Net Sales of Similar Products and Services (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended																12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012		Sep. 30, 2012		Jun. 30, 2012		Mar. 31, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011		Sep. 30, 2011		Jun. 30, 2011		Mar. 31, 2011		Dec. 31, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011		Dec. 31, 2010
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 17,431	[1]	$ 10,876	[1]	$ 9,913	[1]	$ 9,857	[1]	$ 21,268	[1]	$ 13,806	[1]	$ 12,834	[1]	$ 13,185	[1]	$ 61,093		$ 48,077		$ 34,204
Media
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Net sales																	19,942		17,779		14,888
Electronics and other general merchandise
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Net sales																	38,628		28,712		18,363
Other
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Net sales																	$ 2,523	[2]	$ 1,586	[2]	$ 953	[2]

[1] The sum of quarterly amounts, including per share amounts, may not equal amounts reported for year-to-date periods. This is due to the effects of rounding and changes in the number of weighted-average shares outstanding for each period.

[2] Includes sales from non-retail activities, such as AWS in the North America segment, advertising services, and our co-branded credit card agreements in both segments.