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Amazon should just be banned in Europe. We don't need what is essentially a monopoly, or at least targeting becoming a monopoly, controlling internet sales. It
by esotericn 6y ago
Amazon should just be banned in Europe.
We don't need what is essentially a monopoly, or at least targeting becoming a monopoly, controlling internet sales. It's not beneficial. It may have been in the very short term, but now the effects of pushing out small businesses are clear, we can just not have it.
The labour practices are almost besides the point, anti-trust should break them up.
- notyourwork 6y agoStop buying from them if you don’t need them?
- esotericn 6y agoThe problem is not whether I "need" them. No-one "needs" them - they're more convenient, they provide a better service in the short term, that's why they are winning. The problem is that a massive company essentially owns online commerce, anti-trust legislation should be addressing this and somehow it's not. Let them own a few % of the market, don't let them literally take over.
- majewsky 6y agoI'm in Germany, so I quickly googled for some stats on Amazon's market share. [1] In Q2 2019, their biggest market share is in electronics at 24%, with toys/sports at 18% and books at 15%. Everything else is 6-10%. I understand your concern, but the reason that anti-trust legislation is not addressing this is that there is frankly no monopoly here. [1] https://de.statista.com/infografik/16018/marktanteile-von-amazon-in-deutschland/ https://de.statista.com/infografik/16018/marktanteile-von-am...
- esotericn 6y agoIn the UK they have 30%, followed by eBay and the major supermarkets, so basically ~3 companies own half of online commerce. The current percentage is almost irrelevant anyway, the endgame of this is monopoly whether or not they have it right now, the vertical integration of delivery alone is enough. I'd split up the major supermarkets as well FWIW, but that's a different discussion.
- bzb3 6y agoI'm happy with Amazon, if you don't like them then don't use them, but don't punish us all with going back to the shitty local commerce.
- esotericn 6y agoNot having Amazon =/= only using local commerce. The problem is their centralization siphoning all of the money and attention out of the business, vertically integrating delivery, etc. It's not like online retailers don't exist. Well, for now. They _will_ go under if we just let Amazon run everything unchecked.
- missedthecue 6y agoProtectionism is anti-consumer
- the-dude 6y agoWhich is nice as long as you have work.
- missedthecue 6y agoProtectionism creates less employment and opportunity than free trade. This is like saying immigrants take jobs from Americans
- esotericn 6y agoYeah, see, me and my neighbours are not bloody "consumers". What matters is that we provide an environment within which we can trade amongst each other as (relative) equals, not one in which the Great Overlord owns all of the means of production. This isn't a border dispute, this is about behaviour within a country.
- rumanator 6y ago> Protectionism is anti-consumer Forcing the adoption of exploitative labor practices is helpful to consumers within that jurisdiction?