Re:Amazon Is Testing Its Own Delivery Service to Rival FedEx...
by dpark on Friday October 06, 2017 @02:27PM
(#15419105)
You're the one who threw in the word "intent", not TorKlingberg. I would further assume that by "colluding", he didn't necessarily mean explicit cartel behavior, but more typical oligopolistic behavior where the "competitors" inexplicably keep prices stable (or increasing) despite the supposed competition.
I also disagree that limited competitors is the same as limited competition. The two may often be related but don't have to be. When two competitors have razor-thin margins because they're competing aggressively, there isn't a lack of competition. When 10 competitors somehow manage to keep their prices in sync and increase their margins over time, there is a lack of competition even though the number of competitors is high.
But I really don't care to debate definitions further. I chimed in to explain the disconnect between these two views on the meaning of the word "oligopoly". I don't personally care which you prefer.
Re:Amazon Is Testing Its Own Delivery Service to Rival FedEx...
by travmatt on Friday October 06, 2017 @05:00PM
(#15420450)
If one doesn’t believe that a market with only two companies could be competitive, they should consider Uber and Lyft. I wouldn’t be surprised if employees from each dressed up in war paint and brawled a la The Warriors.
Really, boiled down my point is that this: "I think people are over-using the word "oligopoly" for any situation where a few companies have most of the market" is really dumb because an oligopoly is any situation where a few companies have most of the market. Perhaps the rise in use of the word oligopoly is reflective of the increase in oligopolistic markets, but it's not due to misuse, certainly not the one he outlined.