1) Not paying sales tax in the US due to "interstate commerce" exception 2) Ability to shop around for the cheapest jurisdiction for international sales (which

1) Not paying sales tax in the US due to "interstate commerce" exception 2) Ability to shop around for the cheapest jurisdiction for international sales (which means outside of the US Amazon paid low single digit tax rates on everything) 3) Ability to sell stuff from people and not being forced to prove they pay taxes or have it impounded All 3 above are not available for brick&mortar retailers. In case you were wondering why the CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, is a Wall Street banker and not a geek.