Germany to probe whether Amazon influenced prices during the pandemic
"Amazon must not be a controller of prices," the nation's antitrust chief said.
Germany has launched a probe into Amazon’s pricing policies with third-party stores on its site, according to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (paywall), via CNET. “We are currently investigating whether and how Amazon influences how traders set prices on the marketplace,” said Andreas Mundt, the president of the Federal Cartel Office.
In the US, Amazon was accused of charging astronomical prices for things like masks and hand sanitizers early in the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Germany’s regulator appears to be focused not on price gouging, but instead on Amazon making prices artificially low. According to Mundt, the probe kicked off after third-party vendors complained that Amazon had blocked them because of high prices. “Amazon must not be a controller of prices,” he said.
Amazon said it’s policies ensure that partners set competitive, but not inflated prices. “Amazon selling partners set their own product prices in our store," a spokesperson told the New York Times in a statement. “Our systems are designed to take action against price gouging.”
