You're right. I think the distinction comes down to companies like Amazon having the kind of vast capital required to not only cut out the middle man but to _be

You're right. I think the distinction comes down to companies like Amazon having the kind of vast capital required to not only cut out the middle man but to _become_ the middle man in their own market. In most cases, a market (in the specific sense, like a store or a site) will white label a product and undercut competitors by leveraging the volume/wholesale pricing that they can get. What's truly dangerous about the AMZNs and GOOGs (and Standard Oils and Ma Bells) of the world is that they can use brute monetary force to buy or subsume competition. To quote the legendary SF grifter Jack Black, "You can't win."