German Antitrust Authorities Issue Warning to Amazon Over Pricing Practices

Germany’s Federal Cartel Office has issued a warning to e-commerce giant Amazon, claiming its pricing controls for retailers on the platform violate competition laws both within Germany and across the European Union (EU). The regulator alleges that Amazon’s algorithms and statistical models are used to set price caps for products, potentially infringing on competition regulations. This is causing concern as third-party sellers operating on Amazon’s marketplace are forced to adhere to these rules, limiting product availability and potentially hindering fair competition.