Just a couple of days after Flipkart announced the dates of its "The Big Billion Days" sale, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has written to the government seeking a "blanket ban" on festive season sales conducted by the e-commerce giant as well as its rival Amazon and other such platforms.

The All India Online Vendors Association (AIOVA) claims that Amazon India has implemented a new ‘regional visibility programme’ that restricts products to regional zone visibility. Simply put, a Mumbai-based seller will not be able to sell products to customers in New Delhi unless they stock up inventory at Amazon’s fulfilment centres in New Delhi, an AIOVA spokesperson said.

A team of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigators has begun interviewing small businesses that sell products on Amazon.com to determine whether the e-commerce giant is using its market power to hurt competition.

Several attorneys and at least one economist have been conducting interviews that typically last about 90 minutes and cover a range of topics, according to three merchants.

The Supreme Court will hear on Wednesday a batch of appeals by Amazon Seller Services against the Delhi High Court’s July order that asked the e-commerce company to stop selling products of direct selling companies like Amway, Oriflame, and Modicare without prior permission and authorisation.

A bench led by RF Nariman is likely to hear the appeals by Amazon on Wednesday.

BENGALURU : Amazon.com Inc's India unit said on Wednesday it would replace all single use plastic in its packaging by June 2020 with paper cushions, the latest major company to join the country's fight against environmental pollution.

Amazon's move comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming ban on plastic bags, cups and straws.

In the competitive fashion e-tailing segment, smaller e-tailers and online-first private labels are now flocking to the sector’s mega marketplaces in order to survive. Consider how fashion marketplace Voonik, which has pivoted its business model to become a fashion brand, recently launched 350 products on Snapdeal. The start-up also plans to introduce its products on Amazon and Flipkart-owned Myntra.

Amazon.com defended its business strategies in India as it came under fire from a local trader group on Friday over discounted products on the global e-commerce giant's website.

New e-commerce foreign investment rules that took effect in India from February were designed to help small traders by curbing heavy online discounting, but traders have complained that big online retailers use complex business structures to circumvent the rules and continue to burn billions of dollars to offer discounts.

Amazon India’s new delivery centre in Pune has emerged as its largest facility in the country at a time when the e-commerce major has doubled its delivery network in Maharashtra in the last six months. The 40,000-sq ft delivery station in Pune’s IT hub in Hinjewadi is part of Amazon India’s aggressive expansion in Maharashtra where it has taken its direct delivery presence to 900 pin codes with the ability to deliver in one to two days at these locations and penetrate further into smaller towns.

Amazon is in late-stage talks to acquire as much as 10% of Kishore Biyani’s Future Retail, people familiar with the negotiations said, as the US company moves to bolster its brick-and-mortar presence in one of the world’s fastest-growing retail markets.

India’s No. 2 retailer by turnover, Future is seeking a valuation of about Rs 2,000 crore ($281 million) from Amazon for the stake, according to the people, who asked not to be identified.

American e-commerce giant Amazon is in advanced stage of discussions with Future Retail Ltd for picking up 8-10 per cent stake in the Indian retail chain, according to sources.

The deal with the Kishore Biyani-led company is expected to close in the next few weeks, sources close to the development said.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.