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Source: AFP
Amazon's pricing rules are an maltreatment of its marketplace power, Germany's contention watchdog said Monday, paving the mode for imaginable demands for changes to its business practices successful Europe's biggest economy.
Amazon forces third-party sellers who usage its level to support prices wrong limits that the tech elephantine sets, the Federal Cartel Office said successful a statement, reducing the visibility of products that bash not support to its rules oregon adjacent removing them entirely.
"Since Amazon competes straight with different marketplace retailers connected its platform, influencing competitors' pricing, including successful the signifier of terms caps, is highly questionable," said Andreas Mundt, caput of the regulator.
"That is particularly truthful erstwhile the traders acrophobic cannot screen their ain costs."
Amazon, which according to the cartel bureau accounts for astir 60 percent of online retail gross successful Germany, present has the accidental to respond to the regulator's preliminary ruling.
A spokeswoman for Amazon said it powerfully disputed the cartel office's findings and that its rules helped its customers.
"Shopping connected Amazon is designed truthful that customers who sojourn our store can spot that they volition find the champion woody based connected price, availability and velocity of delivery," the spokeswoman said.
"That is wherefore they support coming back."
Amazon is facing different allegations of anti-competitive behaviour, with US regulators accusing the online elephantine of preventing sellers from offering products astatine little prices connected different platforms.
Germany's cartel bureau began investigating Amazon's pricing rules successful November 2022.
Source: AFP
