Global net sales at Amazon for Q4 of 2017 were $60.5 billion, a 38% increase on 2016. Operating income was up 69% to $2.1 billion.

Amazon’s full year net sales were up 31% to $177.9 billion. Its operating income fell 2% to $4.1 billion.

In a statement Amazon has said that it shipped more than five billion items worldwide through its Prime membership scheme. It also said in its statement that “more new paid members joined Prime in 2017 than any previous year – both worldwide and in the US” – but declined to give actual numbers on this.

Among its highlights of 2017, Amazon included:

– the expansion of the Amazon Prime service to Singapore, the Netherlands and Luxembourg
– the launch of the Amazon marketplace in Australia
– the opening of the Amazon Go “checkout-free shopping experience” in Seattle.

The undisputed online retailing and logistics heavyweight of the world seems to be moving to ever greater heights. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is now said to have a net personal worth of $100 billion, which isn’t a bad state of affairs for less than 25 Amazon has reported that its net sales for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2107 were $60.5bn, up 38% on last year, while operating income was up 69% at $2.1bn.