Publications
Publications
- Fall 2014
- Competition Policy International
Price Restrictions in Multi-sided Platforms: Practices and Responses
By: Benjamin Edelman and Julian Wright
Abstract
In connecting buyers to sellers, some two-sided platforms require that sellers offer their lowest prices through the platform, disallowing lower prices for direct sales or sales through competing platforms. In this article, we explore the various contexts where such restrictions have arisen, then consider effects on competition, entry, and efficiency. Where there are plausible mitigating factors, such as efficiencies from platforms’ price restrictions, we explore those rationales and compare them to the harms. We identify a set of responses for competition policy, look at experiences to date, and suggest some future attempts to improve the functioning of these markets.
Keywords
Citation
Edelman, Benjamin, and Julian Wright. "Price Restrictions in Multi-sided Platforms: Practices and Responses." Competition Policy International 10, no. 2 (Fall 2014).