Amazon tests mail-order catalog listings

Amazon.com is testing a feature that would allow mail-order catalog companies to display their products on the e-tailer's site. The service, which Amazon began testing last week, allows catalog companies to post electronic versions of their print catalogs on Amazon, said Carrie Peters, a company spokeswoman. Customers can peruse the catalogs at Amazon. But to order goods, they must call the catalogs' phone numbers, which Amazon is posting. Featured catalogs include home furnishings retailer French Country Living and jewelery sellers Cartier and Tiffany & Co. Viewing the catalogs is free, and Amazon isn't charging catalog companies to display their wares while the feature is in test mode, Peters said. She declined to say whether Amazon plans to eventually charge the companies. With the new catalog service, Amazon has divided the catalogs into eight categories: Arts & Hobbies, Pet Toys, Industrial Supplies, Medial Supplies, Science Supplies, Lifestyle, Car Parts, and Home Furnishings. --Greg Sandoval, Special to ZDNet Newss