Today many of the financial-types of news sites are reporting on a “Entertainment Collectibles Store” on the popular online retailer website Amazon.com, purported to offer “more than 350,000 unique and rare collectibles”. Much of this material has been listed for sale in Amazon’s Marketplace for some time, so it seems more like an effort to brand and better coordinate these third party memorabilia offerings.
The “BETA” version of this storefront can be found via amazon.com/entertainmentcollectibles:
I’m personally a longtime fan of Amazon.com and was a Day 1 participant in their Amazon Prime subscription (with free two-day shipping and next day shipping for $3.99 per item, all for $79 per year) and appreciate their top notch customer service and competitive pricing, along with the reliably speedy delivery.
As such, I found their choice of marketing their new storefront by underscoring a partnership with Premiere Props a little puzzling, though I imagine the immediate shipping option won’t be a benefit for material sold through the new Entertainment Collectibles Store.
Funny enough, within minutes of receiving a press release on the news, as it pertains to Premiere Props, I also received one of my Google (keyword search) alerts on the same prop dealer, which linked me to a new post in an ongoing discussion about a collector who claims that it took four months for Premiere Props to ship an item won at auction (see Replica Prop Forum “Premiere props sucks…..”).
Of course, they are only one such seller (I noticed long ago that Prop Store has listed some of their material on the site as well, and I’ve been nothing but impressed with their efforts on fulfillment in my own transactions with them), so it all appears to be case-by-case, and not really any different from eBay from that standpoint (with the same caveats regarding being a discerning buyer being applicable). I brought up Premiere Props as an example only because it was the dealer mentioned in their press release.
In any event, it will be interesting to see how this new endeavor for Amazon and all involved progresses and evolves. It does offer an opportunity to introduce fans of pop culture to more sophisticated areas of collecting, though I hope that Amazon is somehow able to impose their own quality customer service on their various partners specializing in this art market.
More mainstream coverage of the announcement can be found on the following sites:
- The Motley Fool: “Amazon Announces Entertainment Collectibles Store”
- Philly.com: “‘Silver Linings’ costumes to be sold on Amazon”
- International Business Times: “Amazon To Sell Entertainment Collectibles From Beatles, James Dean, ‘Silver Linings Playbook'”
- Investor’s Business Daily: “Amazon.com Launches Entertainment Collectibles Store”
Below is the official press release:
Amazon Announces Entertainment Collectibles Store Offering Sought-After Memorabilia from Entertainers of the Past and Present
Published: Tuesday, 19 Feb 2013 | 9:00 AM ET
Movie, TV and music fans can now find authenticated items from the biggest names in entertainment
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced the Entertainment Collectibles Store (amazon.com/entertainmentcollectibles) which offers more than 350,000 unique and rare collectibles, including memorabilia from Academy Award and Grammy winning artists and honorees. Serious collectors and casual fans alike will discover a broad selection including celebrity autographs, authentic props and wardrobe from popular movies and TV shows, musical instruments from legendary musicians, autographed original vinyl albums and much more.
Amazon customers can browse collectibles by item type, entertainment type, autographed, price and year to find everything from classic photographs and original manuscripts to signed artist contracts and autographed movie posters.
“Entertainment Collectibles is an exciting new category offering a vast selection of past and present Movie, Music and TV memorabilia,” said Peter Faricy, vice president of Amazon Marketplace. “There is something for everyone. Fans will find keepsake items from their favorite artists, actors and icons of entertainment, and aficionados will discover some of the rarest items for their collections. With hundreds of thousands of items, the store has a wide range of memorabilia to delight any entertainment enthusiast.”
New items coming to the Entertainment Collectibles Store include a large collection of recognizable props and wardrobe used in the making of “Silver Linings Playbook,” which is nominated for multiple Academy Awards. Items available include Bradley Cooper’s running costume, costumes from Jennifer Lawrence and the screen-used copy of “A Farewell to Arms” that Mr. Cooper’s character throws during the film.
“This store is a great opportunity for Premiere Props and our customers as Amazon provides an incredible platform for us to engage movie and television fans, and collectors. Every item from Premiere Props comes with an embossed and numbered Certificate of Authenticity. With numerous upcoming studio releases, Premiere Props will offer some of the most highly sought after collectibles from some of the largest movie franchises,” said Daniel Levin, Executive Vice President of Premiere Props. “We have been in the collectible business working with film studios and collectors for over 14 years and we are very excited to expand our reach to Amazon’s worldwide customer base. We have always been impressed with the ease of purchasing on Amazon.”
Whether looking to expand a collection or shopping for a special gift, customers will find entertainment memorabilia from past and present icons of music and cinema, including The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, One Direction, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Johnny Depp – as well as collectibles from today’s hottest cultural phenomena including “Star Wars,” “Star Trek,” “The Walking Dead,” “The Hobbit,” “Game of Thrones,” and “The Twilight Saga.”
As part of Amazon’s ongoing effort and focus to offer only the highest quality items and authenticated memorabilia, merchants must be pre-approved to sell in the Entertainment Collectibles Store. Merchants interested in selling in Amazon’s Entertainment Collectibles Store can learn more by contacting Amazon at www.amazonservices.com/contactus.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the most-advanced e-reader ever constructed with 62% more pixels and 25% increased contrast, a patented built-in front light for reading in all lighting conditions, extra-long battery life, and a thin and light design. The new latest generation Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, now features new, improved fonts and faster page turns. Kindle Fire HD features a stunning custom high-definition display, exclusive Dolby audio with dual stereo speakers, high-end, laptop-grade Wi-Fi with dual-band support, dual-antennas and MIMO for faster streaming and downloads, enough storage for HD content, and the latest generation processor and graphics engine—and it is available in two display sizes—7” and 8.9”. The large-screen Kindle Fire HD is also available with 4G wireless, and comes with a groundbreaking $49.99 introductory 4G LTE data package. The all-new Kindle Fire features a 20% faster processor, 40% faster performance, twice the memory, and longer battery life.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, www.amazon.esand www.amazon.com.br. As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management’s expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment and data center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.
Amazon.com, Inc.
Media Hotline, 206-266-7180
http://www.amazon.com/pr
Source: Amazon.com, Inc.
Jason DeBord