antitrust agency of india Competition Commission of India (CCI) has settled a complaint alleging unfair trade practices by Amazon Seller Services Pvt Ltd and certain other related entities.
The All India Online Vendors Association, which has over 2,000 sellers across the country, had filed a complaint against Amazon Seller Services, Amazon Wholesale India, Amazon Retail India, Cloudtail India and Prion Business Services.
According to the association, anti-competitive arrangements exist between entities, resulting in a perceived lack of platform neutrality on Amazon.in.
The association has alleged that the entities’ conduct falls under vertical restraint and has accused the entities of “deep relaxation” and “lack of platform neutrality”.
It further said that Amazon Wholesale, in association with Amazon Retail and Cloudtail India, sells goods at massive discounts, leaving independent sellers unable to compete on Amazon.in.
It said that the lack of platform neutrality and preferential treatment on the Marketplace is resulting in foreclosure of competition on the Marketplace.
The Commission, however, said that sufficient material does not exist to form a prima facie opinion in the matter. The CCI said the allegations were devoid of requisite evidence.
“The information contains allegations which are devoid of admissible/required evidence,” it said. “Thus, the information filed lacks actionable material for further investigation under the Competition Act.”
(with inputs from PTI)
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