Amazon’s original online business, launched in 1995, primarily sold books.
Jeff Bezos founded Amazon as an online bookstore because books offered an unusually large catalog compared with what a physical shop could stock. The company began as Cadabra in 1994 and opened its website in July 1995 under the Amazon name. Its early headquarters and operations were in the Seattle area.
Books gave Amazon a practical starting point, but the company soon expanded into music, videos, electronics, toys, clothing, and many other categories. The broadening of its product range helped transform it from a specialist retailer into a general online marketplace. Amazon later developed cloud computing, advertising, devices, and subscription services as major business lines.
A common misconception is that Amazon began as a marketplace for everything. Its original identity was much narrower: an internet bookseller competing through selection, convenience, and delivery. The name was inspired by the Amazon River, suggesting scale and breadth.