Business owner concerned antitrust lawsuit could be ‘detrimental’ for small businesses nationwide

SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - A Shepherdsville business owner is concerned a lawsuit against the retail giant, Amazon, could negatively affect her business and thousands of others like hers.

Dana Midkiff owns Pink Door Wreaths. Her products are made for every season and occasion, and her biggest sales platform is Amazon. A new lawsuit filed by the FTC claims Amazon is breaking anti trust laws through actions that allow them to “degrade quality for shoppers, overcharge sellers, and stifle innovation.”

Midkiff says she doesn’t feel overcharged, her product’s quality isn’t degrading and she’s reaching an audience through Amazon she’d never reach otherwise. If Amazon is forced to change their ways and cut ties with small businesses that allow Amazon to sell their products on Prime, Midkiff is afraid her business could spiral. She said she has friends in similar situations with their own businesses.

“If you turn around and say that’s not something [where] we can send our items in to get our sales up, to get to the customers in two days, or we’re not allowed to sell on the platform in general,” she explained. “I can tell you it’s going to take a lot of us down.”

The lawsuit against Amazon was field in September. Amazon responded to the FTC calling the lawsuit ‘misguided’ and alleging it could lead to practices that actually ‘harm consumers’ and the businesses that use their services.

Read the full response here.

You can read the FTC’s lawsuit here.

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