[scohesc]

I hope they include Amazon's practice of taking popular products on their storefront, making generic "Amazon Basics" versions, and selling them to undercut the popular options. Simultaneously owning a marketplace, approving who can and can't sell products on it, and then putting your own products on it to undercut other sellers is so scummy and muck rake-y.

I hope they also include Amazon allowing thousands of Chinese retailers to stock Amazon's warehouses with counterfeit, faulty products, and potentially dangerous out-of-spec parts - with no way to meaningfully report or bring the offending product to Amazon's attention.

[psunavy03]

You mean you don't like having the choice between ZOSLRD-branded stuff and TUMACO-branded stuff, both of which have descriptions that look like someone put Mandarin Chinese through an LLM, because that's probably what they did?

[shitlord]

Why is it so common for Chinese sellers on Amazon to have uppercase company names?

[ApolloFortyNine]

Idk how you fix that without effecting store brands at grocery stores.

And I think store brands are pretty mostly a win for the consumer (this is important for any monopoly case).

[zizee]

Do I understand that you like/appreciate grocery store brands, but dislike Amazon's store brand? If so, what is the distinction you see between the two?

[tzs]

So let's say they aren't allowed to both own a marketplace and sell their own generic product in that marketplace, and so they have to spin Amazon Basics (AB) off into a separate company that is not treated any differently than any other seller on Amazon the marketplace (AM).

AB can still look at AM listings in a category and note what is popular (just like anyone can do since that is part of the details AM generally includes in listings), and make a generic version (just like anyone can do), and then sell that on AM. AB products are usually pretty good and usually quite reasonably priced and so even if treated exactly the same as everything else in their category are still likely to end up being included in the products that get algorithmically recommended as alternatives.

It's not clear to me how this would improve competition.

As far as your point on Chinese retailers goes, you are arguing that Amazon should allow fewer sellers and those sellers should be more regulated. That may be a good thing but I'm having some difficulty seeing how it is an antitrust thing.

[macinjosh]

Not every one can afford the name brand.

- Sincerely a kid raised on everything store brand.

[saltymug76]

I dont think anyone's arguing against generic alternatives of name brand items. The issue here is Amazon using up-and-coming and popular products as fodder for them to generic-ize and push to the top of results, essentially knee capping the original seller.

[Mistletoe]

My Amazon Basics RCA cables and many other items are the best versions of those items I own. The quality is very very good. I actually like that feature of Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Basics-Speaker-Subwoofer-Gold-...

[the_gorilla]

I don't think it's part of an antitrust case, but I am tired of seeing every item being sold from 200 chinese companies with randomly generated names and fake/bought reviews. Walmart has started to do something similar with their online store. I'll use their words.

> It's easy to sell online with Walmart.com. Partner with the largest multi-channel retailer and put your products in front of millions of Walmart shoppers.

Americans are used to American storefronts going through American regulations, but now you're essentially being dropshipped hazardous unregulated products. I generally try to buy from companies directly but this hasn't stopped my family from buying chinesium children toys for me that go straight into the trash.

[2OEH8eoCRo0]

> you're essentially being dropshipped hazardous unregulated products.

How did we end up here? Like why the hell can I buy things on Amazon that can't legally be sold on shelves in the US? Why aren't retailers suing?

[Loughla]

>I generally try to buy from companies directly

This is the secret today. Find the product you want, buy straight from that company. Anymore the storefronts are all uniform and shipping (which used to be Amazon's advantage) is the same.

The days of massive online retailers dominating is over at my house. I just wish more people would figure that out.

[richwater]

> I hope they include Amazon's practice of taking popular products on their storefront, making generic "Amazon Basics" versions, and selling them to undercut the popular options.

I guess you hate every grocery store ever then

[adventured]

And competition. One of the ways companies like Walmart hold their popular brand name companies in check on pricing power is through their store brands.

Why should I feel bad about Kraft being under permanent pressure by Walmart's Great Value brand?

More competition is needed, not less. Along with more transparency. Banning Amazon from competing would be a mistake. They need a more level playing field, not fewer players.

[_DeadFred_]

Selling carrots is much different than developing a store brand product based on the algorithms only you have access to. Amazon is basically outsourcing R&D and market research to startups then taking the market away once they have a success.