Black Friday warning for retailers after Amazon seller was fined £160,000 for “fixing” prices

RETAILERS are being warned against fixing prices ahead of Black Friday after the competition regulator fined one Amazon seller for arranging prices with a rival.Online shops must not deny customers a good deal by discussing prices with competitors or agreeing not to undercut them, the Competition and Markets Authority said.Three months ago the CMA fined an online seller £160,000 after it found evidence that it has agreed with a rival to not undercut each other’s prices.The company, Trod Ltd, sold its posters and frames, including souvenirs of stats Justin Bieber and One Direction, via Amazon’s marketplace and had an arrangement in place with GB eye, where they used software to keep their prices the same.Trod, whose brands include Buy 4 Less, Buy-For-Less-Online and 247 Toys, filed for administration in March this year.Amazon itself was not involved in the cartel and was not investigated by the CMA.Stephen Blake, senior director of the CMA’s Cartels and Criminal Group, said: “Online markets are a hugely valuable tool for consumers to shop around and find the best value products, making the most of effective competition.“But these benefits for shoppers are put at risk if the suppliers seek to restrict competition between them.“Entering into agreements… Read full this story

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