55M+
Readers
300+
Reviews
3,000+
Metrics
Partners on this page may provide us earnings.
Amazon innovated e-commerce with online shopping and free two-day shipping for members. The company also led the cloud computing boom with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The company recorded $638 billion in net sales in 2024 and a $59.2 billion profit.1 While AWS and online marketplace sales make up most of the total sales, Amazon also generates revenue from Whole Foods, advertising, Twitch, Amazon Prime Video and other income streams. This guide will reveal how to buy Amazon stock and provide an analysis so you can decide if Amazon stock is right for you.
Wise takeaways
- Buying Amazon stock is easy with a brokerage account. You can purchase full or fractional shares by opening an account, creating an order ticket, and specifying the ticker symbol “AMZN.”
- Amazon offers long-term growth potential. The company dominates e-commerce and cloud computing and continues to expand into high-demand areas like AI, streaming, and grocery retail.
- Investors should weigh performance and competition. While Amazon has outperformed the S&P 500, it has lagged some tech peers and faces increasing pressure from regulators and rivals in the cloud space.
Amazon stock price today
How to buy Amazon stock
Investors who buy Amazon stock can benefit from the company’s long-term growth. If you’re not sure how to buy Amazon stock, these steps will help.
- 1 Open a brokerage account: You need a brokerage account to buy and sell stocks, including Amazon. Comparing multiple brokerage accounts will help you find the right one for your finances. It only takes a few minutes to set up an account at most firms. You will have to provide personal information like your name, email address and Social Security Number during the application process.
-
2
Open an order ticket: The process of buying and selling a stock always starts with an order ticket. Many brokerage firms have straightforward dashboards that make it easy to create these tickets. You can choose between a market order or a limit order. Market orders are executed at the current price, while limit orders are executed at the price point that you designate. Those orders will not go through if Amazon stock doesn’t reach your desired price point.
-
3
Specify Amazon stock: You can type “AMZN” into your order ticket to specify Amazon stock. Some brokerage firms let you provide the company’s name instead of the ticker, but it’s good to know a stock’s ticker symbol. The order ticket will then display Amazon’s current price. Investors can refresh their order tickets to see the updated price of Amazon stock.
-
4
Decide on the number of shares: Each order ticket requests that you specify how many shares of Amazon stock you want to buy. Most brokerage firms let you buy fractional shares if you do not have enough cash to buy an entire share. For instance, you can buy 0.5 shares of Amazon instead of an entire share if you want to gradually build a position.
-
5
Execute the order: After reviewing your order ticket, you can submit the order. If you placed a market order, you should see Amazon stock in your portfolio if you refresh the page. Limit orders may take more time to go through if it takes a while for Amazon to reach your desired price point. You can cancel a limit order before a stock reaches the designated price per share or keep your limit order open.
If you’re an active investor or options trader looking for a way to save money on trades, you may want to check out discount broker tastytrade. The online service has some of the lowest prices around.
About Amazon
Amazon was founded in 1994 and started as an online bookstore before expanding into the tech giant that it is today. The Seattle-based company is the leader in the e-commerce and cloud computing industries. It also has exposure to other verticals, such as advertising, streaming, groceries and gaming. The company has a long history of reinvesting profits into its business and acquiring other companies so it can gain market share and minimize its tax burden.2
Is Amazon a good stock to buy?
Amazon has delivered solid returns for long-term investors, though it has trailed some of its tech peers. Over the past five years, Amazon stock has gained approximately 70.5%, outperforming the S&P 500 but lagging the Nasdaq Composite.3 However, Amazon has underperformed fellow cloud computing leaders like Microsoft and Alphabet, which saw five-year returns of 145.2% and 160.9%, respectively.4
So far in 2025, Amazon stock is down 15.7% year to date, though it still maintains a strong long-term outlook.5 The tech giant continues to outpace many e-commerce competitors, including Shopify, Alibaba and eBay.
As of early 2025, Amazon maintains a “Strong Buy” consensus among analysts, reflecting continued confidence in its market position and growth prospects.6
Amazon is heavily investing in artificial intelligence, with over 1,000 generative AI applications in development. The company has introduced the Trainium2 chip, offering 30–40% better price-performance, and is enhancing its AWS offerings to support AI workloads.7
Pros and cons of buying Amazon stock
Pros
- Amazon is a leader in e-commerce and cloud computing
- The company regularly invests profits back into the business and makes acquisitions
- Amazon has outperformed the S&P 500 over the past five years
Cons
- Government scrutiny and regulations can hamper Amazon’s growth and limit its ability to make big acquisitions
- Amazon has underperformed the Nasdaq Composite over the past five years
- Competitors are gaining ground in cloud computing, AI and other industries
Here’s how to invest in Amazon stock
Buying Amazon stock can result in steady returns for long-term investors. Each stock transaction starts with a brokerage firm, and if you’re still on the fence, these are some of the top brokerage firms to consider.
Acorns is an investing service and savings tool rolled into one. This microsavings app makes investing almost painless because you're spending only pennies at a time.
Interactive Brokers offers low trading fees and robust trading tools — major assets to day traders and other DIY investors. Lower-volume traders will also appreciate that they can access commission-free trading through the IBKR Lite plan.
FAQs
Marc Guberti
Freelance Contributor
Marc Guberti is a certified personal finance counselor and a freelance writer who resides in Scarsdale, New York. His work has been featured in US News & World Report, Newsweek, InvestorPlace, and other publications.
Latest Articles
Disclaimer
The content provided on Moneywise is information to help users become financially literate. It is neither tax nor legal advice, is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, either express or implied, with respect to the data provided, the timeliness thereof, the results to be obtained by the use thereof or any other matter. Advertisers are not responsible for the content of this site, including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete and current information on any advertiser product, please visit their website.
†Terms and Conditions apply.