Re:Amazon Prime inflates prices, using the false promise of ...
by pdonis on Sunday May 30, 2021 @08:15PM
(#27338400)
> Normally, market forces would solve this problem without any need for legal intervention, because some other marketplace like WalMart can just offer lower seller fees and attract all the sellers.
WalMart does offer lower seller fees and (at least sometimes) lower prices than Amazon. The problem for me is that those lower prices are usually on things I don't want. I've bought a few times from WalMart's online store, but more often I look for what I want there, can't find it, go to Amazon, find it quickly, and buy it there. Many other comments in this thread indicate that my experience is not atypical.
Breaking up a monopoly is not a good thing if it results in worse outcomes for us as customers. If we end up finding what we want less often, or having to pay more for it, how is that a win?
WalMart does offer lower seller fees and (at least sometimes) lower prices than Amazon. The problem for me is that those lower prices are usually on things I don't want. I've bought a few times from WalMart's online store, but more often I look for what I want there, can't find it, go to Amazon, find it quickly, and buy it there. Many other comments in this thread indicate that my experience is not atypical.
Breaking up a monopoly is not a good thing if it results in worse outcomes for us as customers. If we end up finding what we want less often, or having to pay more for it, how is that a win?