Model Comparison 100% sign agreement
Model Editorial Structural Class Conf SETL Theme
@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast lite +0.50 ND Moderate positive 0.80 0.00 Economic Rights
@cf/meta/llama-4-scout-17b-16e-instruct lite -0.60 ND Moderate negative 0.90 0.00 Consumer Rights
deepseek/deepseek-v3.2-20251201 +0.08 +0.17 Mild positive 0.37 0.12 Economic Justice
claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 +0.55 +0.46 Moderate positive 0.39 0.21 Economic Justice & Market Fairness
meta-llama/llama-3.3-70b-instruct:free ND ND
Section @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast lite @cf/meta/llama-4-scout-17b-16e-instruct lite deepseek/deepseek-v3.2-20251201 claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 meta-llama/llama-3.3-70b-instruct:free
Preamble ND ND 0.31 0.74 ND
Article 1 ND ND 0.00 0.51 ND
Article 2 ND ND 0.00 ND ND
Article 3 ND ND 0.00 0.38 ND
Article 4 ND ND 0.00 ND ND
Article 5 ND ND 0.00 ND ND
Article 6 ND ND 0.00 ND ND
Article 7 ND ND 0.00 0.46 ND
Article 8 ND ND 0.10 ND ND
Article 9 ND ND 0.00 ND ND
Article 10 ND ND 0.10 0.41 ND
Article 11 ND ND 0.00 ND ND
Article 12 ND ND 0.00 0.42 ND
Article 13 ND ND 0.00 ND ND
Article 14 ND ND 0.00 ND ND
Article 15 ND ND 0.00 ND ND
Article 16 ND ND 0.00 ND ND
Article 17 ND ND 0.00 0.41 ND
Article 18 ND ND 0.00 0.48 ND
Article 19 ND ND 0.62 0.91 ND
Article 20 ND ND 0.10 0.66 ND
Article 21 ND ND 0.20 0.49 ND
Article 22 ND ND 0.30 0.56 ND
Article 23 ND ND 0.40 0.61 ND
Article 24 ND ND 0.00 ND ND
Article 25 ND ND 0.55 0.79 ND
Article 26 ND ND 0.14 0.73 ND
Article 27 ND ND 0.00 ND ND
Article 28 ND ND 0.20 0.51 ND
Article 29 ND ND 0.00 0.46 ND
Article 30 ND ND 0.00 0.41 ND
+0.55 Amazon accused of widespread scheme to inflate prices across the economy (www.thebignewsletter.com S:+0.46 )
693 points by toomuchtodo 5 days ago | 289 comments on HN | Moderate positive Contested Editorial · v3.7 · 2026-02-26 04:26:19 0
Summary Economic Justice & Market Fairness Advocates
This article by Matt Stoller advocates for consumer and economic rights through investigative reporting on Amazon's alleged price-fixing conspiracy affecting the entire economy. The content frames monopoly practices as violations of fair market access and economic security, supported by California state enforcement action. The article's free accessibility, independent authorship, and focus on economic justice protection reflect strong positive alignment with UDHR provisions on economic rights, freedom of expression, and democratic participation.
Article Heatmap
Preamble: +0.74 — Preamble P Article 1: +0.51 — Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood 1 Article 2: ND — Non-Discrimination Article 2: No Data — Non-Discrimination 2 Article 3: +0.38 — Life, Liberty, Security 3 Article 4: ND — No Slavery Article 4: No Data — No Slavery 4 Article 5: ND — No Torture Article 5: No Data — No Torture 5 Article 6: ND — Legal Personhood Article 6: No Data — Legal Personhood 6 Article 7: +0.46 — Equality Before Law 7 Article 8: ND — Right to Remedy Article 8: No Data — Right to Remedy 8 Article 9: ND — No Arbitrary Detention Article 9: No Data — No Arbitrary Detention 9 Article 10: +0.41 — Fair Hearing 10 Article 11: ND — Presumption of Innocence Article 11: No Data — Presumption of Innocence 11 Article 12: +0.42 — Privacy 12 Article 13: ND — Freedom of Movement Article 13: No Data — Freedom of Movement 13 Article 14: ND — Asylum Article 14: No Data — Asylum 14 Article 15: ND — Nationality Article 15: No Data — Nationality 15 Article 16: ND — Marriage & Family Article 16: No Data — Marriage & Family 16 Article 17: +0.41 — Property 17 Article 18: +0.48 — Freedom of Thought 18 Article 19: +0.91 — Freedom of Expression 19 Article 20: +0.66 — Assembly & Association 20 Article 21: +0.49 — Political Participation 21 Article 22: +0.56 — Social Security 22 Article 23: +0.61 — Work & Equal Pay 23 Article 24: ND — Rest & Leisure Article 24: No Data — Rest & Leisure 24 Article 25: +0.79 — Standard of Living 25 Article 26: +0.73 — Education 26 Article 27: ND — Cultural Participation Article 27: No Data — Cultural Participation 27 Article 28: +0.51 — Social & International Order 28 Article 29: +0.46 — Duties to Community 29 Article 30: +0.41 — No Destruction of Rights 30
Negative Neutral Positive No Data
Aggregates
Editorial Mean +0.55 Structural Mean +0.46
Weighted Mean +0.59 Unweighted Mean +0.55
Max +0.91 Article 19 Min +0.38 Article 3
Signal 18 No Data 13
Volatility 0.15 (Medium)
Negative 0 Channels E: 0.6 S: 0.4
SETL +0.21 Editorial-dominant
FW Ratio 52% 50 facts · 47 inferences
Evidence 39% coverage
6H 9M 3L 13 ND
Theme Radar
Foundation Security Legal Privacy & Movement Personal Expression Economic & Social Cultural Order & Duties Foundation: 0.63 (2 articles) Security: 0.38 (1 articles) Legal: 0.43 (2 articles) Privacy & Movement: 0.42 (1 articles) Personal: 0.44 (2 articles) Expression: 0.69 (3 articles) Economic & Social: 0.65 (3 articles) Cultural: 0.73 (1 articles) Order & Duties: 0.46 (3 articles)
HN Discussion 20 top-level · 28 replies
array4277 2026-02-25 02:15 UTC link
It is a well-documented fact that Amazon forces it's sellers to "fix" their prices to match the Amazon price. If you sell on Amazon, you're not allowed to sell the same item for less ANYWHERE. This- coupled with Amazon's insane fees- should be a huge red flag to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and maybe a Attorney General can get them to do their damn job and crack down on it... I wouldn't hold my breath though.
chuckadams 2026-02-25 02:17 UTC link
Amazon better watch their step or they might get fined a single-digit percentage of the profits they made off this scheme. That'll show 'em.
freakynit 2026-02-25 02:39 UTC link
At what levels does greed of people like Bezos, Elon, Gates or Larry comes to a halt?
paxys 2026-02-25 02:50 UTC link
The fact that California is pushing this gives me some hope.

Walmart and Pepsi engaged in a blatant decade-long price fixing scheme designed to raised prices and punish small local competitors and were sued for it by Lina Khan's FTC, but - surprise - the case was thrown out the minute Trump took office.

jimbokun 2026-02-25 02:59 UTC link
Two things jumped out at me.

1. Average American spends THREE THOUSAND DOLLAR year at Amazon. That’s staggering.

2. As of now the trial is not scheduled to begin until January 2027 (although the discussed injunction is meant to address that). I believe the length of time required to get a decision in court is the single biggest impediment to justice being served. It usually waters down the final judgment, makes costs prohibitive for plaintiffs, and allows perpetrators to continue benefiting from illegal behavior indefinitely. In some cases, the defendant can be elected President in the interim eliminating any chance of facing a court decision.

graeme 2026-02-25 03:05 UTC link
I can say how this worked for books. Used to be Amazon didn't enforce their pricing policy. So a bookseller could price their book's list price lower on a different site than on amazon. Amazon would discount to match, but pay the bookseller based on the list price.

It was effectively a way to get an excess commission out of amazon if you printed through their printing arm, Createspace/KDP. Not sure if this worked the same for non print on demand books but if you printed through createspace you could set a higher list price and get royalties that were about 100% of the actual sale price.

No idea if the same mechanic is in play with the FBA rules but it seems very plausible to me that the largest impact is has is closing exploits like this.

That doesn't mean it doesn't also entrench market position, raise a few prices at the margin etc but it's very easy to miss the potential for gaming rules, legally, unless you're actively in the system. If an incentive is there the market incentive will be to use it.

SoftTalker 2026-02-25 03:05 UTC link
I saw through the Amazon Prime scam about four years ago and canceled my membership. Counterfeit products, obviously returned/resold products, and failure to meet delivery date promises. And prices steadily rising.

I just go to Walmart now. And Walmart is no choir boy either but at least I can see what I'm buying.

crazygringo 2026-02-25 03:16 UTC link
> sued Amazon for prohibiting vendors that sold on its website from offering discounts outside of Amazon... to make sure that sellers can’t sell through a different store or even through their own site with a lower price...

First, this is not new. It's been stated policy for years.

Second, manufacturers get around it in a clever way. They always list their items on their own site at the same price as at Amazon... but then magically almost always seem to have a 20% or 25%-off sitewide coupon available, whether it's for first-time customers, or "spinning the wheel" that pops up, etc.

So I don't know how much this is really raising actual prices in the end.

Otherwise, I'm not sure how to feel about it, because pricing contracts are common on both ends. Manufacturers frequently only sell to retailers who promise they won't charge less than the MSRP, and large retailers similarly often require "most-favored-nation" pricing, so they can always claim they have the lowest prices. If you want to end these practices, then it's only fair to have a law prohibiting it across the board, rather than singling out Amazon.

aschla 2026-02-25 03:25 UTC link
Cancelled my Prime subscription last month after the past year of worsening experiences with Amazon:

Received several orders that were returned items, with broken open packaging and sometimes the item was something else entirely, purely put there for weight by whoever returned it.

When I went to return some things at a major Amazon distribution center, the return area was closed for the week for some sort of construction or renovation, with no indication of that anywhere on the site. The only messaging was a piece of paper in the window once you got there.

At another separate major distribution center, the return area was a small room with pieces of paper taped to a door with an arrow pointing to the Amazon lockers where the returns are accepted.

Orders are now often so delayed that it makes the Prime subscription pointless. Have had multiple orders over the past year that didn't ship for 3 or 4 days.

Amazon listings are almost half Sponsored listings now, and there are unrelated ads on the side of listings.

Half of the listings are some random made-up brand name, like XIJGNU, which is just a Chinese seller selling low-quality products, and when the reviews get bad enough, they re-list the product under another made-up brand name.

Fake reviews were already rampant before LLMs, but now reviews are effectively useless because they are so easy to fake.

xrd 2026-02-25 03:33 UTC link
Lina Khan is now in Mamdani's cabinet. Maybe NY state and California can team up on this.
binarysolo 2026-02-25 04:04 UTC link
Amazon seller/distributor/agency here; I've been in the space for over a decade.

The title is a little clickbait-y. As far as I understand it:

1. Think of Amazon as a search engine for products. 2. Amazon wants its site to be the lowest-price destination for products. 3. If Amazon finds your product on another website for lower than its own website, it'll just hide your listing from the search -- this is meant to be pro-consumer (when you go to Amazon you'll get the lowest price).

This is where it gets a bit more complicated: 4. Amazon sells ~40% of its goods under its own purchasing arm, known to sellers as Vendor Central. (These are items shipped and sold by Amazon.com). This purchasing arm wants X% margins from *brands, based on whatever their internal targets. From what I've experienced personally -- their terms are generally better than their competitors (Walmart/Target/Costco/Sams), so it's generally a no-brainer to sell directly to them when I can instead of selling direct.

So when 4 has a conflict of interest with #1-3, you get the systemic effect that in order for the sellers to get their **sweet purchase orders from Amazon, they now need to raise prices elsewhere so the purchasing arm gets their cut. The sellers don't HAVE to sell to Amazon, but then they'd miss out on giant POs from Amazon at good terms.

Designing a system to incentivize sellers to have their lowest prices on Amazon... I'm not sure if calling it a "widespread scheme to inflate prices" is the fairest thing.

*edit: Historically, Amazon VC basically ran at near break-even under Jeff, "your margin is my opportunity" and all that. Since Andy took over there's been a reshuffling of chairs and the different business units have different margin requirements now.

**edit2: the price inflation mostly affects big brands that sell 8+ figs/yr on Amazon, because smaller sellers don't get POs from VC (too small to bother).

jadenPete 2026-02-25 04:11 UTC link
The article cites Amazon prohibiting sellers from selling their products for less on other platforms as anticompetitive behavior. I don’t doubt that this is happening, nor that it’s anticompetitive.

That being said, anyone who’s operated a two-sided marketplace knows that one of the biggest problems is consumers using your site as an index, and then seeking to dodge your fee by meeting with the seller on another platform, where they don’t have to pay it. This was a big problem for my startup.

This is a negative externality, because they’re extracting value from your platform (the list of sellers, products, prices, ratings, etc.), without paying for that value. If left unchecked, this could make running the platform financially unviable. One way to prevent this is to paywall your platform, but not every consumer wants to pay a subscription.

I think it’d be fair for Amazon to prohibit sellers advertising other platforms on its own, but prohibiting them from offering lower prices outside of Amazon outright definitely seems anticompetitive.

BrenBarn 2026-02-25 04:24 UTC link
On the one hand, this is good to see. On the other hand, like basically every such thing, it's too late and way, way, too little. It is pointless to try to chip away at Amazon by saying "oh you did this, oh you did that, oh you harmed people this way, oh you cheated this other way". It's like if a house is on fire and you try to stop it from spreading to nearby houses by catching each flying ember individually. You need to put the fire out.

Companies with as much market power as Amazon simply cannot be allowed to exist. It was a mistake to ever allow it and every response that is not aimed at a total shattering of the company is another mistake. No retail business of any kind can ever be safe when companies like Amazon exist. (And although this article is about Amazon, the same is true of many other companies as well, like Walmart.)

newan09 2026-02-25 05:24 UTC link
Author is missing a big chunk of what selling retail product requires, which is shipment and delivery costs. For a $5.49 laundry detergent, the cost to ship it your may very well exceed the price of the product if you're small retailer.

At least by paying Amazon I can avoid dealing with all that. While I may pass the price to the consumer for Fulfilled-By-Amazon fees, which tends to be around $5.18 ~ $3.5 (quick google search), it's still a lot cheaper than using something like FedEx where it costs $10-12 per order.

The takeaway here is that Amazon has democratized fast and cheap delivery by building a monopoly. As the scale of things go up, the cost of operations can really go down. Think of meal prepping, when you cook food in bulk vs each meal separately, you're saving costs on power, gas and produce.

The only question is whether we can build a public benefit corporation, just like Amazon.

quillshade 2026-02-25 06:53 UTC link
What's interesting is how their recommendation algorithm plays into this. I've been digging into how these systems work (Netflix's specifically), and there's a pattern: the algorithm doesn't optimize for what you'd rate highest, it optimizes for what keeps you engaged.

Amazon does something similar but with pricing layered on top. Their rec system pushes higher-margin products, sellers notice which items get promoted, then they raise prices knowing Amazon will keep showing them anyway. So it's not just "algorithm adjusts prices" - it's more like the recommendation layer creates conditions where sellers can safely jack up prices without losing visibility.

Basically the algorithm creates artificial scarcity by only showing certain products, which gives sellers pricing power they wouldn't have otherwise.

pipes 2026-02-25 12:30 UTC link
I think valve does this steam too? Games can't be a lower price on other platforms?
thebigspacefuck 2026-02-25 14:16 UTC link
I’ve been using Rakuten more recently and it’s provided some alternatives to Amazon where I’m able to get things more cheaply from other stores. If you don’t mind waiting for shipping, give it a try.

Or ask Gemini what the best deal is, it’s found some good ones.

For smaller stuff, Amazon is usually better than Target or whatever box store nearby.

rickdeckard 2026-02-25 14:38 UTC link
This is not too different from ~2012, when Apple decided to offer eBooks with the launch of the iPad, but found that they couldn't have 30% margin AND match the price of Amazon.

So Apple coordinated the major book publishers to raise their prices in order to secure their margin expectations.

They settled the lawsuit in the end.

[0] https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/us-sues-apple-publishers...

xenadu02 2026-02-26 02:05 UTC link
Who buys on Amazon anymore anyway? You can't find anything.

Want a desk fan? There are four types of desk fan in the entire world (per Amazon). Page after page after page of listings of the exact same four designs. Often listed with the same re-used marketing artwork.

Put aside brands, quality, et al. Put aside the fact that Amazon removed almost all product specs from their search facility (and is increasingly deleting specs entirely from product pages). Put aside the fake reviews, no-name Chinese drop-shippers.

Every category is stuffed full of the same few copycat products over and over. It is extremely difficult to merely find actual choices! Wrenches? Small compartment storage boxes? Paper towel holders? If you can find even 20-30 unique products in a category now you're living like a king. It reminds me of AliExpress in that sense. Lack of specs, lack of manuals, lack of details about any product. The same listings from different no-name stores repeated over and over.

I used to think maybe AliExpress & co were actually good if you spoke Chinese but a Chinese coworker kindly informed me that nope, it is just as horrible for everyone living in China using Chinese.

I don't know where we went wrong but this is not the future we were promised. Can any of you remember when Amazon was actually good? When their search was useful? Those were some amazing times and how little did we realize they were fleeting.

zer00eyz 2026-02-25 02:20 UTC link
https://www.forbes.com/sites/errolschweizer/2025/12/18/how-w...

Why amazon sellers have not opened up a class action lawsuit is beyond me. This case, succeed or fail will surface enough documentation that they may find cause.

SilverElfin 2026-02-25 02:44 UTC link
It doesn’t. They’re sociopaths. They get to where they are because they’re willing to do things others are too nice to do. Otherwise they’re no better than many other talented business people.
mixdup 2026-02-25 02:56 UTC link
The biggest mistake we've made is allowing Amazon (and now Walmart) to both be a seller and to operate what is supposed to be an open marketplace

It's insane that the landlord of the mall is also running the biggest store in the mall

It's led to this scheme, but also just the general enshittification of buying things online. You can never trust what you buy from Amazon because their "marketplace sellers" will send you a counterfeit, and it's hard to find some brand names because they don't want to be in that cesspool

As low rent and lowest common denominator as Walmart was in the 90s, at least I could go in and know that a) I probably was getting the lowest price on that Rubbermaid trash can b) it was legitimately a Rubbermaid trashcan and not someone who ripped off the molds, used plastic that was 50% as good, and sells it under the brand Xyxldk, and c) could reasonably expect to find that trashcan offered for sale in the first place

chii 2026-02-25 03:11 UTC link
Why should the desire to own more and more of the world ever come to a halt?
twoodfin 2026-02-25 03:21 UTC link
Average American spends THREE THOUSAND DOLLAR year at Amazon. That’s staggering.

Is it? That’s by households, not individuals. Is it really crazy to imagine a household spending $200-300/month at Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods—or Amazon?

mparkms 2026-02-25 03:25 UTC link
You definitely shouldn't hold your breath considering the CFPB effectively doesn't exist anymore.
aschla 2026-02-25 03:27 UTC link
When the average person stops spending money in ways that enrich them.
raw_anon_1111 2026-02-25 03:30 UTC link
This is very bad math on the part of the article. You can’t just take total revenue/number of households. I mean have they not heard of a little side business Amazon has called AWS?

Amazon is not just a US company either.

They also have an ad business. You could rightfully argue that ad spend gets passed on to the consumer.

taurath 2026-02-25 03:46 UTC link
> 1. Average American spends THREE THOUSAND DOLLAR year at Amazon.

Where else would americans be getting home goods like soap, appliances, electronics? Vitamins, perscriptions, etc?

The answer to almost every one of those, for the vast majority of Americans, is one of like 5 megacorps. Target, Walmart, Kroger, CVS, Amazon. Things have largely stopped being available retail because of all this consolidation. If I want to go buy a multivitamin, its no joke like $25 a bottle at my grocery store, and $8 on amazon. It is just kinda... a part of people's lives now, and the alternatives all involve either spending more money or time.

bitmasher9 2026-02-25 04:06 UTC link
A product being on a shelf at a Walmart is a better indicator of quality then anything you could post on an Amazon listing.
BrenBarn 2026-02-25 04:18 UTC link
> If left unchecked, this could make running the platform financially unviable.

Sounds great to me!

mitthrowaway2 2026-02-25 04:36 UTC link
This doesn't make sense; these days it seems like the majority of products on Amazon can also be found on AliExpress for a third of the price, both of them sold by FWHZHW. From what you're saying, these things should disappear from Amazon's search listings, but in my experience they're the ones promoted straight to the top, and anything else gets buried under that mountain.
HaloZero 2026-02-25 05:01 UTC link
Lol, that sounds about right. I checked, our household spent $2700 last year on amazon. Only 3 things above $100 though, so it's just accumulation of lots of smaller purchases.
AnthonyMouse 2026-02-25 05:12 UTC link
> That being said, anyone who’s operated a two-sided marketplace knows that one of the biggest problems is consumers using your site as an index, and then seeking to dodge your fee by meeting with the seller on another platform, where they don’t have to pay it.

There is a company that operates an index where people can search for things and doesn't charge the site or the customer for things that rank well in organic search results. I think they're called Google. From what I understand they make quite a bit of money by selling ads next to the listings.

That model seems like it would work pretty well for such a platform, unless there was some major company preventing anyone from offering a lower price than they have on their own site so that everybody goes to their site instead of using a price search engine to find a site with a lower price.

I mean come on. If they're really using your site just to find a product, you think that's a problem?

Meanwhile a platform's fee should be going to things like payment processing, warehousing and shipping, and then if you're offering a competitive price for those services they should want to be paying you because they need those things and can't get a better deal on them somewhere else. If they can get a better deal on them and are only using your site because you're forcing them to with a dirty trick, maybe they're right to object?

wolpoli 2026-02-25 05:19 UTC link
> 3. If Amazon finds your product on another website for lower than its own website, it'll just hide your listing from the search -- this is meant to be pro-consumer (when you go to Amazon you'll get the lowest price).

Most favored nation clauses are often considered anti-competitive.

marcus_holmes 2026-02-25 05:23 UTC link
Similar to the shit they're doing on Audible, too. If you want to be part of their subscription service, then you cannot sell your book anywhere else, including your own website, or have it available in libraries. And if you're not part of their subscription service, then part of your sale proceeds gets diverted to authors who are part of the subscription service [0].

[0] https://kindlepreneur.com/audible-royalty-changes/

SilverElfin 2026-02-25 06:42 UTC link
The problem is this is all rent seeking and the leverage of moats like capital and network effects. It’s not actually valuable to society to defend. For a time it was new - now it’s not, and is just damaging fair competition. Amazon and other megacorp need to be taxed a lot more and broken up.
notimetorelax 2026-02-25 07:24 UTC link
It prevents other sellers from competing with Amazon.
consp 2026-02-25 07:43 UTC link
They raise prices by 30 percent to offset Amazon's taxes and then offer a 25 percent discount on their own site. How does this not raise prizes?
consp 2026-02-25 07:49 UTC link
At least in the past the sellers branded their whitelabel products correctly. These days you get some random "brand" when you order from an alphabet soup name. It's fun when you have to install apps with it as you have to get the right "brand" app without knowing what "brand" it is as the whitelabel manufacturer has locked it down (though usually only by obfuscation).

In my experience I've received a box for a different brand than the device inside with the wrong app listed in the box for a different unrelated brand. Fun times we live in. And don't bother getting a refund as the listing and company will be gone by the time you try.

pnt12 2026-02-25 08:19 UTC link
This reads like propaganda. Amazon has no business de-listing products because of their price elsewhere.

If it wanted to be pro-consumer, I don't know, it could warn the consumer the price is lower somewhere else, and point them there, like a good search engine of products! Sounds ridiculous? Yeah, because those claims are a bit ridiculous too.

pnt12 2026-02-25 08:26 UTC link
I'm not American, but I get free shipping on most products, as long as the order has a minimum cost and I wait a couple of days more?

This is true for other sellers too.

nielsbot 2026-02-25 09:02 UTC link
> First, this is not new. It's been stated policy for years.

This is irrelevant.

gwd 2026-02-25 09:15 UTC link
> 1. Think of Amazon as a search engine for products. 2. Amazon wants its site to be the lowest-price destination for products. 3. If Amazon finds your product on another website for lower than its own website, it'll just hide your listing from the search -- this is meant to be pro-consumer (when you go to Amazon you'll get the lowest price).

Stockholm syndrome at its finest -- reinterpreting "punishing a seller if an item is cheaper anywhere else on the internet, even a site they don't directly control" as "pro-consumer".

If Amazon really were a search engine for their own products, they should just give an accurate answer for their own site. If they really wanted to be pro-consumer, they'd say "Available cheaper here: ..."

ETA: Showing competitor's prices could still be a strategic win for Amazon. It conditions users to always first check Amazon; and most of the time if it's cheaper, the ease of one-click ordering and/or batching deliveries should make it worth ordering from Amazon even if it's a few dollars cheaper elsewhere.

Frieren 2026-02-25 11:43 UTC link
Antitrust laws exist for a reason, when judges and goverment stopped enforcing them it created the age of mega-corporations. AT&T did not had the level of control of the economy that modern tech companies have, and yet got split to make room for competition and a healthy economy.

The world knows how to fix this problem the rich pay to not allow it.

acrump 2026-02-25 12:34 UTC link
> If Amazon finds your product on another website for lower than its own website, it'll just hide your listing from the search -- this is meant to be pro-consumer (when you go to Amazon, you'll get the lowest price).

This is a funny idea of pro-consumer, as we all know that the result of this is increased prices.

The seller can not afford to reduce the Amazon price to match other channels and still pay Amazon's margin, or afford to have the product hidden and lose the channel - and so is forced to increase the price elsewhere.

The net result is prices increase across the board, and Amazon gets to tell customers they are getting the 'lowest price', but they did it by increasing the price across the whole market.

This is pro-Amazon both in terms of margin and market share. In many ways, it is also pro-competitor/seller/distributor/agency... but it is very much anti-consumer.

And, as I hope we will soon see proven, illegal.

xoxxala 2026-02-25 14:06 UTC link
You can request your complete purchase history from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/privacy-central/data-requests/prev...

They will send you a bunch of spreadsheets and it's pretty easy to calculate your total expenditures. That showed us we were spending about $5k a year, mostly small stuff with very few purchases over $100. With Prime it was easy to order a little here and a little there. All those littles add up.

We got rid of Prime and now spend about $300 a year on Amazon. Half of that for Kindle books. We do spend a $100 a month more at Costco to make up for it. A nice side effect is that we have a lot less clutter and junk around the house.

Vaslo 2026-02-25 19:11 UTC link
I worked for a large CPG company and what you are describing happens everywhere all the time and there is zero illegal about it. It’s called a most favored nation clause and if you do decide to sell lower elsewhere and don’t reduce your price to match (and beat) their competitor, then your MFN customer delists you or stops buying from you.

This is happening constantly with the private label brands you see in major stores. There is no CFPB needed here, Amazon has no obligation to carry your product and can dump you anytime. Why would CFPB get involved?

Some of you are just ridiculous with “get gubbermint involved” on everything. If you want to combat this then don’t buy from Amazon, we don’t need CFPB.

Editorial Channel
What the content says
+0.75
Article 19 Freedom of Expression
High Advocacy Framing
Editorial
+0.75
SETL
+0.27

Content is explicit advocacy journalism reporting on alleged corporate wrongdoing, directly exercising freedom of expression to inform public about market violations.

+0.70
Article 25 Standard of Living
High Advocacy
Editorial
+0.70
SETL
+0.32

Content directly advocates for economic and social rights by exposing price-fixing schemes that harm food security, healthcare access, and general welfare through inflated prices.

+0.65
Preamble Preamble
High Advocacy Framing
Editorial
+0.65
SETL
+0.31

Content frames monopoly power and price-fixing as violations of economic dignity and fair market access, aligned with UDHR's recognition of economic human rights and the dignity of all people.

+0.65
Article 23 Work & Equal Pay
High Advocacy
Editorial
+0.65
SETL
+0.25

Content strongly advocates for labor and economic rights by exposing market practices that inflate consumer prices, reducing wages' purchasing power and worker economic security.

+0.65
Article 26 Education
High Advocacy
Editorial
+0.65
SETL
+0.18

Content advocates for education and human development by providing analytical reporting on economic systems and market regulation, supporting informed participation and critical consciousness.

+0.60
Article 20 Assembly & Association
High Advocacy
Editorial
+0.60
SETL
+0.24

Content advocates for assembly and association by reporting on collective action (state enforcement) against corporate wrongdoing, supporting public interest mobilization.

+0.60
Article 22 Social Security
Medium Advocacy
Editorial
+0.60
SETL
+0.24

Content advocates for social and economic security by challenging price-fixing schemes that undermine consumer welfare and market stability.

+0.55
Article 1 Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood
Medium Framing
Editorial
+0.55
SETL
+0.23

Content implicitly asserts equal rights to fair pricing and protection from exploitative market practices, addressing economic dignity.

+0.55
Article 21 Political Participation
Medium Framing
Editorial
+0.55
SETL
+0.29

Content supports democratic participation by reporting on enforcement actions addressing market violations, enabling informed participation in economic policy.

+0.55
Article 28 Social & International Order
Medium Framing
Editorial
+0.55
SETL
+0.23

Content supports social and international order respecting human rights by advocating for enforcement of economic fairness principles that protect market access and consumer welfare.

+0.50
Article 7 Equality Before Law
Medium Framing
Editorial
+0.50
SETL
+0.22

Content advocates for equal protection under law by highlighting alleged market violations being addressed through legal enforcement.

+0.50
Article 18 Freedom of Thought
Medium Framing
Editorial
+0.50
SETL
+0.16

Content supports freedom of thought and conscience by reporting independently on market abuses and advocating for economic justice based on rational analysis.

+0.50
Article 29 Duties to Community
Medium Framing
Editorial
+0.50
SETL
+0.22

Content frames community responsibilities by advocating for enforcement against market abuses affecting collective economic welfare, supporting balanced rights and duties.

+0.45
Article 10 Fair Hearing
Medium Framing
Editorial
+0.45
SETL
+0.21

Content supports independent adjudication by reporting on state attorney general's action against alleged market conspiracy, emphasizing fair hearing before enforcement.

+0.45
Article 17 Property
Low Framing
Editorial
+0.45
SETL
+0.21

Content implicitly supports property rights protection by challenging monopolistic practices that unfairly exploit consumer purchasing power and wealth.

+0.45
Article 30 No Destruction of Rights
Low Framing
Editorial
+0.45
SETL
+0.21

Content implicitly opposes interpretations of rights that would enable corporate monopoly power and price-fixing, protecting against abuse of Article 30 exceptions.

+0.40
Article 3 Life, Liberty, Security
Medium Framing
Editorial
+0.40
SETL
+0.14

Implicit advocacy for protection of life and security by addressing market exploitation affecting consumer welfare and economic security.

+0.40
Article 12 Privacy
Low Framing
Editorial
+0.40
SETL
-0.15

Content indirectly supports privacy by reporting on enforcement against practices that undermine consumer data and economic privacy (price manipulation).

ND
Article 2 Non-Discrimination

Content does not directly address freedom from discrimination or related protections.

ND
Article 4 No Slavery

Content does not address slavery or servitude.

ND
Article 5 No Torture

Content does not address torture or cruel treatment.

ND
Article 6 Legal Personhood

Content does not address right to legal personhood.

ND
Article 8 Right to Remedy

Content does not directly address effective remedies for human rights violations.

ND
Article 9 No Arbitrary Detention

Content does not address arbitrary arrest or detention.

ND
Article 11 Presumption of Innocence

Content does not address criminal procedure or presumption of innocence.

ND
Article 13 Freedom of Movement

Content does not address freedom of movement.

ND
Article 14 Asylum

Content does not address asylum or refugee protection.

ND
Article 15 Nationality

Content does not address nationality rights.

ND
Article 16 Marriage & Family

Content does not address marriage and family rights.

ND
Article 24 Rest & Leisure

Content does not address rest, leisure, or working hours.

ND
Article 27 Cultural Participation

Content does not directly address cultural participation or intellectual property.

Structural Channel
What the site does
Element Modifier Affects Note
Legal & Terms
Privacy
No privacy policy visible in provided content.
Terms of Service
No terms of service visible in provided content.
Identity & Mission
Mission +0.15
Article 25 Preamble
Schema.org metadata identifies publisher as focused on 'history and politics of monopoly power,' suggesting institutional commitment to economic justice and fair market access.
Editorial Code
No explicit editorial standards or code of conduct visible.
Ownership +0.10
Article 19 Article 20
Author identified as Matt Stoller, Research Director for American Economic Liberties Project, suggesting independent journalism focused on consumer/worker advocacy.
Access & Distribution
Access Model +0.10
Article 19 Article 26
Schema.org indicates content 'isAccessibleForFree:true', supporting open access to information.
Ad/Tracking
No ad tracking mechanisms visible in provided content.
Accessibility
No accessibility features or statements visible in provided content.
+0.65
Article 19 Freedom of Expression
High Advocacy Framing
Structural
+0.65
Context Modifier
+0.20
SETL
+0.27

Free and open access to content, plus author's institutional independence, strongly support freedom of expression principles.

+0.60
Article 26 Education
High Advocacy
Structural
+0.60
Context Modifier
+0.10
SETL
+0.18

Free and open access to complex economic analysis supports education and information rights for all.

+0.55
Article 23 Work & Equal Pay
High Advocacy
Structural
+0.55
Context Modifier
0.00
SETL
+0.25

Independent journalism model supports worker-friendly reporting on corporate market abuses.

+0.55
Article 25 Standard of Living
High Advocacy
Structural
+0.55
Context Modifier
+0.15
SETL
+0.32

Free access ensures all citizens regardless of economic status can access information about threats to standard of living.

+0.50
Preamble Preamble
High Advocacy Framing
Structural
+0.50
Context Modifier
+0.15
SETL
+0.31

Article is freely accessible (isAccessibleForFree:true), supporting open access to information about market violations affecting public welfare.

+0.50
Article 20 Assembly & Association
High Advocacy
Structural
+0.50
Context Modifier
+0.10
SETL
+0.24

Newsletter model enables community of subscribers to collectively engage with advocacy content.

+0.50
Article 22 Social Security
Medium Advocacy
Structural
+0.50
Context Modifier
0.00
SETL
+0.24

Free access ensures all citizens can access information necessary for economic security and decision-making.

+0.45
Article 1 Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood
Medium Framing
Structural
+0.45
Context Modifier
0.00
SETL
+0.23

Site provides equal access to content regardless of user status (free access), supporting equal treatment principle.

+0.45
Article 12 Privacy
Low Framing
Structural
+0.45
Context Modifier
0.00
SETL
-0.15

Free and open access structure supports transparency about privacy-affecting corporate practices.

+0.45
Article 18 Freedom of Thought
Medium Framing
Structural
+0.45
Context Modifier
0.00
SETL
+0.16

Author operates independently (American Economic Liberties Project) with editorial autonomy reflected in critical reporting.

+0.45
Article 28 Social & International Order
Medium Framing
Structural
+0.45
Context Modifier
0.00
SETL
+0.23

Free access supports global information sharing about economic justice enforcement.

+0.40
Article 7 Equality Before Law
Medium Framing
Structural
+0.40
Context Modifier
0.00
SETL
+0.22

Free access to information about enforcement actions supports equal access to justice information.

+0.40
Article 21 Political Participation
Medium Framing
Structural
+0.40
Context Modifier
0.00
SETL
+0.29

Free access supports informed democratic participation by all citizens.

+0.40
Article 29 Duties to Community
Medium Framing
Structural
+0.40
Context Modifier
0.00
SETL
+0.22

Free access model reflects commitment to information rights over commercial gain, demonstrating community-oriented approach.

+0.35
Article 3 Life, Liberty, Security
Medium Framing
Structural
+0.35
Context Modifier
0.00
SETL
+0.14

Free access structure supports safety of information about market threats.

+0.35
Article 10 Fair Hearing
Medium Framing
Structural
+0.35
Context Modifier
0.00
SETL
+0.21

Free access to reporting on legal proceedings supports transparency in judicial matters.

+0.35
Article 17 Property
Low Framing
Structural
+0.35
Context Modifier
0.00
SETL
+0.21

Free access to information about market violations supports consumer awareness of property/value theft.

+0.35
Article 30 No Destruction of Rights
Low Framing
Structural
+0.35
Context Modifier
0.00
SETL
+0.21

Editorial independence from corporate interests prevents misuse of platform for corporate advantage.

ND
Article 2 Non-Discrimination

No observable structural signals related to non-discrimination commitments.

ND
Article 4 No Slavery

No observable structural signals related to Article 4.

ND
Article 5 No Torture

No observable structural signals related to Article 5.

ND
Article 6 Legal Personhood

No observable structural signals related to Article 6.

ND
Article 8 Right to Remedy

No observable structural signals related to remediation mechanisms.

ND
Article 9 No Arbitrary Detention

No observable structural signals related to Article 9.

ND
Article 11 Presumption of Innocence

No observable structural signals related to Article 11.

ND
Article 13 Freedom of Movement

No observable structural signals related to Article 13.

ND
Article 14 Asylum

No observable structural signals related to Article 14.

ND
Article 15 Nationality

No observable structural signals related to Article 15.

ND
Article 16 Marriage & Family

No observable structural signals related to Article 16.

ND
Article 24 Rest & Leisure

No observable structural signals related to Article 24.

ND
Article 27 Cultural Participation

No observable structural signals related to Article 27.

Supplementary Signals
How this content communicates, beyond directional lean. Learn more
Epistemic Quality
How well-sourced and evidence-based is this content?
0.71 medium claims
Sources
0.8
Evidence
0.7
Uncertainty
0.6
Purpose
0.8
Propaganda Flags
2 manipulative rhetoric techniques found
2 techniques detected
loaded language
Headline uses 'BUSTED' and 'Widespread Scheme to Inflate Prices' with strong emotive framing rather than neutral reporting language.
appeal to fear
Emphasis on price-fixing affecting 'entire economy' and 'demanding immediate halt' creates urgency suggesting widespread threat.
Emotional Tone
Emotional character: positive/negative, intensity, authority
urgent
Valence
+0.3
Arousal
0.7
Dominance
0.6
Transparency
Does the content identify its author and disclose interests?
0.33
✓ Author ✗ Conflicts ✗ Funding
More signals: context, framing & audience
Solution Orientation
Does this content offer solutions or only describe problems?
0.45 mixed
Reader Agency
0.5
Stakeholder Voice
Whose perspectives are represented in this content?
0.48 3 perspectives
Speaks: governmentinstitutionindividuals
About: corporationindividualsworkers
Temporal Framing
Is this content looking backward, at the present, or forward?
present immediate
Geographic Scope
What geographic area does this content cover?
national
California, United States
Complexity
How accessible is this content to a general audience?
moderate medium jargon general
Longitudinal 240 HN snapshots · 6 evals
+1 0 −1 HN
Audit Trail 26 entries
2026-02-28 14:24 eval_success Lite evaluated: Moderate positive (0.50) - -
2026-02-28 14:24 model_divergence Cross-model spread 1.19 exceeds threshold (4 models) - -
2026-02-28 14:24 eval Evaluated by llama-3.3-70b-wai: +0.50 (Moderate positive) 0.00
reasoning
Investigative journalism exposes abuse
2026-02-28 14:20 model_divergence Cross-model spread 1.19 exceeds threshold (4 models) - -
2026-02-28 14:20 eval_success Lite evaluated: Moderate positive (0.50) - -
2026-02-28 14:20 eval Evaluated by llama-3.3-70b-wai: +0.50 (Moderate positive)
reasoning
Investigative journalism exposes abuse
2026-02-26 23:03 eval_success Light evaluated: Moderate negative (-0.60) - -
2026-02-26 23:03 eval Evaluated by llama-4-scout-wai: -0.60 (Moderate negative)
2026-02-26 20:12 dlq Dead-lettered after 1 attempts: Amazon accused of widespread scheme to inflate prices across the economy - -
2026-02-26 20:10 rate_limit OpenRouter rate limited (429) model=llama-3.3-70b - -
2026-02-26 20:08 rate_limit OpenRouter rate limited (429) model=llama-3.3-70b - -
2026-02-26 20:07 rate_limit OpenRouter rate limited (429) model=llama-3.3-70b - -
2026-02-26 17:32 dlq Dead-lettered after 1 attempts: Amazon accused of widespread scheme to inflate prices across the economy - -
2026-02-26 17:29 rate_limit OpenRouter rate limited (429) model=llama-3.3-70b - -
2026-02-26 17:28 rate_limit OpenRouter rate limited (429) model=llama-3.3-70b - -
2026-02-26 17:27 rate_limit OpenRouter rate limited (429) model=llama-3.3-70b - -
2026-02-26 09:00 dlq Dead-lettered after 1 attempts: Amazon accused of widespread scheme to inflate prices across the economy - -
2026-02-26 09:00 dlq Dead-lettered after 1 attempts: Amazon accused of widespread scheme to inflate prices across the economy - -
2026-02-26 08:59 dlq Dead-lettered after 1 attempts: Amazon accused of widespread scheme to inflate prices across the economy - -
2026-02-26 08:59 dlq Dead-lettered after 1 attempts: Amazon accused of widespread scheme to inflate prices across the economy - -
2026-02-26 08:58 rate_limit OpenRouter rate limited (429) model=mistral-small-3.1 - -
2026-02-26 08:58 rate_limit OpenRouter rate limited (429) model=hermes-3-405b - -
2026-02-26 08:57 rate_limit OpenRouter rate limited (429) model=qwen3-next-80b - -
2026-02-26 08:43 eval Evaluated by deepseek-v3.2: +0.16 (Mild positive) 15,081 tokens
2026-02-26 04:26 eval Evaluated by claude-haiku-4-5-20251001: +0.59 (Moderate positive) 18,616 tokens +0.09
2026-02-26 02:48 eval Evaluated by claude-haiku-4-5-20251001: +0.49 (Moderate positive) 17,681 tokens