Amazon.com Launches “Amazon TextBuyIt” — Shop Via Text Message

By Michael Santo
Editor-in-Chief, RealTechNews

Fortunately Amazon.com launched this today (4/2) so I can be assured it’s not a prank. At first, I wondered. But I tried it, so I can report that it works.

Amazon.com has launched “Amazon TextBuyIt,” a way to shop via your cell phone. You simply text either keywords (for example, I sent “Asus Eee”), UPC or ISBN to 262966, and you get a text message back with a list of matches. They you simply reply with the appropriate number to buy the item.

For example, when I sent my Eee message, I received a reply with two different Eees I could select as 1) or 2).

The list of commands you can use are:

x - buy item x
xd - item x details
m - more results
h - help

Once you reply back with a selection, you will receive a call asking you to confirm or cancel the order. The first time you make a purchase using TextBuyIt, Amazon.com will ask for your email and default shipping address zip code so it can associate your Amazon.com account with the cell phone. If you have the “Amazon Prime” service it will incorporate that information.

Once associated, Amazon.com can grab your information including your default settings for payment method, shipping address and shipping speed. The confirmation call (automated) you receive repeat the selected item description and will ask for the last 4 digits of the credit card set as your default payment method. If you press “*” instead of entering your credit card, it will cancel the order; you’ll get another text message with a cancellation message.

It was funny to hear the robotic voice read off the full details of the Asus Eee as it was loooong.

You can also go to www.amazonpayments.com to pre-register your phone, which Amazon.com recommends (but it’s not necessary).

And before you ask, no, I didn’t complete the purchase of the Eee.

We Say: Like I said, when I first heard about this, I wondered. But after trying it out, it’s easy, though I still don’t think I’m going to be using this to buy much stuff … but I can see a great use for it: comparison shopping, and that’s likely what Amazon.com had in mind.

Want more info? Head on over to Amazon.com.