Amazon has been a one-stop shop for American consumers for years, selling everything from the books on which it was originally built, to household items and electronics.
But until this week, Australians didn’t have the same luxury. Amazon.com.au took its first orders on Tuesday, ending speculation about when it would finally launch.
Read: Amazon Is Making a Big Push in This Surprisingly Overlooked Country
So why did it take Amazon founder Jeff Bezos so long to offer his services down under?
Amazon (AMZN) didn’t have a warehouse in Australia, meaning that it couldn’t store items to be shipped to the country’s residents. Previously, even Australia-based Amazon registered sellers could only send their goods offshore, and Australians who did order items had to wait longer and pay more for shipping.
With the launch of their Australian site, though, Amazon has set up a distribution warehouse on the outskirts of Melbourne, and reportedly hopes to cut delivery time significantly—to as little as one day. CNBC reports that Amazon Australia will also offer free shipping across the country for orders over $49 Australian dollars.
Australia is the 13th country to have its own dedicated Amazon site, joining others like Brazil, India, Japan, and Spain.
