Aussie Regulator To Probe Amazon, eBay On Retail Market Practices

The Australian antitrust regulator on Thursday began an inquiry into the local units of Amazon.com Inc., eBay Inc., and other online markets to ensure fairness in a sector where sales have soared through the coronavirus pandemic, Byron Kaye reported for Reuters.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which previously slapped the world's toughest content licensing rules on Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google, said it was now looking at retail as part of a wider examination of so-called Big Tech.

"Online marketplaces are an important and growing segment of the economy so it is important that we understand how online marketplaces operate and whether they are working effectively for consumers and businesses," ACCC Chair Rod Sims said in a statement.

"We want to be sure that the rules that apply to traditional retail are also complied with in the online context." The ACCC would take submissions until mid-August with a final report due in March 2022, the regulator said.

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