Amazon first reported annual net sales exceeding $1 billion in 1999.
Amazon began as an online bookseller in 1994 and opened its website to customers in 1995. It gradually expanded into music, video, electronics, and other categories. The company’s rapid growth during the late 1990s reflected increasing internet adoption and its strategy of building a broad online retail selection.
For 1999, Amazon reported net sales of more than $1.6 billion, taking the company past the $1 billion annual threshold. The figure refers to revenue for the full year, not the company’s market capitalization or the value of goods sold by independent marketplace sellers.
Amazon was still reporting losses at the time because it was investing heavily in technology, fulfillment infrastructure, and expansion. That distinction matters: passing $1 billion in sales did not mean Amazon had become profitable. Its first full-year profit came later, in 2003.