 2017 Notes were used to fund the consideration for the acquisition of Whole Foods Market and will be used to repay the 1.200% Notes due 2017 and for general corporate purposes. The estimated fair value of the Notes was approximately $8.7 billion and $26.2 billion as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017, which is based on quoted prices for our debt as of those dates.

In October 2016, we entered into a $500 million secured revolving credit facility with a lender that is secured by certain seller receivables, which we subsequently increased to $600 million and may from time to time increase in the future subject to lender approval (the “Credit Facility”). The Credit Facility is available for a term of three years, bears interest at the London interbank offered rate (“LIBOR”) plus 1.65%, and has a commitment fee of 0.50% on the undrawn portion. There were $495

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million and $550 million of borrowings outstanding under the Credit Facility as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017, with weighted-average interest rates of 2.3% and 2.6% as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017. As of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017, we have pledged $579 million and $639 million of our cash and seller receivables as collateral for debt related to our Credit Facility. The estimated fair value of the Credit Facility, which is based on Level 2 inputs, approximated its carrying value as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017.

The other debt, including the current portion, had a weighted-average interest rate of 3.4% and 1.9% as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017. We used the net proceeds from the issuance of this debt primarily to fund certain business operations. The estimated fair value of the other long-term debt, which is based on Level 2 inputs, approximated its carrying value as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017.

In May 2016, we entered into an unsecured revolving credit facility (the “Credit Agreement”) with a syndicate of lenders that provides us with a borrowing capacity of up to $3.0 billion. The Credit Agreement has a term of three years, but it may be extended for up to three additional one-year terms if approved by the lenders. The initial interest rate applicable to outstanding balances under the Credit Agreement is LIBOR plus 0.60%, with a commitment fee of 0.05% on the undrawn portion of the credit facility, under our current credit ratings. If our credit ratings are downgraded these rates could increase to as much as LIBOR plus 1.00% and 0.09%, respectively. There were no borrowings outstanding under the credit agreements as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017.

Note 6 — STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Stock Repurchase Activity

In February 2016, the Board of Directors authorized a program to repurchase up to $5.0 billion of our common stock, with no fixed expiration. This stock repurchase authorization replaced the previous $2.0 billion stock repurchase authorization, approved by the Board of Directors in 2010. There were no repurchases of common stock in Q3 2016 or Q3 2017.

Stock Award Activity

Common shares outstanding plus shares underlying outstanding stock awards totaled 497 million and 503 million as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017. These totals include all vested and unvested stock awards outstanding, including those awards we estimate will be forfeited. Stock-based compensation expense is as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2017		2016		2017
Cost of sales (1)	$	7	$	13	$	7	$	33
Fulfillment	165		230		467		655
Marketing	85		135		221		363
Technology and content	434		595		1,171		1,668
General and administrative	85		112		222		317
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	776	$	1,085	$	2,088	$	3,036

___________________


(1)	Beginning in Q3 2016, stock-based compensation expense was recorded to cost of sales for eligible employees providing delivery services.

The following table summarizes our restricted stock unit activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 (in millions):



	Number of Units		Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Outstanding as of December 31, 2016	19.8		$	506
Units granted	7.2		918
Units vested	(4.6	)	387
Units forfeited	(1.3	)	620
Outstanding as of September 30, 2017	21.1		$	666

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Scheduled vesting for outstanding restricted stock units as of September 30, 2017, is as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended December 31,	Year Ended December 31,
	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	Thereafter	Total
Scheduled vesting—restricted stock units	2.2	7.3	7.0	3.1	1.1	0.4	21.1

As of September 30, 2017, there was $6.3 billion of net unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested stock-based compensation arrangements. This compensation is recognized on an accelerated basis with approximately half of the compensation expected to be expensed in the next twelve months, and has a weighted-average recognition period of 1.1 years. The estimated forfeiture rate as of December 31, 2016 and September 30, 2017, was 28%. Changes in our estimates and assumptions relating to forfeitures may cause us to realize material changes in stock-based compensation expense in the future.

Note 7 — INCOME TAXES

Our tax provision or benefit from income taxes for interim periods is determined using an estimate of our annual effective tax rate, adjusted for discrete items, if any, that are taken into account in the relevant period. Each quarter we update our estimate of the annual effective tax rate, and if our estimated tax rate changes, we make a cumulative adjustment.

Our quarterly tax provision, and our quarterly estimate of our annual effective tax rate, is subject to significant variation due to several factors, including variability in accurately predicting our pre-tax and taxable income and loss and the mix of jurisdictions to which they relate, changes in how we do business, acquisitions (including integrations) and investments, audit-related developments, changes in our stock price, foreign currency gains (losses), tax law developments (including changes in statutes, regulations, case law, and administrative practices), and relative changes of expenses or losses for which tax benefits are not recognized. Additionally, our effective tax rate can be more or less volatile based on the amount of pre-tax income or loss. For example, the impact of discrete items and non-deductible expenses on our effective tax rate is greater when our pre-tax income is lower.

For 2017, we estimate that our effective tax rate will be favorably affected by the impact of excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation and the U.S. federal research and development credit and adversely affected by the recording of valuation allowances against the deferred tax assets related to net operating losses generated in Luxembourg and state income taxes.

Our income tax provision for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 was $1.0 billion, which included $50 million of discrete tax benefits primarily attributable to audit-related and tax law developments. Our income tax provision for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 was $755 million, which included $422 million of net discrete tax benefits primarily attributable to excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation, partially offset by a valuation allowance we recorded against the deferred tax assets related to net operating losses generated in Luxembourg and the estimated impact of audit-related developments.

We regularly assess whether it is more likely than not that we will realize our deferred tax assets in each taxing jurisdiction in which we operate. In performing this assessment with respect to each jurisdiction, we review all available evidence, including recent cumulative loss experience and expectations of future earnings, capital gains, and investment in such jurisdiction, the carry-forward periods available to us for tax reporting purposes, and other relevant factors. In Q2 2017, we recognized an estimated charge to tax expense of $600 million to record a valuation allowance against the net deferred tax assets in Luxembourg.

Cash paid for income taxes, net of refunds was $91 million and $172 million in Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $317 million and $865 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017.

As of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017, tax contingencies were $1.7 billion and $2.1 billion. We expect the total amount of tax contingencies will grow in 2017. In addition, changes in state, federal, and foreign tax laws may increase our tax contingencies. The timing of the resolution of income tax examinations is highly uncertain, and the amounts ultimately paid, if any, upon resolution of the issues raised by the taxing authorities may differ from the amounts accrued. It is reasonably possible that within the next 12 months we will receive additional assessments by various tax authorities or possibly reach resolution of income tax examinations in one or more jurisdictions. These assessments or settlements could result in changes to our contingencies related to positions on tax filings on prior years’ tax filings.

We are under examination, or may be subject to examination, by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) for the calendar year 2005 and thereafter. These examinations may lead to ordinary course adjustments or proposed adjustments to our taxes or our net operating losses with respect to years under examination as well as subsequent periods. As previously disclosed, we have received Notices of Proposed Adjustment (“NOPAs”) from the IRS for transactions undertaken in the 2005 and 2006

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calendar years relating to transfer pricing with our foreign subsidiaries. The IRS is seeking to increase our U.S. taxable income by an amount that would result in additional federal tax of approximately $1.5 billion, subject to interest. On March 23, 2017, the U.S. Tax Court issued its decision regarding the issues raised in the IRS NOPAs. The Tax Court rejected the approach from the IRS NOPAs in determining transfer pricing adjustments in 2005 and 2006 for the transactions undertaken with our foreign subsidiaries and adopted, with adjustments, our suggested approach. On September 29, 2017, the IRS filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter. If the Tax Court decision were reversed on appeal or if the IRS were to successfully assert transfer pricing adjustments of a similar nature to the NOPAs for transactions in subsequent years, we could be subject to significant additional tax liabilities.

Certain of our subsidiaries are under examination or investigation or may be subject to examination or investigation by the French Tax Administration (“FTA”) for calendar year 2006 and thereafter. These examinations may lead to ordinary course adjustments or proposed adjustments to our taxes. In September 2012, we received proposed tax assessment notices for calendar years 2006 through 2010 relating to the allocation of income between foreign jurisdictions. In June 2015, we received final tax collection notices for these years assessing additional French tax of €196 million, including interest and penalties through September 2012. We disagree with the assessment and intend to contest it vigorously. We plan to pursue all available administrative remedies, and if we are not able to resolve this matter, we plan to pursue judicial remedies. In addition to the risk of additional tax for years 2006 through 2010, if this litigation is adversely determined or if the FTA were to seek adjustments of a similar nature for subsequent years, we could be subject to significant additional tax liabilities. In addition, in October 2014, the European Commission opened a formal investigation to examine whether decisions by the tax authorities in Luxembourg with regard to the corporate income tax paid by certain of our subsidiaries comply with European Union rules on state aid. On October 4, 2017, the European Commission announced its decision that determinations by the tax authorities in Luxembourg did not comply with European Union rules on state aid. This decision orders Luxembourg to calculate and recover additional taxes from us for the period May 2006 through June 2014. We believe this decision to be without merit and will consider our legal options, including an appeal. While the European Commission announced an estimated recovery amount of approximately €250 million, plus interest, the actual amount of additional taxes subject to recovery is to be calculated by the Luxembourg tax authorities in accordance with the European Commission’s guidance. Once the recovery amount is computed by Luxembourg, we anticipate funding it, including interest, into escrow, where it will remain pending conclusion of all appeals. We are also subject to taxation in various states and other foreign jurisdictions including Canada, China, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom. We are under, or may be subject to, audit or examination and additional assessments by the relevant authorities in respect of these particular jurisdictions primarily for 2008 and thereafter.

Note 8 — SEGMENT INFORMATION

We have organized our operations into three segments: North America, International, and AWS. We allocate to segment results the operating expenses “Fulfillment,” “Marketing,” “Technology and content,” and “General and administrative” based on usage, which is generally reflected in the segment in which the costs are incurred. The majority of technology infrastructure costs are allocated to the AWS segment based on usage. The majority of the remaining non-infrastructure technology costs are incurred in the U.S. and are allocated to our North America segment. In Q1 2017, we combined stock-based compensation and “Other operating expense, net” with operating expenses in our presentation of segment results. While we continue to evaluate the integration of Whole Foods Market within our segments, we have included Whole Foods Market in our North America and International segments based on physical location. There are no internal revenue transactions between our reportable segments. These segments reflect the way our chief operating decision maker evaluates the Company’s business performance and manages its operations.

North America

The North America segment primarily consists of amounts earned from retail sales of consumer products (including from sellers) and subscriptions through North America-focused websites, such as www.amazon.com, www.amazon.ca, and www.amazon.com.mx, and physical stores. This segment includes export sales from these websites.

International

The International segment primarily consists of amounts earned from retail sales of consumer products (including from sellers) and subscriptions through internationally-focused websites such as www.amazon.com.au, www.amazon.com.br, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.in, www.amazon.it, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.nl, www.amazon.es, and www.amazon.co.uk. This segment includes export sales from these internationally-focused websites (including export sales from these sites to customers in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada), but excludes export sales from our North American websites.

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AWS

The AWS segment consists of amounts earned from global sales of compute, storage, database, and other service offerings for start-ups, enterprises, government agencies, and academic institutions.

Information on reportable segments and reconciliation to consolidated net income is as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016			2017			2016			2017
North America
Net sales	$	18,874		$	25,446		$	53,544		$	68,808
Operating expenses	18,619			25,334			51,999			67,664
Operating income	$	255		$	112		$	1,545		$	1,144

International
Net sales	$	10,609		$	13,714		$	30,019		$	36,259
Operating expenses	11,150			14,650			30,815			38,401
Operating income (loss)	$	(541	)	$	(936	)	$	(796	)	$	(2,142	)

AWS
Net sales	$	3,231		$	4,584		$	8,683		$	12,346
Operating expenses	2,370			3,413			6,501			9,369
Operating income	$	861		$	1,171		$	2,182		$	2,977

Consolidated
Net sales	$	32,714		$	43,744		$	92,246		$	117,413
Operating expenses	32,139			43,397			89,315			115,434
Operating income	575			347			2,931			1,979
Total non-operating income (expense)	(84		)	(31		)	(205		)	(44		)
Provision for income taxes	(229		)	(58		)	(1,012		)	(755		)
Equity-method investment activity, net of tax	(10		)	(2		)	(92		)	(4		)
Net income	$	252		$	256		$	1,622		$	1,176

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Net sales by groups of similar products and services is as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2017		2016		2017
Net Sales:
Online stores (1)	$	21,590	$	26,392	$	61,883	$	72,971
Physical stores (2)	—		1,276		—		1,276
Third-party seller services (3)	5,652		7,928		15,537		21,357
Subscription services (4)	1,532		2,441		4,264		6,544
AWS	3,231		4,584		8,683		12,346
Other (5)	709		1,123		1,879		2,919
Consolidated	$	32,714	$	43,744	$	92,246	$	117,413

____________________________

(1)

Includes product sales and digital media content where we record revenue gross. We leverage our retail infrastructure to offer a wide selection of consumable and durable goods that includes electronics and general merchandise as well as media products available in both a physical and digital format, such as books, music, videos, games, and software. These product sales include digital products sold on a transactional basis. Digital product subscriptions that provide unlimited viewing or usage rights are included in Subscription services.


(2)	Includes product sales where our customers physically select items in a store.


(3)	Includes commissions, related fulfillment and shipping fees, and other third-party seller services.


(4)	Includes annual and monthly fees associated with Amazon Prime membership, as well as audiobook, e-book, digital video, digital music, and other non-AWS subscription services.


(5)	Includes sales not otherwise included above, such as certain advertising services and our co-branded credit card agreements.

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Item 2.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding guidance, industry prospects, or future results of operations or financial position, made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are forward-looking. We use words such as anticipates, believes, expects, future, intends, and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect management’s current expectations and are inherently uncertain. Actual results could differ materially for a variety of reasons, including, among others, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, changes in global economic conditions and customer spending, world events, the rate of growth of the Internet, online commerce, and cloud services, the amount that Amazon.com invests in new business opportunities and the timing of those investments, the mix of products and services sold to customers, the mix of net sales derived from products as compared with services, the extent to which we owe income or other taxes, competition, management of growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, international growth and expansion, the outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment, sortation, delivery, and data center optimization, risks of inventory management, seasonality, the degree to which we enter into, maintain, and develop commercial agreements, proposed and completed acquisitions and strategic transactions, payments risks, and risks of fulfillment throughput and productivity. In addition, the current global economic climate amplifies many of these risks. These risks and uncertainties, as well as other risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ significantly from management’s expectations, are described in greater detail in Item 1A of Part II, “Risk Factors.”

For additional information, see Item 7 of Part II, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Overview” of our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Critical Accounting Judgments

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. The SEC has defined a company’s critical accounting policies as the ones that are most important to the portrayal of the company’s financial condition and results of operations, and which require the company to make its most difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates of matters that are inherently uncertain. Based on this definition, we have identified the critical accounting policies and judgments addressed below. We also have other key accounting policies, which involve the use of estimates, judgments, and assumptions that are significant to understanding our results. For additional information, see Item 8 of Part II, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data — Note 1 — Description of Business and Accounting Policies,” of our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K and Item 1 of Part I, “Financial Statements — Note 1 — Accounting Policies,” of this Form 10-Q. Although we believe that our estimates, assumptions, and judgments are reasonable, they are based upon information presently available. Actual results may differ significantly from these estimates under different assumptions, judgments, or conditions.

Inventories

Inventories, consisting of products available for sale, are primarily accounted for using the first-in first-out method, and are valued at the lower of cost and net realizable value. This valuation requires us to make judgments, based on currently-available information, about the likely method of disposition, such as through sales to individual customers, returns to product vendors, or liquidations, and expected recoverable values of each disposition category. These assumptions about future disposition of inventory are inherently uncertain and changes in our estimates and assumptions may cause us to realize material write-downs in the future. As a measure of sensitivity, for every 1% of additional inventory valuation allowance as of September 30, 2017, we would have recorded an additional cost of sales of approximately $150 million.

In addition, we enter into supplier commitments for certain electronic device components. These commitments are based on forecasted customer demand. If we reduce these commitments, we may incur additional costs.

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Income Taxes

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. (federal and state) and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Tax laws, regulations, and administrative practices in various jurisdictions may be subject to significant change, with or without notice, due to economic, political, and other conditions, and significant judgment is required in evaluating and estimating our provision and accruals for these taxes. There are many transactions that occur during the ordinary course of business for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Our effective tax rates could be affected by earnings being lower than anticipated in jurisdictions where we have lower statutory rates and higher than anticipated in jurisdictions where we have higher statutory rates, losses incurred in jurisdictions for which we are not able to realize the related tax benefit, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, entry into new businesses and geographies and changes to our existing businesses, acquisitions (including integrations) and investments, changes in our stock price, changes in our deferred tax assets and liabilities and their valuation, and changes in the relevant tax, accounting, and other laws, regulations, administrative practices, principles, and interpretations, including fundamental changes to the tax laws applicable to corporate multinationals. The U.S., the European Union and its member states, and a number of other countries are actively pursuing changes in this regard.

Except as required under U.S. tax laws, we do not provide for U.S. taxes on our undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries that have not been previously taxed since we intend to invest such undistributed earnings indefinitely outside of the U.S. If our intent changes or if these funds are needed for our U.S. operations, we would be required to accrue or pay U.S. taxes on some or all of these undistributed earnings and our effective tax rate would be adversely affected. We are also currently subject to audit in various jurisdictions, and these jurisdictions may assess additional income tax liabilities against us. Developments in an audit, litigation, or the relevant laws, regulations, administrative practices, principles, and interpretations could have a material effect on our operating results or cash flows in the period or periods for which that development occurs, as well as for prior and subsequent periods. For instance, the IRS is seeking to increase our U.S. taxable income related to transfer pricing with our foreign subsidiaries for transactions undertaken in 2005 and 2006, and we have been contesting the matter in U.S. Tax Court. On March 23, 2017, the U.S. Tax Court issued its decision regarding the issues raised in the IRS Notices of Proposed Adjustment (“NOPAs”). The Tax Court rejected the approach from the IRS NOPAs in determining transfer pricing adjustments in 2005 and 2006 for the transactions undertaken with our foreign subsidiaries and adopted, with adjustments, our suggested approach. On September 29, 2017, the IRS filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter. If the Tax Court decision were reversed on appeal or if the IRS were to successfully assert transfer pricing adjustments of a similar nature to the NOPAs for transactions in subsequent years, we could be subject to significant additional tax liabilities. In addition, in October 2014, the European Commission opened a formal investigation to examine whether decisions by the tax authorities in Luxembourg with regard to the corporate income tax paid by certain of our subsidiaries comply with European Union rules on state aid. On October 4, 2017, the European Commission announced its decision that determinations by the tax authorities in Luxembourg did not comply with European Union rules on state aid. This decision orders Luxembourg to calculate and recover additional taxes from us for the period May 2006 through June 2014. We believe this decision to be without merit and will consider our legal options, including an appeal. While the European Commission announced an estimated recovery amount of approximately €250 million, plus interest, the actual amount of additional taxes subject to recovery is to be calculated by the Luxembourg tax authorities in accordance with the European Commission’s guidance. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final outcome of tax audits, investigations, and any related litigation could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions and accruals.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Item 1 of Part I, “Financial Statements — Note 1 — Accounting Policies.”

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash flow information, which reflects retrospective adjustments to our consolidated statements of cash flows as described in Item 1 of Part I, “Financial Statements — Note 1 — Accounting Policies,” is as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,						Twelve Months Ended September 30,
	2016			2017			2016			2017			2016			2017
Cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities	$	4,659		$	3,851		$	6,284		$	6,090		$	15,004		$	17,077
Investing activities	(2,570		)	(19,120		)	(5,702		)	(25,787		)	(7,552		)	(29,961		)
Financing activities	(1,000		)	14,685			(3,148		)	12,507			(4,746		)	11,916

Our principal sources of liquidity are cash flows generated from operations and our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities balances, which, at fair value, were $26.0 billion and $24.3 billion as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017. Amounts held in foreign currencies were $9.1 billion and $7.8 billion as of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017, and were primarily Euros, Japanese Yen, and British Pounds.

Cash provided by (used in) operating activities was $4.7 billion and $3.9 billion for Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $6.3 billion and $6.1 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017. Our operating cash flows result primarily from cash received from our consumer, seller, developer, enterprise, and content creator customers, advertising agreements, and our co-branded credit card agreements, offset by cash payments we make for products and services, employee compensation (less amounts capitalized related to internal-use software that are reflected as cash used in investing activities), payment processing and related transaction costs, operating leases, and interest payments on our long-term obligations. Cash received from our customers and other activities generally corresponds to our net sales. Because consumers primarily use credit cards to buy from us, our receivables from consumers settle quickly. The increase in operating cash flow for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the comparable prior year period, was primarily due to the increase in net income, excluding non-cash charges such as depreciation, amortization, and stock-based compensation. Cash provided by (used in) operating activities is also subject to changes in working capital. Working capital at any specific point in time is subject to many variables, including seasonality, inventory management and category expansion, the timing of cash receipts and payments, vendor payment terms, and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

Cash provided by (used in) investing activities corresponds with cash capital expenditures, including leasehold improvements, internal-use software and website development costs, cash outlays for acquisitions, investments in other companies and intellectual property rights, and purchases, sales, and maturities of marketable securities. Cash provided by (used in) investing activities was $(2.6) billion and $(19.1) billion for Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $(5.7) billion and $(25.8) billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017, with the variability caused primarily by cash paid for acquisitions, our decision to purchase or lease property and equipment, and purchases, maturities, and sales of marketable securities. Cash capital expenditures were $1.8 billion and $2.7 billion during Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $4.7 billion and $7.0 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017, which primarily reflect additional capacity to support our fulfillment operations and additional investments in support of continued business growth due to investments in technology infrastructure (the majority of which is to support AWS). Capital expenditures included $97 million and $71 million for internal-use software and website development during Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $326 million and $235 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017. Stock-based compensation capitalized for internal-use software and website development costs does not affect cash flows. We made cash payments, net of acquired cash, related to acquisition and other investment activity of $84 million and $13.2 billion during Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $113 million and $13.9 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017.

Cash provided by (used in) financing activities was $(1.0) billion and $14.7 billion for Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $(3.1) billion and $12.5 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017. Cash outflows from financing activities result from principal repayments on obligations related to capital leases and finance leases and repayments of long-term debt and other. Principal repayments on obligations related to capital leases and finance leases and repayments of long-term debt and other were $1.0 billion and $1.4 billion in Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $3.2 billion and $3.7 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017. Property and equipment acquired under capital leases was $1.4 billion and $2.3 billion during Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $3.7 billion and $6.9 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017, reflecting investments in support of continued business growth primarily due to investments in technology infrastructure for AWS, which investments we expect to continue over time. Cash inflows from financing activities primarily result from proceeds from long-term debt and other. Proceeds from long-term debt and other were $8 million and $16.1 billion in Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $83 million and $16.2 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017. During 2017, cash inflows from financing activities consisted primarily of proceeds from the issuance of $16.0 billion of senior unsecured notes in seven tranches maturing in 2020 through 2057. The proceeds from the August 2017 Notes were used to fund the consideration for the

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acquisition of Whole Foods Market and will be used to repay the 1.200% Notes due 2017 and for general corporate purposes. See Item 1 of Part I, “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements — Note 5 — Long-Term Debt” for additional discussion of the Notes.

We had no borrowings outstanding under our Credit Agreement and $550 million of borrowings outstanding under our Credit Facility as of September 30, 2017. See Item 1 of Part I, “Financial Statements — Note 5 — Long-Term Debt” for additional information.

We recorded net tax provisions of $229 million and $58 million in Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $1.0 billion and $755 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017. Except as required under U.S. tax laws, we do not provide for U.S. taxes on our undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries that have not been previously taxed since we intend to invest such undistributed earnings indefinitely outside of the U.S. If our intent changes or if these funds are needed for our U.S. operations, we would be required to accrue or pay U.S. taxes on some or all of these undistributed earnings, and our effective tax rate would be adversely affected. We have tax benefits relating to excess stock-based compensation deductions and accelerated depreciation deductions that are being utilized to reduce our U.S. taxable income. In December 2015, U.S. legislation was enacted that extended accelerated depreciation deductions on qualifying property through 2019. Cash taxes paid, net of refunds were $91 million and $172 million for Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $317 million and $865 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017. As of December 31, 2016, our federal net operating loss carryforward was approximately $76 million and we had approximately $608 million of federal tax credits potentially available to offset future tax liabilities. Our federal tax credits are primarily related to the U.S. federal research and development credit. We expect cash paid for taxes to increase. We endeavor to manage our global taxes on a cash basis, rather than on a financial reporting basis. In connection with its October 2017 decision against us on state aid, the European Commission announced an estimated recovery amount of approximately €250 million, plus interest. The actual amount of additional taxes subject to recovery is to be calculated by the Luxembourg tax authorities in accordance with the European Commission's guidance. Once the recovery amount is computed by Luxembourg, we anticipate funding it, including interest, into escrow, where it will remain pending conclusion of all appeals.

Our liquidity is also affected by restricted cash balances that are pledged as collateral for real estate leases, workers’ compensation obligations, amounts due to third-party sellers in certain jurisdictions, debt, and standby and trade letters of credit. To the extent we process payments for third-party sellers or offer certain types of stored value to our customers, some jurisdictions may restrict our use of those funds. These restrictions would result in the reclassification of a portion of our cash and cash equivalents from “Cash and cash equivalents” to restricted cash, which is classified within “Accounts receivable, net and other” on our consolidated balance sheets. As of December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2017, restricted cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities were $600 million and $1.2 billion. See Item 1 of Part I, “Financial Statements — Note 3 — Commitments and Contingencies” for additional discussion of our principal contractual commitments, as well as our pledged assets. Additionally, purchase obligations and open purchase orders, consisting of inventory and significant non-inventory commitments, were $15.5 billion as of September 30, 2017. These purchase obligations and open purchase orders are generally cancellable in full or in part through the contractual provisions.

We believe that cash flows generated from operations and our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities balances, as well as borrowing available under our credit agreements, will be sufficient to meet our anticipated operating cash needs for at least the next 12 months. However, any projections of future cash needs and cash flows are subject to substantial uncertainty. See Item 1A of Part II, “Risk Factors.” We continually evaluate opportunities to sell additional equity or debt securities, obtain credit facilities, obtain capital, finance, and operating lease arrangements, repurchase common stock, pay dividends, or repurchase, refinance, or otherwise restructure our debt for strategic reasons or to further strengthen our financial position.

The sale of additional equity or convertible debt securities would likely be dilutive to our shareholders. In addition, we will, from time to time, consider the acquisition of, or investment in, complementary businesses, products, services, capital infrastructure, and technologies, which might affect our liquidity requirements or cause us to secure additional financing, or issue additional equity or debt securities. There can be no assurance that additional credit lines or financing instruments will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

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Results of Operations

We have organized our operations into three segments: North America, International, and AWS. Our results reflect the operations of Whole Foods Market from the date of acquisition. In Q1 2017, we combined stock-based compensation and “Other operating expense, net” with operating expenses in our presentation of segment results. These segments reflect the way the Company evaluates its business performance and manages its operations. See Item 1 of Part I, “Financial Statements — Note 8 — Segment Information.”

Net Sales

Net sales include product and service sales. Product sales represent revenue from the sale of products and related shipping fees and digital media content where we record revenue gross. Service sales represent retail third-party seller fees earned (including commissions) and related shipping fees, AWS sales, certain digital content subscriptions, certain advertising services, and our co-branded credit card agreements. Amazon Prime membership fees are allocated between product sales and service sales and amortized over the life of the membership according to the estimated delivery of services. Net sales information is as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016			2017			2016			2017
Net Sales:
North America	$	18,874		$	25,446		$	53,544		$	68,808
International	10,609			13,714			30,019			36,259
AWS	3,231			4,584			8,683			12,346
Consolidated	$	32,714		$	43,744		$	92,246		$	117,413
Year-over-year Percentage Growth:
North America	26		%	35		%	27		%	29		%
International	28			29			27			21
AWS	55			42			59			42
Consolidated	29			34			29			27
Year-over-year Percentage Growth, excluding the effect of foreign exchange rates:
North America	26		%	35		%	27		%	28		%
International	28			28			27			24
AWS	55			42			59			42
Consolidated	29			33			29			28
Net sales mix:
North America	58		%	58		%	58		%	59		%
International	32			31			33			31
AWS	10			11			9			10
Consolidated	100		%	100		%	100		%	100		%

Sales increased 34% in Q3 2017 and 27% for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the comparable prior year periods. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates impacted net sales by $124 million for Q3 2017, and by $(869) million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017. For a discussion of the effect on sales growth of foreign exchange rates, see “Effect of Foreign Exchange Rates” below.

North America sales increased 35% in Q3 2017 and 29% for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the comparable prior year periods. The sales growth primarily reflects increased unit sales, including sales by third-party sellers, and the impact of the acquisition of Whole Foods Market. Increased unit sales were driven largely by our continued efforts to reduce prices for our customers, including from our shipping offers, increased in-stock inventory availability, and increased selection.

International sales increased 29% in Q3 2017 and 21% for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the comparable prior year periods. The sales growth primarily reflects increased unit sales, including sales by third-party sellers. Increased unit sales were driven largely by our continued efforts to reduce prices for our customers, including from our shipping offers, increased in-stock inventory availability, and increased selection. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates impacted International net sales by $97 million for Q3 2017, and by $(885) million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017.

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AWS sales increased 42% in Q3 2017 and the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the comparable prior year periods. The sales growth primarily reflects increased customer usage, partially offset by pricing changes. Pricing changes were driven largely by our continued efforts to reduce prices for our customers.

Operating Income (Loss)

Operating income (loss) by segment is as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016			2017			2016			2017
Operating Income (Loss):
North America	$	255		$	112		$	1,545		$	1,144
International	(541		)	(936		)	(796		)	(2,142		)
AWS	861			1,171			2,182			2,977
Consolidated	$	575		$	347		$	2,931		$	1,979

Operating income decreased from $575 million in Q3 2016, to $347 million in Q3 2017, and decreased from $2.9 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2016, to $2.0 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2017. We believe that operating income is a more meaningful measure than gross profit and gross margin due to the diversity of our product categories and services.

The decrease in North America operating income in absolute dollars in Q3 2017 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the comparable prior year periods, is primarily due to increased levels of operating expenses to expand our fulfillment network and spending on technology and content and marketing efforts, partially offset by increased unit sales, including sales by third-party sellers. Changes in foreign exchange rates impacted operating income by $(12) million for Q3 2017, and by $4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017.

The increase in International operating loss in absolute dollars in Q3 2017 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the comparable prior year periods, is primarily due to increased levels of operating expenses to expand our fulfillment network and spending on technology and content and marketing efforts, partially offset by increased unit sales, including sales by third-party sellers. Changes in foreign exchange rates impacted operating income (loss) by $(13) million for Q3 2017, and by $(105) million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017.

The increase in AWS operating income in absolute dollars in Q3 2017 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the comparable prior year periods, is primarily due to increased customer usage and cost structure productivity, partially offset by pricing changes and increased spending on technology infrastructure and payroll and related expenses, which was primarily driven by additional investments to support the business growth. Changes in foreign exchange rates impacted operating income by $(14) million for Q3 2017, and by $(7) million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017.

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Operating Expenses

Information about operating expenses is as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016			2017			2016			2017
Operating Expenses:
Cost of sales	$	21,260		$	27,549		$	59,306		$	73,439
Fulfillment	4,335			6,420			11,900			16,275
Marketing	1,738			2,479			4,720			6,629
Technology and content	4,135			5,944			11,541			16,306
General and administrative	639			960			1,715			2,630
Other operating expense, net	32			45			133			155
Total operating expenses	$	32,139		$	43,397		$	89,315		$	115,434
Year-over-year Percentage Growth:
Cost of sales	27		%	30		%	25		%	24		%
Fulfillment	34			48			34			37
Marketing	37			43			35			40
Technology and content	29			44			29			41
General and administrative	38			50			26			53
Other operating expense, net	(25		)	39			(2		)	16
Percent of Net Sales:
Cost of sales	65.0		%	63.0		%	64.3		%	62.5		%
Fulfillment	13.3			14.7			12.9			13.9
Marketing	5.3			5.7			5.1			5.6
Technology and content	12.6			13.6			12.5			13.9
General and administrative	2.0			2.2			1.9			2.2
Other operating expense, net	0.1			0.1			0.1			0.1

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales primarily consists of the purchase price of consumer products, digital media content costs where we record revenue gross, including Prime Video and Prime Music, packaging supplies, sortation and delivery center and related equipment costs, and inbound and outbound shipping costs, including where we are the transportation service provider.

The increase in cost of sales in absolute dollars in Q3 2017 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the comparable prior year periods, is primarily due to increased product and shipping costs resulting from increased sales.

Shipping costs to receive products from our suppliers are included in our inventory and recognized as cost of sales upon sale of products to our customers. Shipping costs, which include sortation and delivery center and transportation costs, were $3.9 billion and $5.4 billion in Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $10.5 billion and $14.4 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017. We expect our cost of shipping to continue to increase to the extent our customers accept and use our shipping offers at an increasing rate, we reduce shipping rates, we use more expensive shipping methods, and we offer additional services. We seek to mitigate costs of shipping over time in part through achieving higher sales volumes, optimizing our fulfillment network, negotiating better terms with our suppliers, and achieving better operating efficiencies. We believe that offering low prices to our customers is fundamental to our future success, and one way we offer lower prices is through shipping offers.

Costs to operate our AWS segment are primarily classified as “Technology and content” as we leverage a shared infrastructure that supports both our internal technology requirements and external sales to AWS customers.

Fulfillment

Fulfillment costs primarily consist of those costs incurred in operating and staffing our North America and International fulfillment centers, customer service centers, and physical stores, and payment processing costs. While AWS payment processing and related transaction costs are included in fulfillment, AWS costs are primarily classified as “Technology and content.”

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Fulfillment costs as a percentage of net sales may vary due to several factors, such as payment processing and related transaction costs, our level of productivity and accuracy, changes in volume, size, and weight of units received and fulfilled, timing of fulfillment network and physical store expansion, the extent we utilize fulfillment services provided by third parties, mix of products and services sold, and our ability to affect customer service contacts per unit by implementing improvements in our operations and enhancements to our customer self-service features. Additionally, because payment processing and fulfillment costs associated with seller transactions are based on the gross purchase price of underlying transactions, and payment processing and related transaction and fulfillment costs are higher as a percentage of sales versus our retail sales, sales by our sellers have higher fulfillment costs as a percent of net sales.

The increase in fulfillment costs in absolute dollars in Q3 2017 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the comparable prior year periods, is primarily due to variable costs corresponding with increased product and service sales volume and inventory levels, and costs from expanding our fulfillment network, which includes physical stores.

We seek to expand our fulfillment capacity to accommodate a greater selection and in-stock inventory levels and to meet anticipated shipment volumes from sales of our own products as well as sales by third parties for which we provide the fulfillment services. We regularly evaluate our facility requirements.

Marketing

We direct customers to our websites primarily through a number of targeted online marketing channels, such as our Associates program, sponsored search, social and online advertising, television advertising, and other initiatives. Our marketing costs are largely variable, based on growth in sales and changes in rates. To the extent there is increased or decreased competition for these traffic sources, or to the extent our mix of these channels shifts, we would expect to see a corresponding change in our marketing costs.

The increase in marketing costs in absolute dollars in Q3 2017 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the comparable prior year periods, is primarily due to payroll and related expenses, as well as increased spending on online marketing channels.

While costs associated with Amazon Prime memberships and other shipping offers are not included in marketing expense, we view these offers as effective worldwide marketing tools, and intend to continue offering them indefinitely.

Technology and Content

Technology costs consist principally of research and development activities including payroll and related expenses for employees involved in application, production, maintenance, operation, and development of new and existing products and services, as well as AWS and other technology infrastructure costs. Content costs consist principally of payroll and related expenses for employees involved in category expansion, editorial content, buying, and merchandising selection.

We seek to invest efficiently in several areas of technology and content so we may continue to enhance the customer experience and improve our process efficiency through rapid technology developments while operating at an ever increasing scale. Our technology and content investment and capital spending projects often support a variety of product and service offerings due to geographic expansion and the cross-functionality of our systems and operations. We expect spending in technology and content to increase over time as we continue to add employees and technology infrastructure. The increase in technology and content costs in absolute dollars in Q3 2017 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the comparable prior year periods, is primarily due to increased payroll and related costs associated with expanding our existing products and services and initiatives to introduce new products and service offerings, and an increase in spending on technology infrastructure.

Technology infrastructure costs consist of servers, networking equipment, and data center related depreciation, rent, utilities, and payroll expenses. These costs are allocated to segments based on usage. During Q3 2017, we expanded our technology infrastructure principally by increasing our capacity for AWS service offerings globally, compared to the comparable prior year period. Additionally, the costs associated with operating and maintaining our expanded infrastructure have increased over time, corresponding with increased usage. We expect these trends to continue over time as we invest in technology infrastructure to support increased usage. See Item 7 of Part II, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Overview” of our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of how management views advances in technology and the importance of innovation.

During Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, we capitalized $118 million (including $21 million of stock-based compensation) and $93 million (including $22 million of stock-based compensation) of costs associated with internal-use software and website development. For the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017, we capitalized $399 million (including $72 million of stock-based compensation) and $298 million (including $63 million of stock-based compensation) of costs associated with internal-use software and website development. Amortization of previously capitalized amounts was $160 million and $128 million for Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $481 million and $424 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017.

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General and Administrative

The increase in general and administrative costs in absolute dollars in Q3 2017 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the comparable prior year periods, is primarily due to increases in payroll and related expenses and professional service fees.

Other Operating Expense, Net

Other operating expense, net was $32 million and $45 million for Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $133 million and $155 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017, and was primarily related to the amortization of intangible assets.

Interest Income and Expense

Our interest income was $26 million and $54 million during Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $71 million and $137 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017. We generally invest our excess cash in investment grade short- to intermediate-term fixed income securities and AAA-rated money market funds. Our interest income corresponds with the average balance of invested funds based on the prevailing rates, which vary depending on the geographies and currencies in which they are invested.

Interest expense was $118 million and $228 million during Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $351 million and $510 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017. The increase is primarily due to increases in our capital and finance lease arrangements and long-term debt.

Other Income (Expense), Net

Other income (expense), net was $8 million and $143 million during Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $75 million and $329 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017. The primary component of other income (expense), net is related to foreign currency, equity warrant valuation, and other investment gains (losses).

Income Taxes

Equity-Method Investment Activity, Net of Tax

Equity-method investment activity, net of tax, was $(10) million and $(2) million during Q3 2016 and Q3 2017, and $(92) million and $(4) million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017. The primary components of this activity were impairments recorded in Q1 2016 and our equity-method investment losses during the periods.

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Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Regulation G, Conditions for Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures, and other SEC regulations define and prescribe the conditions for use of certain non-GAAP financial information. Our measures of free cash flows and the effect of foreign exchange rates on our consolidated statements of operations, meet the definition of non-GAAP financial measures.

We provide multiple measures of free cash flows because we believe these measures provide additional perspective on the impact of acquiring property and equipment with cash and through capital and finance leases. As a result of the adoption of new accounting guidance, we retrospectively adjusted our consolidated statements of cash flows to reclassify excess tax benefits of $401 million for the twelve months ended September 30, 2016 from financing activities to operating activities.

Free Cash Flow

Free cash flow is cash flow from operations reduced by “Purchases of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, net,” which is included in cash flow from investing activities. The following is a reconciliation of free cash flow to the most comparable GAAP cash flow measure, “Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities,” for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017 (in millions):



	Twelve Months Ended September 30,
	2016			2017
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	$	15,004		$	17,077
Purchases of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, net	(6,040		)	(9,027		)
Free cash flow	$	8,964		$	8,050

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	$	(7,552	)	$	(29,961	)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	$	(4,746	)	$	11,916

Free Cash Flow Less Lease Principal Repayments

Free cash flow less lease principal repayments is free cash flow reduced by “Principal repayments of capital lease obligations,” and “Principal repayments of finance lease obligations,” which are included in cash flow from financing activities. Free cash flow less lease principal repayments approximates the actual payments of cash for our capital and finance leases. The following is a reconciliation of free cash flow less lease principal repayments to the most comparable GAAP cash flow measure, “Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities,” for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017 (in millions):



	Twelve Months Ended September 30,
	2016			2017
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	$	15,004		$	17,077
Purchases of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, net	(6,040		)	(9,027		)
Principal repayments of capital lease obligations	(3,579		)	(4,331		)
Principal repayments of finance lease obligations	(131		)	(175		)
Free cash flow less lease principal repayments	$	5,254		$	3,544

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	$	(7,552	)	$	(29,961	)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	$	(4,746	)	$	11,916

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Free Cash Flow Less Finance Lease Principal Repayments and Assets Acquired Under Capital Leases

Free cash flow less finance lease principal repayments and assets acquired under capital leases is free cash flow reduced by “Principal repayments of finance lease obligations,” which is included in cash flow from financing activities, and property and equipment acquired under capital leases. In this measure, property and equipment acquired under capital leases is reflected as if these assets had been purchased with cash, which is not the case as these assets have been leased. The following is a reconciliation of free cash flow less finance lease principal repayments and assets acquired under capital leases to the most comparable GAAP cash flow measure, “Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities,” for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2016 and 2017 (in millions):



	Twelve Months Ended September 30,
	2016			2017
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	$	15,004		$	17,077
Purchases of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, net	(6,040		)	(9,027		)
Property and equipment acquired under capital leases	(4,998		)	(8,905		)
Principal repayments of finance lease obligations	(131		)	(175		)
Free cash flow less finance lease principal repayments and assets acquired under capital leases	$	3,835		$	(1,030	)

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	$	(7,552	)	$	(29,961	)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	$	(4,746	)	$	11,916

All of these free cash flows measures have limitations as they omit certain components of the overall cash flow statement and do not represent the residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures. For example, these measures of free cash flows do not incorporate the portion of payments representing principal reductions of debt or cash payments for business acquisitions. Additionally, our mix of property and equipment acquisitions with cash or other financing options may change over time. Therefore, we believe it is important to view free cash flows measures only as a complement to our entire consolidated statements of cash flows.

Effect of Foreign Exchange Rates

Information regarding the effect of foreign exchange rates, versus the U.S. Dollar, on our net sales, operating expenses, and operating income is provided to show reported period operating results had the foreign exchange rates remained the same as those in effect in the comparable prior year periods. The effect on our net sales, operating expenses, and operating income from changes in our foreign exchange rates versus the U.S. Dollar is as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended September 30,														Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016							2017							2016							2017
	As Reported		Exchange Rate Effect (1)			At Prior Year Rates (2)		As Reported		Exchange Rate Effect (1)			At Prior Year Rates (2)		As Reported		Exchange Rate Effect (1)			At Prior Year Rates (2)		As Reported		Exchange Rate Effect (1)		At Prior Year Rates (2)
Net sales	$	32,714	$	(52	)	$	32,662	$	43,744	$	(124	)	$	43,620	$	92,246	$	(8	)	$	92,238	$	117,413	$	869	$	118,282
Operating expenses	32,139		(44		)	32,095		43,397		(164		)	43,233		89,315		96			89,411		115,434		761		116,195
Operating income	575		(8		)	567		347		39			386		2,931		(103		)	2,828		1,979		108		2,087

___________________


(1)	Represents the change in reported amounts resulting from changes in foreign exchange rates from those in effect in the comparable prior year period for operating results.


(2)	Represents the outcome that would have resulted had foreign exchange rates in the reported period been the same as those in effect in the comparable prior year period for operating results.

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Guidance

We provided guidance on October 26, 2017, in our earnings release furnished on Form 8-K as set forth below. These forward-looking statements reflect Amazon.com’s expectations as of October 26, 2017, and are subject to substantial uncertainty. Our results are inherently unpredictable and may be materially affected by many factors, such as fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, changes in global economic conditions and customer spending, world events, the rate of growth of the Internet, online commerce, and cloud services, as well as those outlined in Item 1A of Part II, “Risk Factors.”

Fourth Quarter 2017 Guidance


•	Net sales are expected to be between $56.0 billion and $60.5 billion, or to grow between 28% and 38% compared with fourth quarter 2016. This guidance includes approximately 1,000 basis points of impact to our year-over-year growth rate from Whole Foods Market. This guidance also anticipates a favorable impact of approximately $1.2 billion or 270 basis points from foreign exchange rates.


•	Operating income is expected to be between $300 million and $1.65 billion, compared with $1.3 billion in fourth quarter 2016.


•	This guidance assumes, among other things, that no additional business acquisitions, investments, restructurings, or legal settlements are concluded.

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Item 3.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

We are exposed to market risk for the effect of interest rate changes, foreign currency fluctuations, and changes in the market values of our investments. Information relating to quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk is set forth below and in Item 2 of Part I, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources.”

Interest Rate Risk

Our exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relates primarily to our investment portfolio and our long-term debt. Our long-term debt is carried at amortized cost and fluctuations in interest rates do not impact our consolidated financial statements. However, the fair value of our debt, which pays interest at a fixed rate, will generally fluctuate with movements of interest rates, increasing in periods of declining rates of interest and declining in periods of increasing rates of interest. All of our cash equivalent and marketable fixed income securities are designated as available-for-sale and, accordingly, are presented at fair value on our consolidated balance sheets. We generally invest our excess cash in investment grade short- to intermediate-term fixed income securities and AAA-rated money market funds. Fixed income securities may have their fair market value adversely affected due to a rise in interest rates, and we may suffer losses in principal if forced to sell securities that have declined in market value due to changes in interest rates.

Foreign Exchange Risk

During Q3 2017, net sales from our International segment accounted for 31% of our consolidated revenues. Net sales and related expenses generated from our internationally-focused websites, and from www.amazon.ca and www.amazon.com.mx (which are included in our North America segment), are primarily denominated in the functional currencies of the corresponding websites and primarily include Euros, Japanese Yen, and British Pounds. The results of operations of, and certain of our intercompany balances associated with, our internationally-focused websites and AWS are exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations. Upon consolidation, as foreign exchange rates vary, net sales and other operating results may differ materially from expectations, and we may record significant gains or losses on the remeasurement of intercompany balances. For example, as a result of fluctuations in foreign exchange rates throughout the period compared to rates in effect the prior year, International segment sales in Q3 2017 increased by $97 million in comparison with Q3 2016.

We have foreign exchange risk related to foreign-denominated cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities (“foreign funds”). Based on the balance of foreign funds as of September 30, 2017, of $7.8 billion, an assumed 5%, 10%, and 20% adverse change to foreign exchange would result in fair value declines of $390 million, $780 million, and $1.6 billion. All investments are classified as “available-for-sale.” Fluctuations in fair value are recorded in “Accumulated other comprehensive loss,” a separate component of stockholders’ equity.

We have foreign exchange risk related to our intercompany balances denominated in various foreign currencies. Based on the intercompany balances as of September 30, 2017, an assumed 5%, 10%, and 20% adverse change to foreign exchange would result in losses of $230 million, $480 million, and $1.1 billion, recorded to “Other income (expense), net.”

See Item 2 of Part I, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Results of Operations — Effect of Foreign Exchange Rates” for additional information on the effect on reported results of changes in foreign exchange rates.

Investment Risk

As of September 30, 2017, our recorded value in equity and equity warrant investments in public and private companies was $768 million. We record our equity and equity warrant investments in publicly traded companies at fair value, which is subject to market price volatility, and represents $438 million of our investments as of September 30, 2017. We evaluate our equity and equity warrant investments in private companies for impairment when events and circumstances indicate that the decline in fair value of such assets below the carrying value is other-than-temporary. Our analysis includes a review of recent operating results and trends, recent sales/acquisitions of the investee securities, and other publicly available data. The current global economic climate provides additional uncertainty. Valuations of private companies are inherently more complex due to the lack of readily available market data. As such, we believe that market sensitivities are not practicable.

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Item 4.	Controls and Procedures

We carried out an evaluation required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”), under the supervision and with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the 1934 Act, as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the 1934 Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and to provide reasonable assurance that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

During the most recent fiscal quarter, there has not occurred any change in our internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives as specified above. Management does not expect, however, that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent or detect all error and fraud. Any control system, no matter how well designed and operated, is based upon certain assumptions and can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that its objectives will be met. Further, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected.

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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION



Item 1.	Legal Proceedings

See Item 1 of Part I, “Financial Statements — Note 3 — Commitments and Contingencies — Legal Proceedings.”



Item 1A.	Risk Factors

Please carefully consider the following risk factors. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected. In addition, the current global economic climate amplifies many of these risks.

We Face Intense Competition

Our businesses are rapidly evolving and intensely competitive, and we have many competitors in different industries, including retail, e-commerce services, digital content and electronic devices, and web and infrastructure computing services. Some of our current and potential competitors have greater resources, longer histories, more customers, and/or greater brand recognition, particularly with our newly-launched products and services and in our newer geographic regions. They may secure better terms from vendors, adopt more aggressive pricing, and devote more resources to technology, infrastructure, fulfillment, and marketing.

Competition may intensify, including with the development of new business models and the entry of new and well-funded competitors, and as our competitors enter into business combinations or alliances and established companies in other market segments expand to become competitive with our business. In addition, new and enhanced technologies, including search, web and infrastructure computing services, digital content, and electronic devices, may increase our competition. The Internet facilitates competitive entry and comparison shopping, and increased competition may reduce our sales and profits.

Our Expansion Places a Significant Strain on our Management, Operational, Financial, and Other Resources

We are rapidly and significantly expanding our global operations, including increasing our product and service offerings and scaling our infrastructure to support our retail and services businesses. This expansion increases the complexity of our business and places significant strain on our management, personnel, operations, systems, technical performance, financial resources, and internal financial control and reporting functions. We may not be able to manage growth effectively, which could damage our reputation, limit our growth, and negatively affect our operating results.

Our Expansion into New Products, Services, Technologies, and Geographic Regions Subjects Us to Additional Business, Legal, Financial, and Competitive Risks

We may have limited or no experience in our newer market segments, and our customers may not adopt our new offerings. These offerings may present new and difficult technology challenges, and we may be subject to claims if customers of these offerings experience service disruptions or failures or other quality issues. In addition, profitability, if any, in our newer activities may be lower than in our older activities, and we may not be successful enough in these newer activities to recoup our investments in them. If any of this were to occur, it could damage our reputation, limit our growth, and negatively affect our operating results.

We May Experience Significant Fluctuations in Our Operating Results and Growth Rate

We may not be able to accurately forecast our growth rate. We base our expense levels and investment plans on sales estimates. A significant portion of our expenses and investments is fixed, and we may not be able to adjust our spending quickly enough if our sales are less than expected.

Our revenue growth may not be sustainable, and our percentage growth rates may decrease. Our revenue and operating profit growth depends on the continued growth of demand for the products and services offered by us or our sellers, and our business is affected by general economic and business conditions worldwide. A softening of demand, whether caused by changes in customer preferences or a weakening of the U.S. or global economies, may result in decreased revenue or growth.

Our sales and operating results will also fluctuate for many other reasons, including due to risks described elsewhere in this section and the following:

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•	our ability to retain and increase sales to existing customers, attract new customers, and satisfy our customers’ demands;


•	our ability to retain and expand our network of sellers;


•	our ability to offer products on favorable terms, manage inventory, and fulfill orders;


•	the introduction of competitive websites, products, services, price decreases, or improvements;


•	changes in usage or adoption rates of the Internet, e-commerce, electronic devices, and web services, including outside the U.S.;


•	timing, effectiveness, and costs of expansion and upgrades of our systems and infrastructure;


•	the success of our geographic, service, and product line expansions;


•	the extent to which we finance, and the terms of any such financing for, our current operations and future growth;


•	the outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, which may include significant monetary damages or injunctive relief and could have a material adverse impact on our operating results;


•	variations in the mix of products and services we sell;


•	variations in our level of merchandise and vendor returns;


•	the extent to which we offer free shipping, continue to reduce prices worldwide, and provide additional benefits to our customers;


•	the extent to which we invest in technology and content, fulfillment, and other expense categories;


•	increases in the prices of fuel and gasoline, as well as increases in the prices of other energy products and commodities like paper and packing supplies;


•	the extent to which our equity-method investees record significant operating and non-operating items;


•	the extent to which operators of the networks between our customers and our websites successfully charge fees to grant our customers unimpaired and unconstrained access to our online services;


•	our ability to collect amounts owed to us when they become due;


•	the extent to which use of our services is affected by spyware, viruses, phishing and other spam emails, denial of service attacks, data theft, computer intrusions, outages, and similar events; and


•	terrorist attacks and armed hostilities.

Our International Operations Expose Us to a Number of Risks

Our international activities are significant to our revenues and profits, and we plan to further expand internationally. In certain international market segments, we have relatively little operating experience and may not benefit from any first-to-market advantages or otherwise succeed. It is costly to establish, develop, and maintain international operations and websites, and promote our brand internationally. Our international operations may not be profitable on a sustained basis.

In addition to risks described elsewhere in this section, our international sales and operations are subject to a number of risks, including:


•	local economic and political conditions;


•	government regulation of e-commerce and other services, electronic devices, and competition, and restrictive governmental actions (such as trade protection measures, including export duties and quotas and custom duties and tariffs), nationalization, and restrictions on foreign ownership;

•

restrictions on sales or distribution of certain products or services and uncertainty regarding liability for products, services, and content, including uncertainty as a result of less Internet-friendly legal systems, local laws, lack of legal precedent, and varying rules, regulations, and practices regarding the physical and digital distribution of media products and enforcement of intellectual property rights;


•	business licensing or certification requirements, such as for imports, exports, web services, and electronic devices;


•	limitations on the repatriation and investment of funds and foreign currency exchange restrictions;


•	limited fulfillment and technology infrastructure;


•	shorter payable and longer receivable cycles and the resultant negative impact on cash flow;

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•	laws and regulations regarding consumer and data protection, privacy, network security, encryption, payments, and restrictions on pricing or discounts;


•	lower levels of use of the Internet;


•	lower levels of consumer spending and fewer opportunities for growth compared to the U.S.;


•	lower levels of credit card usage and increased payment risk;


•	difficulty in staffing, developing, and managing foreign operations as a result of distance, language, and cultural differences;


•	different employee/employer relationships and the existence of works councils and labor unions;


•	compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other applicable U.S. and foreign laws prohibiting corrupt payments to government officials and other third parties;


•	laws and policies of the U.S. and other jurisdictions affecting trade, foreign investment, loans, and taxes; and


•	geopolitical events, including war and terrorism.

As international e-commerce and other online and web services grow, competition will intensify. Local companies may have a substantial competitive advantage because of their greater understanding of, and focus on, the local customer, as well as their more established local brand names. We may not be able to hire, train, retain, and manage required personnel, which may limit our international growth.

The People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) and India regulate Amazon’s and its affiliates’ businesses and operations in country through regulations and license requirements that may restrict (i) foreign investment in and operation of the Internet, IT infrastructure, data centers, retail, delivery, and other sectors, (ii) Internet content, and (iii) the sale of media and other products and services. For example, in order to meet local ownership and regulatory licensing requirements, www.amazon.cn is operated by PRC companies that are indirectly owned, either wholly or partially, by PRC nationals. In addition, we provide certain technology services in China in conjunction with third parties that hold PRC licenses to provide services. In India, the government restricts the ownership or control of Indian companies by foreign entities involved in online multi-brand retail trading activities. For www.amazon.in, we provide certain marketing tools and logistics services to third-party sellers to enable them to sell online and deliver to customers, and we hold indirect minority interests in entities that are third-party sellers on the www.amazon.in marketplace. Although we believe these structures and activities comply with existing laws, they involve unique risks, and the PRC is actively considering changes in its foreign investment rules that could impact these structures and activities. There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation of PRC and Indian laws and regulations, and it is possible that these governments will ultimately take a view contrary to ours. In addition, our Chinese and Indian businesses and operations may be unable to continue to operate if we or our affiliates are unable to access sufficient funding or in China enforce contractual relationships with respect to management and control of such businesses. If our international activities were found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC, Indian or other laws or regulations or if interpretations of those laws and regulations were to change, our businesses in those countries could be subject to fines and other financial penalties, have licenses revoked, or be forced to shut down entirely.

If We Do Not Successfully Optimize and Operate Our Fulfillment Network and Data Centers, Our Business Could Be Harmed

If we do not adequately predict customer demand or otherwise optimize and operate our fulfillment network and data centers successfully, it could result in excess or insufficient fulfillment or data center capacity, or result in increased costs, impairment charges, or both, or harm our business in other ways. As we continue to add fulfillment and data center capability or add new businesses with different requirements, our fulfillment and data center networks become increasingly complex and operating them becomes more challenging. There can be no assurance that we will be able to operate our networks effectively.

In addition, a failure to optimize inventory in our fulfillment network will increase our net shipping cost by requiring long-zone or partial shipments. We and our co-sourcers may be unable to adequately staff our fulfillment network and customer service centers. If the other businesses on whose behalf we perform inventory fulfillment services deliver product to our fulfillment centers in excess of forecasts, we may be unable to secure sufficient storage space and may be unable to optimize our fulfillment network.

We rely on a limited number of shipping companies to deliver inventory to us and completed orders to our customers. If we are not able to negotiate acceptable terms with these companies or they experience performance problems or other difficulties, it could negatively impact our operating results and customer experience. In addition, our ability to receive inbound inventory efficiently and ship completed orders to customers also may be negatively affected by inclement weather, fire, flood, power loss, earthquakes, labor disputes, acts of war or terrorism, acts of God, and similar factors.

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Under some of our commercial agreements, we maintain the inventory of other companies, thereby increasing the complexity of tracking inventory and operating our fulfillment network. Our failure to properly handle such inventory or the inability of these other companies to accurately forecast product demand would result in unexpected costs and other harm to our business and reputation.

The Seasonality of Our Business Places Increased Strain on Our Operations

We expect a disproportionate amount of our net sales to occur during our fourth quarter. If we do not stock or restock popular products in sufficient amounts such that we fail to meet customer demand, it could significantly affect our revenue and our future growth. If we overstock products, we may be required to take significant inventory markdowns or write-offs and incur commitment costs, which could reduce profitability. We may experience an increase in our net shipping cost due to complimentary upgrades, split-shipments, and additional long-zone shipments necessary to ensure timely delivery for the holiday season. If too many customers access our websites within a short period of time due to increased holiday demand, we may experience system interruptions that make our websites unavailable or prevent us from efficiently fulfilling orders, which may reduce the volume of goods we sell and the attractiveness of our products and services. In addition, we may be unable to adequately staff our fulfillment network and customer service centers during these peak periods and delivery and other fulfillment companies and customer service co-sourcers may be unable to meet the seasonal demand. We also face risks described elsewhere in this Item 1A relating to fulfillment network optimization and inventory.

We generally have payment terms with our retail vendors that extend beyond the amount of time necessary to collect proceeds from our consumer customers. As a result of holiday sales, as of December 31 of each year, our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities balances typically reach their highest level (other than as a result of cash flows provided by or used in investing and financing activities). This operating cycle results in a corresponding increase in accounts payable as of December 31. Our accounts payable balance generally declines during the first three months of the year, resulting in a corresponding decline in our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities balances.

Our Business Could Suffer if We Are Unsuccessful in Making, Integrating, and Maintaining Commercial Agreements, Strategic Alliances, and Other Business Relationships

We provide e-commerce and other services to businesses through commercial agreements, strategic alliances, and business relationships. Under these agreements, we provide web services, technology, fulfillment, computing, digital storage, and other services, as well as enable sellers to offer products or services through our websites. These arrangements are complex and require substantial infrastructure capacity, personnel, and other resource commitments, which may limit the amount of business we can service. We may not be able to implement, maintain, and develop the components of these commercial relationships, which may include web services, fulfillment, customer service, inventory management, tax collection, payment processing, hardware, content, and third-party software, and engaging third parties to perform services. The amount of compensation we receive under certain of our commercial agreements is partially dependent on the volume of the other company’s sales. Therefore, if the other company’s offering is not successful, the compensation we receive may be lower than expected or the agreement may be terminated. Moreover, we may not be able to enter into additional commercial relationships and strategic alliances on favorable terms. We also may be subject to claims from businesses to which we provide these services if we are unsuccessful in implementing, maintaining, or developing these services.

As our agreements terminate, we may be unable to renew or replace these agreements on comparable terms, or at all. We may in the future enter into amendments on less favorable terms or encounter parties that have difficulty meeting their contractual obligations to us, which could adversely affect our operating results.

Our present and future e-commerce services agreements, other commercial agreements, and strategic alliances create additional risks such as:


•	disruption of our ongoing business, including loss of management focus on existing businesses;


•	impairment of other relationships;


•	variability in revenue and income from entering into, amending, or terminating such agreements or relationships; and


•	difficulty integrating under the commercial agreements.

Our Business Could Suffer if We Are Unsuccessful in Making, Integrating, and Maintaining Acquisitions and Investments

We have acquired and invested in a number of companies, and we may acquire or invest in or enter into joint ventures with additional companies. These transactions (such as our acquisition of Whole Foods Market, Inc.) create risks such as:


•	disruption of our ongoing business, including loss of management focus on existing businesses;

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•	problems retaining key personnel;


•	additional operating losses and expenses of the businesses we acquired or in which we invested;


•	the potential impairment of tangible and intangible assets and goodwill, including as a result of acquisitions;


•	the potential impairment of customer and other relationships of the company we acquired or in which we invested or our own customers as a result of any integration of operations;


•	the difficulty of completing such transactions and achieving anticipated benefits within expected timeframes, or at all;


•	the difficulty of incorporating acquired operations, technology, and rights into our offerings, and unanticipated expenses related to such integration;


•	the difficulty of integrating a new company’s accounting, financial reporting, management, information and information security, human resource, and other administrative systems to permit effective management, and the lack of control if such integration is delayed or not implemented;


•	for investments in which an investee’s financial performance is incorporated into our financial results, either in full or in part, the dependence on the investee’s accounting, financial reporting, and similar systems, controls, and processes;


•	the difficulty of implementing at companies we acquire the controls, procedures, and policies appropriate for a larger public company;


•	the risks associated with businesses we acquire or invest in, which may differ from or be more significant than the risks our other businesses face;


•	potential unknown liabilities associated with a company we acquire or in which we invest; and


•	for foreign transactions, additional risks related to the integration of operations across different cultures and languages, and the economic, political, and regulatory risks associated with specific countries.

As a result of future acquisitions or mergers, we might need to issue additional equity securities, spend our cash, or incur debt, contingent liabilities, or amortization expenses related to intangible assets, any of which could reduce our profitability and harm our business or only be available on unfavorable terms, if at all. In addition, valuations supporting our acquisitions and strategic investments could change rapidly given the current global economic climate. We could determine that such valuations have experienced impairments or other-than-temporary declines in fair value which could adversely impact our financial results.

We Have Foreign Exchange Risk

The results of operations of, and certain of our intercompany balances associated with, our international websites and product and service offerings are exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations. Upon translation, operating results may differ materially from expectations, and we may record significant gains or losses on the remeasurement of intercompany balances. As we have expanded our international operations, our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations has increased. We also hold cash equivalents and/or marketable securities in foreign currencies including British Pounds, Euros, and Japanese Yen. If the U.S. Dollar strengthens compared to these currencies, cash equivalents, and marketable securities balances, when translated, may be materially less than expected and vice versa.

The Loss of Key Senior Management Personnel Could Negatively Affect Our Business

We depend on our senior management and other key personnel, particularly Jeffrey P. Bezos, our President, CEO, and Chairman. We do not have “key person” life insurance policies. The loss of any of our executive officers or other key employees could harm our business.

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We Could Be Harmed by Data Loss or Other Security Breaches

As a result of our services being web-based and the fact that we process, store, and transmit large amounts of data, including personal information, for our customers, failure to prevent or mitigate data loss or other security breaches, including breaches of our vendors’ technology and systems, could expose us or our customers to a risk of loss or misuse of such information, adversely affect our operating results, result in litigation or potential liability for us, and otherwise harm our business. We use third-party technology and systems for a variety of reasons, including, without limitation, encryption and authentication technology, employee email, content delivery to customers, back-office support, and other functions. Some subsidiaries had past security breaches, and, although they did not have a material adverse effect on our operating results, there can be no assurance of a similar result in the future. Although we have developed systems and processes that are designed to protect customer information and prevent data loss and other security breaches, including systems and processes designed to reduce the impact of a security breach at a third-party vendor, such measures cannot provide absolute security.

We Face Risks Related to System Interruption and Lack of Redundancy

We experience occasional system interruptions and delays that make our websites and services unavailable or slow to respond and prevent us from efficiently fulfilling orders or providing services to third parties, which may reduce our net sales and the attractiveness of our products and services. If we are unable to continually add software and hardware, effectively upgrade our systems and network infrastructure, and take other steps to improve the efficiency of our systems, it could cause system interruptions or delays and adversely affect our operating results.

Our computer and communications systems and operations could be damaged or interrupted by fire, flood, power loss, telecommunications failure, earthquakes, acts of war or terrorism, acts of God, computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins, and similar events or disruptions. Any of these events could cause system interruption, delays, and loss of critical data, and could prevent us from accepting and fulfilling customer orders and providing services, which could make our product and service offerings less attractive and subject us to liability. Our systems are not fully redundant and our disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient. In addition, we may have inadequate insurance coverage to compensate for any related losses. Any of these events could damage our reputation and be expensive to remedy.

We Face Significant Inventory Risk

In addition to risks described elsewhere in this Item 1A relating to fulfillment network and inventory optimization by us and third parties, we are exposed to significant inventory risks that may adversely affect our operating results as a result of seasonality, new product launches, rapid changes in product cycles and pricing, defective merchandise, changes in consumer demand and consumer spending patterns, changes in consumer tastes with respect to our products, spoilage, and other factors. We endeavor to accurately predict these trends and avoid overstocking or understocking products we manufacture and/or sell. Demand for products, however, can change significantly between the time inventory or components are ordered and the date of sale. In addition, when we begin selling or manufacturing a new product, it may be difficult to establish vendor relationships, determine appropriate product or component selection, and accurately forecast demand. The acquisition of certain types of inventory or components may require significant lead-time and prepayment and they may not be returnable. We carry a broad selection and significant inventory levels of certain products, such as consumer electronics, and we may be unable to sell products in sufficient quantities or during the relevant selling seasons. Any one of the inventory risk factors set forth above may adversely affect our operating results.

We May Not Be Able to Adequately Protect Our Intellectual Property Rights or May Be Accused of Infringing Intellectual Property Rights of Third Parties

We regard our trademarks, service marks, copyrights, patents, trade dress, trade secrets, proprietary technology, and similar intellectual property as critical to our success, and we rely on trademark, copyright, and patent law, trade secret protection, and confidentiality and/or license agreements with our employees, customers, and others to protect our proprietary rights. Effective intellectual property protection may not be available in every country in which our products and services are made available. We also may not be able to acquire or maintain appropriate domain names in all countries in which we do business. Furthermore, regulations governing domain names may not protect our trademarks and similar proprietary rights. We may be unable to prevent third parties from acquiring domain names that are similar to, infringe upon, or diminish the value of our trademarks and other proprietary rights.

We may not be able to discover or determine the extent of any unauthorized use of our proprietary rights. Third parties that license our proprietary rights also may take actions that diminish the value of our proprietary rights or reputation. The protection of our intellectual property may require the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources. Moreover, the steps we take to protect our intellectual property may not adequately protect our rights or prevent third parties from infringing or misappropriating our proprietary rights. We also cannot be certain that others will not independently develop or otherwise acquire equivalent or superior technology or other intellectual property rights.

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Other parties also may claim that we infringe their proprietary rights. We have been subject to, and expect to continue to be subject to, claims and legal proceedings regarding alleged infringement by us of the intellectual property rights of third parties. Such claims, whether or not meritorious, may result in the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources, injunctions against us, or the payment of damages, including to satisfy indemnification obligations. We may need to obtain licenses from third parties who allege that we have infringed their rights, but such licenses may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. In addition, we may not be able to obtain or utilize on terms that are favorable to us, or at all, licenses or other rights with respect to intellectual property we do not own. These risks have been amplified by the increase in third parties whose sole or primary business is to assert such claims.

Our digital content offerings depend in part on effective digital rights management technology to control access to digital content. If the digital rights management technology that we use is compromised or otherwise malfunctions, we could be subject to claims, and content providers may be unwilling to include their content in our service.

We Have a Rapidly Evolving Business Model and Our Stock Price Is Highly Volatile

We have a rapidly evolving business model. The trading price of our common stock fluctuates significantly in response to, among other risks, the risks described elsewhere in this Item 1A, as well as:


•	changes in interest rates;


•	conditions or trends in the Internet and the industry segments we operate in;


•	quarterly variations in operating results;


•	fluctuations in the stock market in general and market prices for Internet-related companies in particular;


•	changes in financial estimates by us or securities analysts and recommendations by securities analysts;


•	changes in our capital structure, including issuance of additional debt or equity to the public;


•	changes in the valuation methodology of, or performance by, other e-commerce or technology companies; and


•	transactions in our common stock by major investors and certain analyst reports, news, and speculation.

Volatility in our stock price could adversely affect our business and financing opportunities and force us to increase our cash compensation to employees or grant larger stock awards than we have historically, which could hurt our operating results or reduce the percentage ownership of our existing stockholders, or both.

Government Regulation Is Evolving and Unfavorable Changes Could Harm Our Business

We are subject to general business regulations and laws, as well as regulations and laws specifically governing the Internet, e-commerce, electronic devices, and other services. Existing and future laws and regulations may impede our growth. These regulations and laws may cover taxation, privacy, data protection, pricing, content, copyrights, distribution, mobile communications, electronic device certification, electronic waste, energy consumption, environmental regulation, electronic contracts and other communications, competition, consumer protection, trade and protectionist measures, web services, the provision of online payment services, information reporting requirements, unencumbered Internet access to our services or access to our facilities, the design and operation of websites, health and sanitation standards, the characteristics and quality of products and services, product labeling, and the commercial operation of unmanned aircraft systems. It is not clear how existing laws governing issues such as property ownership, libel, and personal privacy apply to the Internet, e-commerce, digital content, and web services. Jurisdictions may regulate consumer-to-consumer online businesses, including certain aspects of our seller programs. Unfavorable regulations and laws could diminish the demand for, or availability of, our products and services and increase our cost of doing business.

We Could Be Subject to Additional Sales Tax or Other Tax Liabilities

An increasing number of states and foreign jurisdictions have considered or adopted laws or administrative practices, with or without notice, that impose new taxes on all or a portion of gross revenue or other similar amounts or impose additional obligations on remote sellers and online marketplaces to collect transaction taxes such as sales, consumption, value added, or similar taxes. We may not have sufficient lead time to build systems and processes to collect these taxes. Failure to comply with such laws or administrative practices, or a successful assertion by such states or foreign jurisdictions requiring us to collect taxes where we do not, could result in substantial tax liabilities, including for past sales, as well as penalties and interest. In addition, if the tax authorities in jurisdictions where we are already subject to sales tax or other indirect tax obligations were successfully to challenge our positions, our tax liability could increase substantially. In the U.S., Supreme Court decisions restrict states’ rights to require remote sellers to collect state and local sales taxes (although some states are seeking to have the Supreme Court revisit these decisions). We support a federal law that would allow states to require sales tax collection by remote sellers under a nationwide system.

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We are also subject to U.S. (federal and state) and foreign laws, regulations, and administrative practices that require us to collect information from our customers, vendors, merchants, and other third parties for tax reporting purposes and report such information to various government agencies. The scope of such requirements continues to expand, requiring us to develop and implement new compliance systems. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations could result in significant penalties.

We Could Be Subject to Additional Income Tax Liabilities

Except as required under U.S. tax laws, we do not provide for U.S. taxes on our undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries that have not been previously taxed since we intend to invest such undistributed earnings indefinitely outside of the U.S. If our intent changes or if these funds are needed for our U.S. operations, we would be required to accrue or pay U.S. taxes on some or all of these undistributed earnings and our effective tax rate would be adversely affected. We are also currently subject to audit in various jurisdictions, and these jurisdictions may assess additional income tax liabilities against us. Developments in an audit, litigation, or the relevant laws, regulations, administrative practices, principles, and interpretations could have a material effect on our operating results or cash flows in the period or periods for which that development occurs, as well as for prior and subsequent periods. For instance, the IRS is seeking to increase our U.S. taxable income related to transfer pricing with our foreign subsidiaries for transactions undertaken in 2005 and 2006, and we have been contesting the matter in U.S. Tax Court. On March 23, 2017, the U.S. Tax Court issued its decision regarding the issues raised in the IRS NOPAs. The Tax Court rejected the approach from the IRS NOPAs in determining transfer pricing adjustments in 2005 and 2006 for the transactions undertaken with our foreign subsidiaries and adopted, with adjustments, our suggested approach. On September 29, 2017, the IRS filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter. If the Tax Court decision were reversed on appeal or if the IRS were to successfully assert transfer pricing adjustments of a similar nature to the NOPAs for transactions in subsequent years, we could be subject to significant additional tax liabilities. In addition, in October 2014, the European Commission opened a formal investigation to examine whether decisions by the tax authorities in Luxembourg with regard to the corporate income tax paid by certain of our subsidiaries comply with European Union rules on state aid. On October 4, 2017, the European Commission announced its decision that determinations by the tax authorities in Luxembourg did not comply with European Union rules on state aid. This decision orders Luxembourg to calculate and recover additional taxes from us for the period May 2006 through June 2014. We believe this decision to be without merit and will consider our legal options, including an appeal. While the European Commission announced an estimated recovery amount of approximately €250 million, plus interest, the actual amount of additional taxes subject to recovery is to be calculated by the Luxembourg tax authorities in accordance with the European Commission’s guidance. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final outcome of tax audits, investigations, and any related litigation could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions and accruals.

Our Supplier Relationships Subject Us to a Number of Risks

We have significant suppliers, including licensors, and in some cases, limited or single-sources of supply, that are important to our sourcing, services, manufacturing, and any related ongoing servicing of merchandise and content. We do not have long-term arrangements with most of our suppliers to guarantee availability of merchandise, content, components, or services, particular payment terms, or the extension of credit limits. If our current suppliers were to stop selling or licensing merchandise, content, components, or services to us on acceptable terms, or delay delivery, including as a result of one or more supplier bankruptcies due to poor economic conditions, as a result of natural disasters, or for other reasons, we may be unable to procure alternatives from other suppliers in a timely and efficient manner and on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, if our suppliers or other vendors violate applicable laws, regulations, our code of standards and responsibilities, or implement practices regarded as unethical, unsafe, or hazardous to the environment, it could damage our reputation, limit our growth, and negatively affect our operating results.

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We May Be Subject to Risks Related to Government Contracts and Related Procurement Regulations

Our contracts with U.S., as well as state, local, and foreign, government entities are subject to various procurement regulations and other requirements relating to their formation, administration, and performance. We may be subject to audits and investigations relating to our government contracts, and any violations could result in various civil and criminal penalties and administrative sanctions, including termination of contract, refunding or suspending of payments, forfeiture of profits, payment of fines, and suspension or debarment from future government business. In addition, such contracts may provide for termination by the government at any time, without cause.

We May Be Subject to Product Liability Claims if People or Property Are Harmed by the Products We Sell or Manufacture

Some of the products we sell or manufacture may expose us to product liability or food safety claims relating to personal injury or illness, death, or environmental or property damage, and may require product recalls or other actions. Certain third parties also sell products using our e-commerce services that may increase our exposure to product liability claims, such as if these sellers do not have sufficient protection from such claims. Although we maintain liability insurance, we cannot be certain that our coverage will be adequate for liabilities actually incurred or that insurance will continue to be available to us on economically reasonable terms, or at all. In addition, some of our agreements with our vendors and sellers do not indemnify us from product liability.

We Are Subject to Payments-Related Risks

We accept payments using a variety of methods, including credit card, debit card, credit accounts (including promotional financing), gift cards, direct debit from a customer’s bank account, consumer invoicing, physical bank check, and payment upon delivery. For existing and future payment options we offer to our customers, we may become subject to additional regulations and compliance requirements (including obligations to implement enhanced authentication processes that could result in significant costs and reduce the ease of use of our payments products), as well as fraud. For certain payment methods, including credit and debit cards, we pay interchange and other fees, which may increase over time and raise our operating costs and lower profitability. We rely on third parties to provide certain Amazon-branded payment methods and payment processing services, including the processing of credit cards, debit cards, electronic checks, and promotional financing. In each case, it could disrupt our business if these companies become unwilling or unable to provide these services to us. We also offer co-branded credit card programs, which could adversely affect our operating results if terminated. We are also subject to payment card association operating rules, including data security rules, certification requirements, and rules governing electronic funds transfers, which could change or be reinterpreted to make it difficult or impossible for us to comply. If we fail to comply with these rules or requirements, or if our data security systems are breached or compromised, we may be liable for card issuing banks’ costs, subject to fines and higher transaction fees, and lose our ability to accept credit and debit card payments from our customers, process electronic funds transfers, or facilitate other types of online payments, and our business and operating results could be adversely affected.

In addition, we provide regulated services in certain jurisdictions because we enable customers to keep account balances with us and transfer money to third parties, and because we provide services to third parties to facilitate payments on their behalf. In these jurisdictions, we may be subject to requirements for licensing, regulatory inspection, bonding and capital maintenance, the use, handling, and segregation of transferred funds, consumer disclosures, and authentication. We are also subject to or voluntarily comply with a number of other laws and regulations relating to payments, money laundering, international money transfers, privacy and information security, and electronic fund transfers. If we were found to be in violation of applicable laws or regulations, we could be subject to additional requirements and civil and criminal penalties, or forced to cease providing certain services.

We Could Be Liable for Fraudulent or Unlawful Activities of Sellers

The law relating to the liability of providers of online payment services is currently unsettled. In addition, governmental agencies could require changes in the way this business is conducted. Under our seller programs, we may be unable to prevent sellers from collecting payments, fraudulently or otherwise, when buyers never receive the products they ordered or when the products received are materially different from the sellers’ descriptions. Under our A2Z Guarantee, we reimburse buyers for payments up to certain limits in these situations, and as our marketplace seller sales grow, the cost of this program will increase and could negatively affect our operating results. We also may be unable to prevent sellers on our sites or through other seller sites from selling unlawful goods, selling goods in an unlawful manner, or violating the proprietary rights of others, and could face civil or criminal liability for unlawful activities by our sellers.

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Item 2.	Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

None.



Item 3.	Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None.



Item 4.	Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.



Item 5.	Other Information

Disclosure Pursuant to Section 13(r) of the Exchange Act

We determined that, between January 2012 and September 2017, we processed and delivered orders of consumer products for certain individuals and entities located outside Iran covered by the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act (“ITRA”), in addition to those we have previously disclosed, as follows: consumer products valued at approximately $4,800 for an Iranian embassy located in a country other than Iran; consumer products valued at approximately $1,000 for individuals who may have been acting for two Iranian embassies located in a country other than Iran; consumer products valued at approximately $5,800 for individuals who may have been acting for two entities owned or controlled by the Iranian government; and consumer products valued at approximately $20 for an individual designated under Executive Order 13224. The consumer products included books, other media, home and kitchen, health and beauty, office, musical instruments, and consumer electronics. We are unable to accurately calculate the net profit attributable to these transactions. We do not plan to continue selling to these accounts in the future. Our review is ongoing and we are enhancing our processes designed to identify transactions associated with individuals and entities covered by the ITRA.

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Item 6.	Exhibits



Exhibit Number		Description

3.1		Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the Quarter ended March 31, 2000).

3.2		Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed February 25, 2016).

4.1		Indenture, dated as of November 29, 2012, between Amazon.com, Inc. and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed November 29, 2012).

4.2		Officers’ Certificate of Amazon.com, Inc., dated as of August 22, 2017, containing Form of 1.900% Note due 2020, Form of 2.400% Note due 2023, Form of 2.800% Note due 2024, Form of 3.150% Note due 2027, Form of 3.875% Note due 2037, Form of 4.050% Note due 2047, and Form of 4.250% Note due 2057 (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed August 22, 2017).

4.3		Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of August 22, 2017, among Amazon.com, Inc. and the representatives of the Initial Purchasers (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed August 22, 2017).

31.1		Certification of Jeffrey P. Bezos, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Amazon.com, Inc., pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

31.2		Certification of Brian T. Olsavsky, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Amazon.com, Inc., pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

32.1		Certification of Jeffrey P. Bezos, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Amazon.com, Inc., pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350.

32.2		Certification of Brian T. Olsavsky, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Amazon.com, Inc., pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350.

101		The following financial statements from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2017, formatted in XBRL: (i) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, (ii) Consolidated Statements of Operations, (iii) Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, (iv) Consolidated Balance Sheets, and (v) Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, tagged as blocks of text and including detailed tags.

		As permitted by Item 601(b)(4)(iii)(A) of Regulation S-K, the Company has not filed with this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q certain instruments defining the rights of holders of long-term debt of the Company and its subsidiaries because the total amount of securities authorized thereunder does not exceed 10 percent of the total assets of the Company and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. The Company agrees to furnish a copy of such agreements to the Commission upon request.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.



	AMAZON.COM, INC. (REGISTRANT)

	By:	/s/ Shelley L. Reynolds
		Shelley L. Reynolds
		Vice President, Worldwide Controller
		(Principal Accounting Officer)

Dated: October 26, 2017