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amazon AMAZON.COM ANNOUNCES THIRD QUARTER RESULTS SEATTLE ( BUSINESS WIRE ) October 28 , 2021-Amazon.com , Inc. ( NASDAQ : AMZN ) today announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30 , 2021 . Operating cash flow decreased 1 % to $ 54.7 billion for the trailing twelve months , compared with $ 55.3 billion for the trailing twelve months ended September 30 , 2020 . Free cash flow decreased to $ 2.6 billion for the trailing twelve months , compared with $ 29.5 billion for the trailing twelve months ended September 30 , 2020 . Free cash flow less principal repayments of finance leases and financing obligations decreased to an outflow of $ 8.8 billion for the trailing twelve months , compared with an inflow of $ 18.4 billion for the trailing twelve months ended September 30 , 2020 . Free cash flow less equipment finance leases and principal repayments of all other finance leases and financing obligations decreased to an outflow of $ 3.9 billion for the trailing twelve months , compared with an inflow of $ 17.9 billion for the trailing twelve months ended September 30 , 2020 . Common shares outstanding plus shares underlying stock - based awards totaled 523 million on September 30 , 2021 , compared with 518 million one year ago . Net sales increased 15 % to $ 110.8 billion in the third quarter , compared with $ 96.1 billion in third quarter 2020 . Excluding the $ 0.5 billion favorable impact from year - over - year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter , net sales increased 15 % compared with third quarter 2020 . Operating income decreased to $ 4.9 billion in the third quarter , compared with $ 6.2 billion in third quarter 2020 . Net income decreased to $ 3.2 billion in the third quarter , or $ 6.12 per diluted share , compared with $ 6.3 billion , or $ 12.37 per diluted share , in third quarter 2020 . " We've always said that when confronted with the choice between optimizing for short - term profits versus what's best for customers over the long term , we will choose the latter and you can see that during every phase of this pandemic , " said Andy Jassy , Amazon CEO . " In the first several months of COVID - 19 , Amazonians played an essential role to help people secure the requisite PPE , food , and other in - demand items needed , and we worked closely with businesses and governments to leverage AWS to maintain business continuity as they responded to the pandemic . Customers have appreciated this commitment , which is part of what's driving this past quarter's AWS growth acceleration to 39 % year over year ; but , it's also driven extraordinary investments across our businesses to satisfy customer needs just one example is that we've nearly doubled the size of our fulfillment network since the pandemic began . In the fourth quarter , we expect to incur several billion dollars of additional costs in our Consumer business as we manage through labor supply shortages , increased wage costs , global supply chain issues , and increased freight and shipping costs - all while doing whatever it takes to minimize the impact on customers and selling partners this holiday season . It'll be expensive for us in the short term , but it's the right prioritization for our customers and partners . " Highlights Innovating for Our Retail Customers Amazon kicked off the holidays early this year , announcing Black Friday - worthy deals on October 4 , including thousands of deals from independent sellers and handmade artisans and Amazon's biggest ever selection of gift guides . Amazon launched new features like the Holiday Gift List to let customers easily create and share one list of gift ideas