Did Amazon really do this to its sellers? [Crew Review]

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The antitrust battle between the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Amazon continues. 

This time, it’s revealed that the FTC is accusing the e-commerce giant of kicking its sellers from the Buy Box if they offer their products at a lower price on other platforms—specifically, at Jet.com.

Walmart eventually acquired Jet.com in 2016 and discontinued it in June 2020.

Allegedly, Amazon wanted to ensure that it offered customers the lowest prices. As a result, third-party sellers were forced to price their products higher on other platforms, a move that is regarded by the FTC as anti-competitive.

Amazon Top Terms

Dive into the past two weeks and delve into the Amazon top 10 search terms that have experienced a surge in popularity from October 22 to November 4.

This week's Amazon top 10 highlights "winter gloves for men," claiming the #7 spot with a remarkable sales surge from 1,282 units per day to an impressive 3,634 units per day in the last two weeks.

The spike in popularity is likely tied to the upcoming winter and dropping temperatures, showcasing the seasonal demand for this product.

Keeping It Fresh

E-commerce is a dynamic field. There are always new developments, new policy changes, and even new black hat tactics emerging.

To keep our Premium members always ahead of their competitors, we’ve decided to turn our monthly Q&A webinars into weekly office hours. Here, we’re going to answer e-commerce questions live to make it a more frequent and more interactive mentorship.

As we do every year, we’re launching EcomCrew Premium at our Black Friday rates. And as always, there’s an additional discount for those who sign up before we launch.

Sign up for the waitlist.

TikTok’s Fulfillment Network

TikTok is more than just a platform to house the viral dances on the internet. The company has been vocal about its plans to use the social media app for e-commerce.

One of its latest developments is partnering with established third-party logistics providers like ShipBob in order to attract more merchants. Small business owners have been using TikTok to promote their products, but putting a fulfillment system in place can potentially change the game.

According to Backlinko, TikTok has over 50 million active users in the US daily, It can leverage this audience to compete directly with Amazon.

However, while Amazon has its own logistics network, TikTok (at present) relies on 3PLs to aid its merchants in shipping their products. Clearly, the social media app has a long way to go, considering that Amazon is always improving its system and has introduced the Amazon Warehousing & Distribution (AWD), a cheaper alternative to the usual 3PLs.

Etc.

Did we meet in India? We had a blast meeting fellow e-commerce sellers in the latest India Sourcing Summit. In case you weren’t able to come, you can watch Mike’s talk here.

Alibaba’s AI. Unsurprisingly, one of the biggest tech companies in the world recently launched an AI model that will compete with Amazon and Microsoft. 

Amazon’s newest perk. For an additional $99 per year, Prime members in the US will be able to have a year-long access to One Medical. Will this encourage more people to sign up for Prime?