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submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by Beep@lemmus.org to c/technology@lemmy.world

California Attorney General Rob Bonta last night filed a request for a preliminary injunction in California’s existing case against Amazon for price fixing. Attorney General Bonta’s 2022 lawsuit alleged that the company stifled competition and caused increased prices across California through its anticompetitive policies in order to avoid competing on price with other retailers. New evidence paints a clearer and more shocking picture. The motion for a preliminary injunction comes after a robust discovery process where California uncovered evidence of countless interactions in which Amazon, vendors, and Amazon’s competitors agree to increase and fix the prices of products on other retail websites to bolster Amazon’s profits. Time and again, across years and product categories, Amazon has reached out to its vendors and instructed them to increase retail prices on competitors’ websites, threatening dire consequences if vendors do not comply. Vendors, bullied by Amazon’s overwhelming bargaining leverage and fearing punishment, comply — agreeing to raise prices on competitors’ websites (often with the awareness and cooperation of the competing retailer), or to remove products from competing websites altogether. Amazon’s goal is to insulate itself from price competition by preventing lower retail prices in the market at the expense of American consumers who are already struggling with a crisis of affordability.

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[-] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 42 points 4 days ago

I cannot express enough how angry I am that people still use amazon. Major cringe when friends tell me all the shit they buy on there. I used it 10 years ago a couple times, never once since then. Its shit, slave labor, and enriches billionaires. No one forces you to use it.

[-] Echolynx@lemmy.zip 14 points 4 days ago

Unfortunately, they are a master at driving local businesses out of money. Buying a certain pet food at my local retailer (a franchisee) would be about $30. On Amazon, it's $25 (and sometimes even $15-20, if you do the subscription discount). At the local store, I'd have to pay more and drag the stuff home on my own feet.

[-] turmacar@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago

It's the Walmart model. A lot of the frustration is that it's a systemic problem where individuals are incentivized against their best interests and the best interests of their communities.

Because shareholders. The Line, must go up.

Thankfully (/s) Amazon has enough money that it's cheaper to bribe politicians than provide a better product. So systemic solutions are that much more difficult.

[-] dejova281@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

It’s cringe because it’s affordable and convenient? Whenever I buy something from there I always price compare online and it’s the cheapest hands-down. Some people don’t have the luxury of constantly considering geopolitics and large-scale repercussions when they’re just simply trying to get by.

[-] Soup@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

It super depends on what you’re buying. Personally, I just go without in order to avoid them. The only things I ever buy from Amazon are things I cannot find anywhere else that I need to have, such as water filters for the lead pipes in Montréal.

We don’t have the luxury to ignore how bad Amazon is. Amazon is aware of this and does everything it can to force you to buy from them by under cutting other businesses until competition dries up. Every time I can buy something for a little bit more and skip Amazon that’s a huge a win for everyone from the original supplier, the more local store selling it, and the working class in general.

Edit: Reading and writing more comments, I’m gunna find a way to get those filters from elsewhere even if they cost a bunch more.

[-] TronBronson@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

No bro water filters from Amazon are unethical, please expose yourself to lead because some guy on lemmy is virtue signaling /s

[-] Soup@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

I cannot tell what side of the argument you’re trying to be on here, gunna be real hokest with ya.

[-] TronBronson@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

I mean what I said. I also buy water filters from Amazon because I suck water straight from the ground. Some times the water is yellow and needs to be filtered.

[-] Soup@lemmy.world 2 points 22 hours ago

Did you miss the part where I said I’d be looking for filters elsewhere even if they cost a bunch more?

[-] TronBronson@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I think personal safety is more important than virtue signaling. You should have used your political power to regulate it before it became a critical service in communities. I hate Amazon, yet I am dependent on it. I come from the side of nuance. You want to handle Amazon you monopoly bust it. Boycotting won’t help.

[-] Soup@lemmy.world 2 points 22 hours ago

I have always voted progressive, never even centrist. I live in Canada, also, but yea I don’t actually make the rules but the people I vote for to make said rules don’t like Amazon either.

[-] TronBronson@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

That’s my only point it doesn’t matter if there’s a group of consumers boycotting them if the government doesn’t listen to those constituents. Amazon is a political problem not a consumer problem.

[-] Soup@lemmy.world 1 points 27 minutes ago

Like, yes, but also consumers are the electorate and the people we elect need to represent us. We keep electing people who represent the businesses’ interests and not our own, despite alternatives, and so we have it in our heads that these things are more separate than they are. We have the control, we just refuse to use it to the point where most people have forgotten that.

[-] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 days ago

Sure, but there's many people who are wealthy enough to make the choice and still use amazon because they dont know any better. And this is what happens.

[-] dejova281@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

Understandable, perhaps one day I’ll be in that boat myself. Amazon has pissed me off in a few ways and I’m definitely looking for alternatives. Regardless of where I shop, I feel like my money is still going into the same greedy pockets unless it’s a local brick and mortar store.

[-] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 days ago

Its true, but perfect is the enemy of good. If 10,000 people quit using amazon right now, that's a huge difference. And millions of people use it.

[-] raspberriesareyummy@lemmy.world -2 points 4 days ago

"some people don't have the luxury of considering whether their product is made from death camp body parts when they're just simply trying to get by"

(*) https://krakowtop.org/auschwitz-room-of-hair/

[-] TronBronson@lemmy.world 0 points 4 days ago

Jesus H Fucking Christ. How about electing a government that will regulate Amazon instead of comparing poor people who need consumer goods to nazis. This is some tankie ass behavior

[-] raspberriesareyummy@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

You missed the point completely, so I'll lay it out for you: Everyone has to draw a line SOMEWHERE. And when a country whose government sends fascist death squads into the streets is supported by a company, there's a fuckton of lines to be drawn.

There's ZERO excuse for doing business with amazon. No one is starving because they can't shop there. So GTFO with your lazy ass morally corrupt exuses.

[-] TronBronson@lemmy.world 0 points 2 days ago

Great reason to business with Amazon. Armor plates and carrier. Gun mods. These are real expressions of political will. Enjoy your boycott. Glad you’re privileged enough to have money and options on places to purchase consumer goods. Super happy for you. Very righteous.

[-] TronBronson@lemmy.world 0 points 2 days ago

Now that we have a dictator I find it hilarious you’re trying to do the steps from before we have a dictator. It’s too late for boycotts and protests and voting. You missed your chance for that 10 years ago. Amazon’s got cheap body armor.

[-] TronBronson@lemmy.world 0 points 2 days ago

Sorry bub I’ve got plants to feed. Don’t worry my neighbor is going to genocide us no matter where we buy water filters from.

[-] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 days ago

Yeah, these people saying they NEED amazon probably didn't live in ye olden days without internet. We survived then, you can survive now.

There's thousands if not millions of sellers all over the internet. People are lazy/dumb and just want to 1 click buy and are scared to go anywhere but amazon.

[-] raspberriesareyummy@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

And then have the nerve to argue on behalf of "poor people" most of whom probably don't have any spare money to buy convenience products on amazon.

[-] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 days ago

I mean Walmart wiped out every other store so that's usually where "poor" people have to go, especially in small towns. Amazon is doing it on a much larger scale.

[-] raspberriesareyummy@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

That's only one country though, whereas amazon is evil world-wide.

[-] toddestan@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

I avoid Amazon as much as possible, though on occasion I've more or less had no other reasonable choice. But that's happened something like 4 times in the last 10 years or so.

The big problem with boycotting Amazon is that while it's easy enough to avoid buying from their online store as much as possible, AWS (Amazon Web Services) is pretty much unavoidable if you're using the modern internet.

[-] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 days ago

True, but its a start! We win not by everything at once. Small steps.

[-] Darcranium@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

Once all the competitors are gone, they will increase the prices to absurd, heartless levels

[-] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago

Its always the plan. Walmart. Discord. They all do the exact same thing. Which is why we must resist.

[-] TronBronson@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

Feel free to provide goods to my rural community any time! You can’t believe that poor people have budget consideration and seek the cheapest product?

[-] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Use eBay or literally any other site. What is so specific to amazon that you need ? Amazon isn't even cheaper in many cases if you actually search.

[-] TronBronson@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

eBay’s just as fucking bad? They monopolized your post office pricing and fix prices on their market place, they manipulate visibility and charge more for promotions. It’s the same scam with a different name lmao

[-] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

Well, if you wanna say that, all stores are bad, capitalism is evil, stop buying things and go live in a cave 😁

There is not one store out there that's not evil, because capitalism relies on exploiting the poor and weak and less intelligent. That's how it is. Unless you go live off grid in Alaska but guess what you'll still have to import products made with slave labor.

Again, Lemmy being angry because we aren't perfect. Using eBay or a small store instead of amazon is astronomically better than buying your funko pop collection on amazon.

[-] TronBronson@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

Amazon hosts small stores too. Most small stores exist on both. They also host half the internet and government contracts so they don’t care if you use eBay. Your tax dollars use Amazon. Their beyond your reach as a consumer but not an educated citizen

[-] TronBronson@lemmy.world 0 points 2 days ago

Amazon is cheaper than eBay on every item I’ve looked at in the last 6 months. eBay has robbed me a few times in the last 6 months. What a wild ass suggestion.

[-] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

Huh, bad luck. I've been using eBay for 20 years with maybe 2 issues and they've always been resolved.

[-] TronBronson@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

Companies like Amazon and eBay exist to leverage to post office and their platform for profit. They both do the same thing to the same people.

this post was submitted on 25 Feb 2026
1708 points (99.5% liked)

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