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Amazon Is Accused of Forcing Up Prices in Antitrust Complaint

In letter to Congress, a merchant argues that the company is hurting consumers—the traditional basis for such cases in the U.S.  

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Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
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In a letter sent to federal lawmakers, an online merchant has accused Amazon.com Inc. of forcing him and other sellers to use the company’s expensive logistics services, which in turn forces them to raise prices for consumers. 

The 62-page document, reviewed by Bloomberg, lays out an antitrust case that emphasizes harm to consumers—the traditional basis for such cases in the U.S.  Until now, antitrust experts have suggested that Amazon was not vulnerable to such an argument and that regulators would need to find another way to restrain the company’s growing market power.