It’s my job as Attorney General to make sure Washingtonians have access to fair pricing in the marketplace. That’s why I forced Amazon to stop their price-fixing nationwide.
We must hold corporations accountable to promote competition, not prohibit it. When corporations no longer need to compete and innovate, consumers suffer.
My team is on the lookout for cases in which one company has an unfair advantage over another — harming small businesses and, ultimately, consumers. That’s what my team found when we investigated the “Sold by Amazon” program.
This illegal program ensured Amazon did not have to compete with third-party sellers. Amazon used an algorithm that led to price increases for third-party sellers, which drove consumers to purchase products sold by Amazon. As a result, prices stabilized at artificially high levels.
Due to our investigation, Amazon ended this unlawful program nationwide. They must also pay $2.25 million to support future antitrust investigations and enforcement work like this.
Do you support protecting consumers and ensuring we have a fair, equal opportunity marketplace?
I will continue to uphold the rule of law and make sure that corporations are accountable to Washingtonians.
Thank you,
Bob
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