Bright Lights™

brightlightstm.bsky.social

15 October 2026 15:30

Can't wait for all that wealth to trickle down

By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C)

doctorow.pluralistic.net

15 October 2026 15:30

Amazon doesn't mind if prices go up, so long as Amazon's price remains competitive. So Amazon imposes a requirement on its suppliers called "most favored nation," which requires sellers to offer their best price on Amazon: pluralistic.net/2026/02/25/m...

By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C)

doctorow.pluralistic.net

15 October 2026 15:30

Merchants don't have 51-60% margins they can afford to turn over to Amazon. To remain viable while selling on Amazon, they have to raise prices.

By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C)

doctorow.pluralistic.net

15 October 2026 15:30

For merchants, that is an *incredibly* expensive proposition: 51-60% of every dollar you spend with an independent merchant on Amazon is claimed by Amazon through junk fees, listing fees, commissions, processing fees and other scams: pluralistic.net/2026/09/04/c...

By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C)

doctorow.pluralistic.net

15 October 2026 15:30

If you want to sell things in America, you *must* sell them in the place where the top decile shops, and that's Amazon.