![]() Amazon’s tense relationship with merchants has been well-chronicled over the years, with sellers expressing a range of grievances over issues like rising fees, an arcane suspensions process, and heightened competition on the marketplace from all sides, including the e-commerce giant. On Amazon’s own forum for merchants, called Seller Central, several users cheered on the FTC and said they hoped it would result in changes to the company’s business practices. The company steadily hikes the fees it charges sellers and prevents them from discounting on other sites, so sellers often inflate their prices off of Amazon, creating an “artificial price floor everywhere,” according to the complaint. ![]() The end result of these tactics, the FTC argues, is elevated prices across the web. Losing the buy box is an “existential threat” to sellers’ businesses, the complaint alleges. The agency said Amazon punishes third-party sellers who offer cheaper products elsewhere by threatening to disqualify them from appearing in the buy box if it detects a lower price. In the 172-page suit, the FTC said Amazon relies on an “anti-discounting strategy” and a “massive web-crawling apparatus that constantly tracks online prices” to stifle competition. For consumers, that’s led to artificially inflated prices and a degraded shopping experience, the agency alleges. The agency accused Amazon of wielding its monopoly power to squeeze merchants and thwart rivals. ![]() Nearly three years later, Ruckel’s experience hits at the core of a sweeping antitrust lawsuit filed last week by the Federal Trade Commission against Amazon. Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lower Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score or Lower Best Debt Consolidation Loans for Bad Credit
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