Amazon forcing us to reduce our prices to match ebay - price fixing
18/5/24 - received an email from Amazon..
When compared to Amazon, our products are cheaper on eBay and our website, as we have almost zero fraud on these platforms, whereas we have to factor in Amazon fraud, false A to Z claims and also free returns for whatever reason. Anyway Amazon are openly telling us to match our ebay prices, i.e. price fixing.
Our product is no longer available to buy on Amazon until we submit to their demands to reduce our price.
Any ideas how to fight this?
Dear Seller,
Amazon selects offers to be the Featured Offer (Buy Box offer) based on what we believe will delight customers, including great prices, availability, and delivery speed. The Featured Offer is the offer selected when the customer clicks the 'Add to Cart' button on the product detail page.
Below is a list of product(s) in your catalogue that are not currently eligible to be the Featured Offer because they are not priced competitively compared to prices for those products from retailers outside Amazon. These offers are still displayed through our Offer Listing Page and other areas within the Amazon store.
If you'd like to restore Featured Offer eligibility visit Pricing Health within the Pricing section of Seller Central to lower your price on Amazon.
Your offers that are currently ineligible to be the Featured Offer are:
Note: your prices below include delivery.
Seller_d8YGbIjNqwFxn
This has always happened but for the last few months it seemed to have gone away but now it is back again.
I have been hit with loads of competitive price messages this weekend and been told to reduce my price to meet competitive pricing. They do seem to be comparing prices with eBay prices.
I have tried to fight it in the past and you get nowhere. Previously the competitive prices have been removed after a few weeks/months.
It is even worse if you are a FBA seller as you have to sell at a higher price to take account of fees but Amazon don't take that into consideration either.
Seller_Nprc5XWvdLYk9
on the ebay prices they are comparing you to - have they taken into account any delivery charges?
I only ask we had a listing blocked last autumn for a video game
we had it listed on az at 13.75
their competitive price alert said £8.95
we worked out it was being compared again Smyth Toys - but their website then was charging 4.95 for delivery.
which is of course £13.90
Seller_19xPhE8YgkmxW
Hi Take_Eat_Away_Ltd,
Can you increase your ebay prices to avoid the complaints from Az?
All Best
Briam
Seller_GK5kQEXpZI6fr
Amazon takes into account ALL online retailers outside Amazon when calculating competitive prices, not just eBay.
Seller_tpihSqWM3kGkR
The irony is that even when you offer the cheapest price if this is via fbm rather than fba then they do their best to hide the offer from the customer in favour of their own more expensive offer or a more expensive fba offer.
Seller_o8KAZFTZhCK84
Whilst I share your pain, under UK law (and simplifying greatly) it's only an issue if:
A) A MINIMUM price is imposed, as that's against the consumer interest. (Maximum is technically allowed as it is in the consumer's interest)
B) As a supplier, you force your customers to sell at a particular price, and don't allow them to set their price.
Amazon are not imposing a minimum (a). And as we're sellers not customers of Amazon (b) doesn't technically apply (even if listing is deactivated for high pricing).
So as much as I share the OP's pain, legally Amazon are not doing anything wrong.
Seller_os484ZHSLcJZn
I've had 3 policy breaches to do with pricing this month, apparently I was selling below a minimum price, but they won't tell me where the minimum price is and have replied to my appeals in German. I was selling below RRP as were other sellers so that's confused me too as surely that's good for the customer/consumer
Seller_tRuvBEHDedp4q
Ive also complained about this before and the fact Amazon do not consider any shipping charges when looking at other websites.
They insist people like free shipping prices when it is not really free it is inclusive of shipping pricing - and they believe most websites offer inclusive pricing. Yet take a random look at many websites and you will find more often than not that there is always a shipping charge unless a certain amount is spent - and then it is indeed free.
But also read the email carefully. They have not said your offer will be removed - just that it will never get the Featured Offer (Buy Box). Savvy buyers will often look at other offers so you should still get orders if you are the cheapest.
In meantime complain about the policy to relevant government departments. Amazon have already been told by EU that they cannot target Prime offers for the Buy Box - but they can still target offers that have free next day delivery for the Buy Box.
Seller_d8YGbIjNqwFxn
Today's example of this. A card I sell for over £3 has been hit by a competitive price of £2.49
Looking at all sites the only place it is available for £2.49 is Ebay. This is the lowest price on Ebay with many other offers on Ebay being between £2.99 and £3.99
The lisitng on Ebay is poor with a bad photo. Realistically very few people will click on the listing.
Why choose that listing to be the competitive price? If the rest of the prices are higher surely this is a rogue price.
The other side effect of this is that Amazon are on this listing. In reality they are now the only seller who can probably sell at this new price and make a profit. They have matched the competitive price now.
Seller_FZJiyCoTnOJZs
I sold a new DVD last week - when I relisted it - it was closed straight away with a "potential price alert" so I checked the competition - and the only other copy I could find anywhere - was a used copy - on the same listing - and listed by ME. The used copy was 40 pence cheaper than the new one so to satisfy the Amazon price fixing monster I reduced the new price by 40p to match the used DVD - but the New one remains closed.
Amazon is just broken so I have removed the new stock and listed it on ebay.
