Amazon Australia could sell more than books come Black Friday

Amazon's Australian marketplace is going live "really, really soon," the company's local CEO, Roco Braeuniger, announced at a recent event. Apparently, "really, really soon" could mean next week: According to CNET, the e-retail titan has told third-party sellers in a letter to get their goods ready, because it's hoping to launch the Australian marketplace by Black Friday. Amazon has yet to confirm the launch date, but it makes sense that the company is aiming to start things with a bang.

Black Friday is one of the holiday shopping season's biggest days, after all, and it's also quickly followed by Cyber Monday. Peter Kearns of 180Commerce, which helps Amazon sellers grow their brands, told CNET that the company has been actively recruiting sellers from the US and Australia to populate its marketplace before Thanksgiving week.

Amazon itself announced during its Australian Summit that its warehouses in the country are ready to fulfill orders both for its own offerings and for third-party partners. It also said that it's aiming for a two-day turnaround for purchases. As Lifehacker Australia noticed, although Amazon's Oz website is still dominated by Kindle books, it's been getting more and more product listings -- try searching for "power boards," for instance. Australians will just have to get their credit cards ready in case the marketplace really does go online in time to offer awesome Black Friday deals.