Amazon has officially launched its Australian online store, offering everything from pyjamas to power tools, and from video games to vinyl records. While there are some good deals to be had, however, the selection is far from comprehensive.

It should come as no surprise that the Amazon store's offering isn't as robust here as it is elsewhere. You have products stocked and sold by Amazon itself, and then you have items stocked by other "Marketplace" sellers. The result in many categories is a handful of big brands at competitive prices from Amazon, and then a pretty strange collection of other stuff, often at no discount compared to other retailers.

For example if you look at shoes, there's a decent selection of Crocs, New Balance and Blundstones offered by Amazon. IFL Store has a wide range of Vans. But if you want Nike shoes, there is a total of one option, sold by GunyahOz Trading, which doesn't specify what size it is.

Other categories fare better. For example the Baby section has a big collection from the adorable kids brand Skip Hop, and they're all cheaper than you'd find at Toys R Us or Baby Bunting. There's also a banner ad on the Amazon homepage and app promoting a deal on Huggies: a "one-month supply" for $65 (this is 216 newborn nappies, but the count goes down as the nappies get bigger). This is cheaper than you'd find at Woolies, which offers boxes with a little less than half the number of nappies for $33.

Pricing gets more competitive when it comes to video games, with Amazon offering the Nintendo Switch for $399, compared to $469 at EB Games and JB Hi-Fi. It also offers the PlayStation 4 Pro for $469, compared to $499 at the other retailers. However Amazon doesn't offer the latest console, the Xbox One X, at all. The sole Xbox console it offers is a Minecraft-themed Xbox One S for $319, a full $100 cheaper than Target.

The range of games on offer is limited, but with some good deals to be had including Assassin's Creed Origins for $49, Star Wars Battlefront II for $39 and FIFA 18 for $39. These are all $50–$60 at the other two retailers. Amazon also stocks a weird selection of older games, although nothing from further back than the last few years. For example I spotted Chibi-Robo Zip Lash for 3DS, which comes with an amiibo, for $6.33.

In electronics I spotted a GoPro HERO6 action camera for $697, which is below RRP but about what you could find it for on eBay. It's a similar story for Sonos' PLAY:1 speaker which at $229 is exactly the price you'd find it for elsewhere. A lesser GoPro, the session, was one of the better deals I spotted at $189.97.

Some retailers including Kogan and Amaysim compete against themselves by offering wares on Amazon.com.au, although it seems they are priced higher on Amazon than on their own sites. This includes Kogan TVs, recent Samsung phones and older iPhones.

If you're after new Apple gear you're out of luck. Amazon doesn't offer any directly, and a seller called BuyMobile is selling AirPods and iPhones for more than it costs to get them straight from Apple.

Beauty is possibly the most stacked category, with more than 9000 items in the makeup section alone, to the point where I'm not sure how to even go about qualifying it except to say lipstick is quite a bit cheaper here than it is at Priceline, but skin care is similar or more expensive compared to Chemist's Warehouse. When it comes to appliances like brush stylers and straighteners, a quick Google search shows cheaper stock at David Jones.

A weird quirk of the Amazon store is that, since the Kindle store is so much more established in Australia, most of my searches turned up more books than anything else. A search for "bath bombs" for example brought up around seven of the beauty products and almost 300 books about them.

And speaking of books, it's much the same as it always has been. Amazon has a huge range and many hard to find books, although more common titles are often cheaper at Booktopia and Book Depository. Amazon, of course, hopes you'll go for the always-cheaper Kindle version. 

Australian Amazon shoppers can, at least for now, can still access international versions of the site, with the one login account working everywhere. I frequently buy electronics and hardcover books from Amazon US, and all kinds of stuff from Amazon Japan, and comparing the items in my wishlists it seems a couple of the products are now available cheaper and quicker in Australia. Most of them, however, are offered by smaller sellers in those territories and so have not come across. I can still buy these with the same shipping options as before.

The shopping experience at Amazon.com.au is quite a bit nicer than at most big retail sites Australians are used to. For example when searching for a product you locate the thing you want and then see a list of the sellers offering it, and the prices. This offers better choice than a standard retailer like Target (even though if Amazon offers a product it is generally cheaper and shown at the top of the list), and is way less messy than something like eBay. Most of the items on Amazon are also smaller electrical or home items like you might find at Ikea or Bunnings, which Amazon will serve as suggestions to buyers in hopes to snag an impulse buy.

Most Amazon-stocked products I looked at offered three shipping options. Regular shipping is free and supposedly takes less than a week, although is only offered for orders more than $49. Expedited shipping will get to you in two days, for 6, while priority shipping is next day delivery for $10. This applies to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra. Perth, other major cities and regional areas of Victoria New South Wales and South Australia are charged a little more, and expedited shipping may take two days. All other areas are charged more still and shipping takes longer.

While the range and prices might not be comparable to the US, Amazon's selling point will be its fast shipping. Shoppers can buy multiple items stocked by Amazon and have them shipped in the one delivery, for the one fee, with a guaranteed delivery date. The retailer is looking to launch its Prime service, which in the States offers same day delivery, to Australia in 2018.