Third-quarter revenue was $13.8 billion, a little less than the $13.9 billion that analysts expected but up 27 percent from 2011.

Despite all those customers snapping up Kindles and “50 Shades of Grey,” the company had warned that a loss was coming. Amazon said it lost 60 cents a share in the third quarter, but more than half of that was from its investment in the daily deals site Living Social. The consensus estimate was a loss of 8 cents. Amazon earned 14 cents a share in the third quarter of 2011.

In a conference call with analysts, Tom Szkutak, Amazon’s chief financial officer, declined as usual to shed much light on the company’s plans. With regard to the persistent rumor that Amazon will open some pop-up stores during the holidays to sell Kindle devices, for instance, he said that the company’s current practice of selling through other retailers is “not really a driver of our business.”

Amazon’s strategy of selling as cheaply as it can may be tough on its margins but it is tougher on competitors. Radio Shack missed its earnings forecasts this week, prompting doubts about its viability. The specialty home appliance and electronics retailer H. H. Gregg, which operates 200 stores in the Midwest and Southeast, saw its shares drop 13 percent Thursday. Shares of Best Buy fell 10 percent as the store warned that third-quarter profit would be “significantly lower.”

“Amazon is having a major impact on a number of businesses,” said Jason Moser, who covers Amazon for the Motley Fool investment site and owns shares in the retailer. “We know that chief executive Jeff Bezos is quite patient and has plenty of financial resources. It appears his strategy is working. The third-quarter loss was modest and the long-term implications here are as strong as ever. My faith isn’t dented in the least.”