Holiday shoppers over the festive period swelled sales by 15% on the Seattle-based company's website.
It reported fourth-quarter net profits of £3.5m -- the equivalent of 0.7p a share -- compared with losses of £382m last year or earnings of around 1p per share. Analysts had forecast tiny profits, if at all.
The final figure included reductions from acquisition expenses, stock compensation and interest payments on debts.
Amazon also posted a pro-forma profit, which ignores all costs except interest, of £25m. Last year, Amazon suffered losses of £63m.
The company has also announced sales growth forecasts of between 11% and 18% in the next quarter to between £543m and £578m, with a pro-forma loss between break-even and £11m.
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