It was launched as a daring alternative to Amazon.com, but yesterday the only real international competitor the behomoth from Seattle ever had — The Book Depository.com — betrayed its mandate and sold out to — yep, Amazon.com.

What’s more, Book Depository founder Andrew Crawford said in an Amazon press release announcing the take-over that “With the support of Amazon, we look forward to continuing our growth and providing an ever-improving service for readers globally.”

The sell-out comes just a few years after the company was launched, and after attaining profitability, something Amazon.com has never done.

Most of the mainstream press coverage — such as this Wall Street Journal report by Lilly Vitorovich — parrots Amazon’s brief press release almost word-for word, but this report by Richard Chirgwin from the UK Register asks the obvious questions and makes some intelligent observations:

Perhaps recognizing the importance of the brand, the 900-pound gorilla has faithfully promised that it’s not going to squash The Book Depository brand. Customer disquiet has also led The Book Depository to reassure people that it will continue to operate independently.

That independence, users hope, will include maintaining its free delivery to 100 countries ….

However, with Amazon’s margins under pressure – the company has warned its margin could fall to below 3 percent of sales in the current quarter – it’s almost certain to bring a magnifying glass to anything in The Book Depository’s business model that looks like over-servicing its customers.

Then there’s those pesky things called anti-trust laws:

That competition impact will stretch far beyond the US and UK. While data isn’t available for individual territories, Amazon and The Book Depository stand as practically the only international online bookseller brands of note in countries like Australia. In many countries, the merger will create an effective monopoly.

… When [Australian bookselling chain] REDgroup sunk under the weight of excessive debt and a long program of customer alienation, pundits in Australia pointed the finger at Amazon and The Book Depository for eating the local retailer’s lunch. Under a single business, the twin international giants will present an even more formidable challenge to localized retailers.

As for anti-trust moderators in the Book Depository’s home country, “There’s no word yet on whether the UK’s the Office of Fair Trading is likely to raise any competition concerns.” In the US, of course, Amazon has long flouted anti-trust laws with impunity for years.

Meanwhile, down under in Australia, a Sydney Morning Herald story reports that publishing conglomerate Pearson Australia — aka Penguin (Australia) — has taken over the online retail business of failed bookselling chains Borders and Angus & Robertson, which were both part of the bankrupt REDgroup Retail, Australia’s largest bookselling chain.

The SMH report says both businesses “will continue to trade under the Borders and Angus & Robertson brands for the time being.” Maybe, maybe not, say Australian booksellers — a Canberra Times report says “The Australian Booksellers Association will ask the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate the implications of Pearson Australia Group’s move to acquire the Borders and Angus & Robertson websites.”