ADVERTISEMENT

Commerce Minister Suggests 'Probe' On E-Commerce Firms

Piyush Goyal suggested a probe if any e-commerce major is violating the norms.
Piyush Goyal suggested a probe if any e-commerce major is violating the norms.

India's retail battle between brick and mortar stores and the online marketplace intensified during the festive season of Diwali after the Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal suggested a probe if any e-commerce major is violating the norms.

The commerce minister said, "E-commerce firms have no right to discount products and use predatory pricing to dominate retail sales."

However, when NDTV reached out to e-commerce majors, Amazon India spokesperson said, "Amazon has a high bar for compliance and we continue to comply with all applicable laws of the land. Amazon.in is a third party marketplace where sellers offer their products to customers for sale. Sellers on amazon.in have the absolute discretion to decide what products to sell and at their prices. Amazon cannot and does not participate in seller's decision related to their products and its prices."

"Flipkart is fully compliant with all laws of the country including FDI regulations. We have always been fully committed to doing business the right way and appreciate the consultative approach that the Commerce Ministry & DPIIT have taken. We continue to be willing to work with the government and all stakeholders to promote a regulatory environment that creates balanced growth that is good for India," Flipkart spokesperson told NDTV.

"We are proud to be supporting job growth in India, supporting sellers, MSMEs, artisans and working with logistics partners including thousands of kiranas and general trade stores," Flipkart's spokesperson added.

While small retailers continue to complain about the subdued festive season, e-commerce majors continue to clock record sales and believe the tide is turning towards the online marketplace and they are doing no wrong.