Laws and regulations

Amazon Business promotes business procurement from SMEs with the introduction of a new feature in the United Kingdom. This feature enables procurement professionals to make targeted purchases from sellers with fewer than 250 employees and less than 50 million euros in revenue.

The customs legislation in Switzerland is undergoing a major overhaul. The legislative amendment, approved by the National Council, could have significant implications for parcel delivery in Switzerland. Critics anticipate that it will become slower, more complicated, and more expensive.

Amazon has infringed on British trademark rights by promoting identical branded products from another party to British shoppers on its US website. The ruling could have implications for other trademark holders and licensees in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Amazon lobbyists are no longer welcome in the European Parliament. Their access passes are being revoked due to concerns over transparency and working conditions, marking a rare decision.

To help merchants set up their general terms and conditions, Shopify has a policy generator. It is free to use, and according to the platform, it generates individually adapted terms and conditions for a shop. However, in Germany, it seems that the generated texts are not completely legally secure.

Amazon has created a new page on its European marketplaces, offering customers direct access to recalls and product safety alerts. It aims to help customers shop with confidence.

Handelsverband Deutschland (HDE) calls on politicians to be stricter towards cheap marketplaces from China, including Temu. The interest group advocates for strengthening customs and suggests a digital platform where every shipment must be registered.

The British government has issued an urgent plea to Amazon to unfreeze seller funds. Kevin Hollinrake, the enterprise minister, expressed deep concern after a flood of complaints. “I would urge you to look into this issue further as a matter of urgency", he wrote to Amazon.

Many British Amazon merchants are at a loss after the platform froze payments, leading to numerous questions and complaints from traders. Some of them claim to be in financial straits due to the situation.

As of next spring, German individuals who engage in significant trading on platforms may face scrutiny from tax authorities. This is a result of the new European Platform Tax Transparency Act.

For the allocation of the Buy Box, Amazon in the United Kingdom promises not to differentiate between online sellers who use or do not use Prime-related fulfillment services. “Eligibility for Prime and the Prime badge will not be a criterion when determining the Featured Offer.”

For online sellers, it is more important that existing rules are enforced than the introduction of new rules. This is stated by Ecommerce Europe in a manifesto prepared in the lead-up to the elections for a new European Parliament.

Amazon has recently frozen funds of legitimate sales partners. The company has now acknowledged that mistakes were made. The blockade is being lifted, but sellers continue to face problems.

The European Commission has asked the Alibaba subsidiary, AliExpress, for a clarification. Brussels wants to know what the platform is doing to combat the trade in illegal products, including counterfeit medicines. AliExpress has been given three weeks to provide an explanation.

The European Parliament has approved a right of withdrawal for financial services contracts concluded online. A “completely irrelevant provision” has crept in regarding all distance selling contracts.