Amazon shipped 5 billion items in 2014, with 40% from third-party sellers, according to new data from the online retailer.
The growth of third-party sellers on Amazon was staggering last year, with two billion items sold worldwide, representing double the amount of volume seen in 2013.
Amazon said its marketplace set a new record, selling more than 2 billion items worldwide last year.
By comparison, in the same period during 2003, the company said sellers sold half as many units, or 1 billion worldwide.
While the number of units being sold has skyrocketed, the number of new sellers coming on board has remained flat.
For both years, Amazon said the number of marketplace sellers, who use Amazon’s fulfillment service (FBA), grew by 65 percent worldwide.
That business accounts for a large percentage of Amazon’s overall sales. At the end of 2014, there was 2 million sellers, who sold 40 percent of all units on Amazon.
Peter Faricy, VP for Amazon Marketplace, attributed the rise in sales to the growth of mobile, and the introduction of the Amazon Seller App, which allows sellers manage their businesses on from their mobile devices. “Sellers are constantly telling us they value the flexibility of managing their businesses on-the-go from their tablets and mobile devices,” he said.
Some new brands that became sellers on Amazon over the past year include Aeropostale, Claire’s, Quiksilver, Hanna Andersson, Roxy, Wilson’s Leather, Warner Bros. Shop and Ducati.
Not all third-party sellers on Amazon must use its services to store and ship products, but if they do they can offer benefits, such as Amazon Prime, exports worldwide, streamlined cross-border trade and returns.