Amazon.com will reportedly reduce/discount the prices of products from third-party sellers on its website, and some of those sellers are none too pleased.
The move goes way beyond Amazon's typical approach of discounting the items that it sells directly to consumers. What is essentially happening here is that Amazon will sell the products of these sellers at lower prices but it will still give the full price to the seller.
The reason this new program upsets sellers is that it arguably provides one more reason for consumers not to visit those sellers (stores like Wal-Mart), which could obviously prove problematic as the holiday season approaches.
The "discount provided by Amazon" option will apply to a range of products including board games and tech gadgets offered by other merchants. Third-party sellers will, however, be able to opt out of the program at any time.
"When Amazon provides a discount, customers get the products they want at a price they'll love, and small businesses receive increased sales at their listed asking price," Amazon said in an emailed statement.