Amazon rivals offer help to antitrust investigators
Some of the biggest retailers in America have thrown their weight behind antitrust investigations into Amazon and Google.
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), which counts Walmart, Target, and Best Buy among its members, wrote a 10-page letter to the Federal Trade Commission, saying it would be happy to assist with regulatory probes, reports Business Insider.
One of the main concerns raised in the letter is to do with tech giants controlling how people search online. “It should… be quite concerning to the Commission that Amazon and Google control the majority of all of Internet product search, and can very easily affect whether and how price and product information actually reaches customers,” the letter said.
RILA takes particular aim at Amazon for “degrading the consumer experience on its own platform,” and said the company “tends to deceive consumers” by pretending to sell directly from trusted brands, even when those brands choose to remain off the platform and their merchandise is being sold on by third-party sellers.
The retailers’ letter turns up the heat on rivals like Amazon. Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren is among those to have said that Amazon’s role as both marketplace and vendor is a prime reason for breaking up Jeff Bezos’ company.
More Amazon news
Amazon offers a 75% discount on storage fees for best-selling items
Amazon asks sellers to send it more stuff Amazon is offering its third-party sellers discounts on storage fees as part of its plan to fulfill speedy shipping promises. According to Business Insider, Amazon now offers a 75% discount on storage fees at its...
Amazon is using astrology to sell its products
Amazon is using horoscopes for targeted marketing Amazon has been shipping monthly horoscopes to its Prime members in its Insider newsletter. Amazon states on its horoscopes page that readers can consult the readings to identify “which Prime benefits are...
Lost or damaged inventory at Amazon FBA warehouse
How to get reimbursement for items lost in transit to Amazon FBA When you ship items to Amazon.com, you expect them to be delivered and received into your inventory with no problems, but this isn’t always the case. Items (and sometimes boxes or shipments)...
