Amazon Controversies, or “Why we need the blockchain”.

The disadvantages of conventional e-commerce

BitBoost’s blockchain-based platform was created on the premise that traditional online marketplaces are beset with problems – as a number of Amazon controversies demonstrates.

We believe that trade should be free. Wherever you are in the world, it should be possible to buy and sell without the barriers that large corporations typically impose. In our opinion, a marketplace built on blockchain smart contracts is the only way to achieve that, enabling frictionless cross-border financial transactions – and, as importantly, side-stepping the abuses of the existing market leaders. A look at some of the controversies around Amazon shows how badly free trade is undermined in the present system, as well as the various other problems associated with the company.

• Amazon has been accused of using patents as a means to obstruct its competitors – most notably its patent on One-Click purchasing.

• The company has tried to prevent publishers from selling books at a discount on their own websites. This funnels more traffic to Amazon and forces publishers to pay the site’s commission fees.
• Competitors’ products have been banned – for example, Apple TV and Google Chromecast items were dropped, with the accusation against Amazon being that they would take market share away from Amazon Fire TV products.
• The company has engaged in tax avoidance on a scale of hundreds of millions of dollars in the UK and Japan.
• In 2010 Amazon stopped hosting the WikiLeaks website, drawing comparison’s with China’s routine use of online censorship.
• Harsh working conditions in warehouses and for drivers have repeatedly been exposed.
• Individual sellers have reported having accounts closed and payment withheld indefinitely, with no immediate means of redress.

These are just some of the accusations that have been levelled at just one major e-commerce platform. Such problems are endemic where there are large corporations seeking to protect their interests. Addressing this is not a matter of better regulation or appropriate codes of conduct, but a completely different business model and structure.

The BitBoost marketplace is designed to help buyers and sellers connect directly, with no unnecessary intervention, costs or unwanted censorship, wherever they are in the world. We hope you’ll see the value in that and join us in a new e-commerce movement!

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