Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) is moving into the territory of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) and FedEx (NYSE:FDX), its two shipping partners, by reaching out to smaller companies for help in delivering its packages, per a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The retailing behemoth is looking to widen its delivery network by inviting other groups to lease its Amazon vans and take part in the final stage of its deliveries to customers.
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Amazon is reportedly interested in finding new delivery methods because UPS, FedEx and and the US Postal Service are unable to respond to the dramatic pick-up in online Amazon orders, according to the Journal story.
The company projects that “hundreds of entrepreneurs could sign up to help the company deliver packages the ‘last mile,’ which is typically the most expensive piece of an online order’s journey,” the Journal says.
Amazon shares were flat in pre-market trade at US$1,658.30.