Umm, I'm not sure this article is legit. The site looks pretty small/dodgy, but the main thing is that NPD said, a couple years ago I believe, that they specifically DO cover Amazon.
Also in discussing Wal Mart, NPD would probably note they had a prior relationship with Wal Mart that helps them estimate, etc.
Not saying 100% this article is fake but it seems fishy.
Here is a small blurb I could find online, it's not a very reputable site either but I didn't search too hard. Around the same time NPD lost Toys R Us they gained Amazon and some others, I remember this very clearly.
http://www.360plex.com/news/view/189599/
NPD: loss of numbers from Toys R Us nothing major
After Pacific Crest Securities expressed their opinion why October's NPD sales data scored lower than expected - they believe that the numbers were skewered due to Toys "R" Us not submitting video game sales data to NPD - NPD released a statement to defend the integrity of their data, through their vice president Martin Zargosek.Zargosek explained that the NPD typically lose data from one or two retailers in any given period, and get new data from retailers whose numbers were not taken into account in previous data collection periods. "This year both the adds (e.g. amazon.com) and the losses (Toys "R " Us) were a bit larger than usual, but overall our market coverage has not changed very much compared to last year," he added.Zargosek also commented that the new retailers they added were increasing in importance. "We feel that our data accuracy may improve rather than deteriorate due to these changes," he said. The addition of data from new entries, such as Amazon, will eventually offset the loss of numbers from retailers such as Toys "R" Us.
