Joining themultiplepartiescurrently investigating Amazon and its shady market conduct , authorization in Germany and Canada are now launching their own respective probes .
The German Federal Cartel Office , the regulatory authority responsible for impose fair rival , has since April been investigate Amazon follow complaints about the society ’s influence over pricing on its political platform , CNBCreported Monday . Per an English displacement of coverage of the investigation by German newspaperFrankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , the probe appear to have been spur by issues that stand up during the pandemic and subsequent seller complaint . The Federal Cartel Office told CNBC that it ’s “ not up to a secret platform to be a price regulator or the terms police . ” The regulative authority did not directly return Gizmodo ’s request for comment about the investigating .
Issues around pricing in Amazon ’s marketplace have been brought into sharp focal point during the coronavirus pandemic . in the first place this year , Amazongrappled with salacious price - gougingon its platform amid increased need for thing like mask and hand sanitizer , and separately , Amazon has been accused by U.S. antitrust guard dog ofundercutting third - company sellersand violating its own rules on data aggregation to further its product sales . ( In plus to offer third - party product , Amazon has its own lines of products that compete directly with other sellers on the platform . ) Federal Cartel Office president Andreas Mundt tell Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that its investigation is rivet on “ whether and how Amazon influences retailer ’ pricing on the marketplace . ”
Photo: INA FASSBENDER/AFP (Getty Images)
Reached for remark on Monday , an Amazon spokesperson told Gizmodo in a assertion by email that Amazon sellers “ set their own product prices in our store . ”
“ We desire customers to bribe with confidence anytime they make a purchase on Amazon.de and we have policies to help insure selling partners are price their intersection competitively , ” the spokesperson order . “ Our systems are design to take action against damage gouging . If selling partners have concerns , we encourage them to contact our merchandising mate support . ”
Meanwhile , our northern neighbors are also now investigate the technical school titan over antimonopoly business organization , Canada ’s Competition BureauannouncedFriday . The agency said that its on-going investigating is search specifically at whether third - company sellers are equal to of succeeding without being forced to use the company ’s advert or Fulfilment By Amazon services , whether Amazon uses any cock to influence shoppers to bribe its own intersection over similar single from third - party sellers , and if Amazon has had or is still using policies that “ may impact third - political party vender ’ willingness to offer their products for cut-rate sale at a lower terms on other retail TV channel . ” That last part sounds awfully similar to akind of price - fixingthe company was last yr found to be organize .
In a program line , Amazon told Gizmodo that it is “ cooperating with the Competition Bureau ’s recapitulation and continue to work firmly to defend small and medium sized businesses who sell in our Canadian store — and facilitate them grow . ”
Uh - huh .
Amazongermany
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