IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Amazon accused of widespread scheme to inflate prices across the economy

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Amazon’s anti‑competitive pricing tactics

“Amazon has been openly doing this for years. They scrape other competitor websites… if you sell for less elsewhere they find out and punish you.” – SilverElfin
“Amazon’s policy that sellers can’t price lower elsewhere is a classic anti‑competitive practice.” – SilverElfin

2. Legal and regulatory pushback (and its limits)

“The fact that California is pushing this gives me some hope.” – paxys
“At best such a case could end up in front of a Supreme Court 6‑3 in Amazon's favor.” – sethops1
“The CFPB effectively doesn’t exist anymore.” – mparkms

3. The burden on small sellers and the power imbalance

“Small companies and individuals cannot pursue expensive lawsuits. It risks their livelihood while it goes through courts over years.” – SilverElfin
“Amazon forces its sellers to ‘fix’ their prices to match the Amazon price… this is a huge red flag.” – array4277

4. Consumer experience and trust issues

“I’ve had multiple orders that didn’t ship for 3 or 4 days… Amazon listings are almost half Sponsored listings now.” – oblio
“The return area was a small room with pieces of paper taped to a door… orders are now often so delayed that it makes the Prime subscription pointless.” – oblio

These four themes—Amazon’s price‑control mechanisms, the legal struggle to curb them, the toll on independent sellers, and the erosion of consumer trust—dominate the discussion.

🚀 Project Ideas

ParityGuard

Summary

  • Browser extension that tracks Amazon’s price‑matching policy for each product a seller lists.
  • Alerts sellers when Amazon’s price parity clause would trigger a penalty or delisting.
  • Provides real‑time price optimization suggestions to keep margins while staying compliant.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Third‑party Amazon sellers, small e‑commerce brands
Core Feature Real‑time price parity monitoring, penalty alerts, margin‑optimized pricing suggestions
Tech Stack Chrome/Firefox extension API, Node.js backend, Redis cache, Amazon MWS/SP‑API integration
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue‑ready: subscription ($9/mo) + freemium tier

Notes

  • “Amazon forces its sellers to ‘fix’ their prices to match the Amazon price.” – SilverElfin
  • Sellers fear retaliation and high fees; ParityGuard gives them a safety net.
  • The tool turns a legal nightmare into a simple dashboard, sparking discussion on seller rights.

PriceScout

Summary

  • Web app that aggregates product listings from Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and niche marketplaces.
  • Displays price, shipping cost, seller rating, review authenticity score, and product specs in one view.
  • Enables consumers to compare across platforms and sellers to benchmark competition.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Price‑conscious shoppers, small sellers, market researchers
Core Feature Unified price comparison, review credibility scoring, shipping cost calculator
Tech Stack Python (Scrapy), PostgreSQL, React, Docker, AWS Lambda
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue‑ready: affiliate commissions + premium analytics ($19/mo)

Notes

  • “It’s hard to find some brand names because they don’t want to be in that cesspool.” – mixdup
  • “Fake reviews are rampant.” – shmeeed
  • PriceScout gives transparency that many commenters crave, turning the “search engine” problem into a clean comparison tool.

SellerLegalNet

Summary

  • Community‑driven platform that connects small sellers with pro‑bono lawyers, legal templates, and a shared cost‑tracking system.
  • Features a “legal expense pool” where sellers can contribute to a collective fund for class‑action or arbitration support.
  • Provides educational resources on antitrust and contract law.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Small e‑commerce sellers, independent brands
Core Feature Lawyer matchmaking, shared legal expense ledger, legal knowledge base
Tech Stack Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, Stripe for payments, WebRTC for consultations
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue‑ready: lawyer referral fee + subscription ($5/mo)

Notes

  • “Small companies and individuals cannot pursue expensive lawsuits.” – SilverElfin
  • “Loser pays legal fees would be one small step.” – PaulDavisThe1st
  • By lowering the cost barrier, SellerLegalNet addresses a major frustration and could ignite a new wave of seller advocacy.

OpenMarket Protocol

Summary

  • Decentralized marketplace built on blockchain that enforces open pricing, transparent fee structures, and smart‑contract dispute resolution.
  • Eliminates price‑parity clauses and allows sellers to set independent prices across all channels.
  • Provides a trustless review system powered by token‑based reputation.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Independent sellers, tech‑savvy consumers, anti‑monopoly advocates
Core Feature Smart‑contract listings, fee‑free marketplace, token‑based reputation
Tech Stack Solidity (Ethereum), IPFS, React, Node.js, Polygon for low fees
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue‑ready: 0.5% transaction fee + optional premium analytics ($10/mo)

Notes

  • “Amazon’s coercive price‑matching keeps sellers from competing.” – SilverElfin
  • “We need a marketplace that doesn’t let a single company dictate prices.” – mixdup
  • OpenMarket Protocol offers a concrete alternative to the current oligopoly, sparking debate on the future of e‑commerce.

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