Apple and Amazon Face Antitrust Scrutiny in Germany Over 'Brandgating'

[shplock]

I can't stand them either.
No reason to justify a ban though.
It's anti competitive, because it hurts legitimate sellers that have every reason to exist. The free market collapses without them.

Try reading the article and not trolling. That is NOT what is been reported. We are not on about 3rd party resellers who are legit but on about the dodgy and fake scammers who sell you products that are fake and dangerous.
Different thing entirely so please try again.

 

[shplock]

Pretty tough to accuse others of a lie and entirely misrepresenting the whole situation.

This is about Amazon + Apple.

So why are YOU doing EXACTLY that then?

 

[[AUT] Thomas]

Why can’t Apple choose who it wants to sell their products and also control retail price?

Are you serious?

If Apple wants to control the retail price they should just not sell to free merchants in first place but only their "authorized resellers"... Simple as that...

Sounds like a country making something that isn’t an issue into an issue just to go after big tech

Sounds like someone who doesn't understand the issue...

 

[ActionableMango]

But people can't even sell genuine used Apple phones or laptops, ones that have been refurbished for example with new battery, fixed screens, etc.

We're not just talking about counterfit chargers and crappy cables. They are banning sales of used devices.

No, they haven't banned that. A quick look at amazon.de show several options for used iPhones.

Apple iPhone SE (64 GB) - (Product) RED (inklusive EarPods, Power Adapter)

Das iPhone SE ist das leistungsstärkste 4,7" iPhone aller Zeiten. Es hat den A13 Bionic, den schnellsten Smartphone Chip, für unglaubliche Leistung für Apps, Spiele und Fotografie. Porträtmodus für Porträts in Studioqualität und sechs Lichteffekte. Smart HDR der nächsten Generation für unglaublic...

www.amazon.de

Apple iPhone XR (64GB) - Weiß (inklusive EarPods, Power Adapter)

Das iPhone Xʀ kommt mit dem fortschrittlichsten LCD Display der Branche – einem 6,1" Liquid Retina Display mit der besten Farbgenauigkeit der Branche. Durch das innovative Design der Hintergrund-Beleuchtung reicht das Display bis in die Ecken. Sechs beeindruckende neue Farben. Mit dem weiterentwi...

www.amazon.de

Apple iPhone 11 (64 GB) - Grün (inklusive EarPods, Power Adapter)

Nimm 4K Videos, beeindruckende Porträts und endlose Landschaften mit dem völlig neuen Zwei- Kamera-System auf. Mach mit dem Nachtmodus bei wenig Licht Fotos, wie du sie noch nie gemacht hast. Sieh deine Fotos, Videos und Spiele auf dem 6,1" Liquid Retina Display in lebensechten Farben. Erlebe mit...

www.amazon.de

 

[ActionableMango]

That means you can buy iPhones (new or refurbished) ONLY from Amazon directly.

That does not appear to be the case. A few examples, all of which have non-Amazon resellers selling new:

Apple iPhone SE (64 GB) - (Product) RED (inklusive EarPods, Power Adapter)

Das iPhone SE ist das leistungsstärkste 4,7" iPhone aller Zeiten. Es hat den A13 Bionic, den schnellsten Smartphone Chip, für unglaubliche Leistung für Apps, Spiele und Fotografie. Porträtmodus für Porträts in Studioqualität und sechs Lichteffekte. Smart HDR der nächsten Generation für unglaublic...

www.amazon.de

Apple iPhone XR (64GB) - Weiß (inklusive EarPods, Power Adapter)

Das iPhone Xʀ kommt mit dem fortschrittlichsten LCD Display der Branche – einem 6,1" Liquid Retina Display mit der besten Farbgenauigkeit der Branche. Durch das innovative Design der Hintergrund-Beleuchtung reicht das Display bis in die Ecken. Sechs beeindruckende neue Farben. Mit dem weiterentwi...

www.amazon.de

Apple iPhone 11 (64 GB) - Grün (inklusive EarPods, Power Adapter)

Nimm 4K Videos, beeindruckende Porträts und endlose Landschaften mit dem völlig neuen Zwei- Kamera-System auf. Mach mit dem Nachtmodus bei wenig Licht Fotos, wie du sie noch nie gemacht hast. Sieh deine Fotos, Videos und Spiele auf dem 6,1" Liquid Retina Display in lebensechten Farben. Erlebe mit...

www.amazon.de

 

[hot-gril]

Retail arbitrage needs to be banned from Amazon, Walmart, and Sears completely. There are so many fly by night sellers on Amazon that pick up products in closeout sales, store closings, etc then turn around and flip them on Amazon while completely undercutting legitimate sellers who have established relationships with the brands they represent.

So what? That's the market. Like how taxi drivers complained Uber was undercutting them.

The only issue is when people don't get what they buy but instead get a damaged product or a knockoff.

 

[5232152]

Sounds like a country making something that isn’t an issue into an issue just to go after big tech

Americans have always had a hard time understanding / accepting that EU has capitalism in a tight leash to avoid American standards of nepotism, cartels and other big company shenanigans. For us, this is plain and simple logic.

 

[hot-gril]

Try reading the article and not trolling. That is NOT what is been reported. We are not on about 3rd party resellers who are legit but on about the dodgy and fake scammers who sell you products that are fake and dangerous.
Different thing entirely so please try again.

Only if you take what Apple's PR has said at face value. Maybe it's true, but nobody knows; the regulators will obtain way more info on the reality than any of us have at the moment.

 

[Maconplasma]

There are legitimate reasons to sell used devices. And idk what you're talking about because I've never seen people trying to sell such commodity new items for higher than what Apple sells them for. Seems like not a very clever scam. Unless you mean scalping of release-date phones, which is different, but I still don't mind it happening.

Firstly, stop stalking me. Every post I put up you're stalking me. Of course you don't know what I'm talking about because secondly I never said that anyone was selling Apple products on Amazon for more than what Apple sells them for. I said that I didn't like Amazon sellers gouging customers so I prefer to buy directly from Amazon. Get your facts straight. Thirdly I never commented on people selling used devices on Amazon. Point to that post where I stated such? You won't find it, because I never stated that, so once again get your facts straight and stop stalking me.

 

[lolkthxbai]

inept officials making ignorant decisions to no one’s benefit

 

[hot-gril]

Firstly, stop stalking me.

I only responded to you once before, in another thread, and you quoted me first there. But here, my block list will fix that.

 

[Brian Y]

And yet the sale of accessories, whose design can be easily copied, is allowed.
While the sale of iPhones that can hardly be copied equally easily is banned.
So the whole knock-off argument really doesn't hold.

In the end, anyone with a credit card should be able to realize that a purchase over several hundreds of $$ requires a little care. Amazon has a rating system for that, and special warranties that help you to get your money back.
If you're not smart enough for that, tough luck.

Personally, I find it highly questionable when big tech companies climb into the same bed and make up rules that benefit only them, but not the customer.

They have a rating system, indeed, but it's not reliable.

If you want an example of that, search for "bluetooth headphones" and order the results by average customer reviews. The first page and a half of results are all chinese unknown brands (mostly airpods knockoffs) which have had the reviews gamed.