For those worried about the federal government not taking threats seriously, don’t worry. The government just scored a major victory in the hard-fought battle against wall poster sellers.
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, the government just defeated an enemy overseas:
Trod Ltd. (doing business as Buy 4 Less, Buy For Less and Buy-For-Less-Online), a U.K. company headquartered in Birmingham, England, pleaded guilty to fixing the prices of certain posters sold online through Amazon Marketplace from as early as September 2013 until in or about January 2014. Trod Ltd. was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Northern District of California in San Francisco on Aug. 27, 2015.
The DOJ claims Trod Ltd. and its “co-conspirators” colluded to use the same pricing algorithm so prospective buyers would see the same price listed for specific wall posters from various Amazon retailers.
In the press release, Acting Assistant Attorney General Renata Hesse for the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division said, “[…] customers must be confident that they will receive the same benefits of vigorous competition on the web as they do at brick-and-mortar stores.”
By going after Trod Ltd. and various other “antitrust” offenders, the DOJ is assuming the competition it praises doesn’t already exist on the internet.
Just because a handful of Amazon retailers all allegedly charged the same price for certain wall posters doesn’t mean other retailers were prevented from going on Amazon and listing their own wall posters at lower prices. And just because these few retailers charged a certain price on Amazon doesn’t mean the wall posters aren’t also available on sites like eBay, Craigslist, and specialized hobby websites.
It’s because of the internet that consumers aren’t restricted to the prices and selection offered at local brick-and-mortar stores, or even on Amazon.
Consumers don’t need the government raiding businesses and threatening sellers with $100 million fines and 10 years in jail over “price-fixing.” Especially when there are more important concerns in the world… for instance, terrorism.
But the government has your best interests at heart. They’ve committed themselves to fight against businesses at home and abroad.