Segment Information - Net Sales of Similar Products and Services (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions		3 Months Ended																12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2016	[1]	Sep. 30, 2016	[1]	Jun. 30, 2016	[1]	Mar. 31, 2016	[1]	Dec. 31, 2015	[1]	Sep. 30, 2015	[1]	Jun. 30, 2015	[1]	Mar. 31, 2015	[1]	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Net sales		$ 43,741		$ 32,714		$ 30,404		$ 29,128		$ 35,747		$ 25,358		$ 23,185		$ 22,717		$ 135,987	$ 107,006	$ 88,988
Retail products
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Net sales	[2]																	91,431	76,863	68,513
Retail third-party seller services
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Net sales	[3]																	22,993	16,086	11,747
Retail subscription services
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Net sales	[4]																	6,394	4,467	2,762
Amazon Web Services
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Net sales																		12,219	7,880	4,644
Other
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Net sales	[5]																	$ 2,950	$ 1,710	$ 1,322

[1] The sum of quarterly amounts, including per share amounts, may not equal amounts reported for year-to-date periods. This is due to the effects of rounding and changes in the number of weighted-average shares outstanding for each period.

[2] Includes product sales and digital media content where we record revenue gross. We leverage our retail infrastructure to offer a wide selection of consumable and durable goods that includes electronics and general merchandise as well as media products available in both a physical and digital format, such as books, music, video, games, and software. These product sales include digital products sold on a transactional basis; digital product subscriptions that provide unlimited viewing or usage rights are included in Retail subscription services.

[3] Includes commissions, related fulfillment and shipping fees, and other third-party seller services.

[4] Includes annual and monthly fees associated with Amazon Prime membership, as well as audiobook, e-book, digital video, digital music, and other subscription services.

[5] Includes sales not otherwise included above, such as certain advertising services and our co-branded credit card agreements.