But the vendor agrees to let Amazon set their prices in return for, essentially, being an Amazon-sponsored product. The vendor doesn't have to participate, in which case it can still set its own prices.
I can see the argument that it's price fixing if Amazon & the 3rd party both agree to sell at the same price, but even then I'm not sure it's anti-competitive or anti-trust when some other 3rd party can come in, see the higher prices, and decide to undercut them. Not unless Amazon get's all sellers of a product to agree, but the article doesn't directly allege that.
I can see the argument that it's price fixing if Amazon & the 3rd party both agree to sell at the same price, but even then I'm not sure it's anti-competitive or anti-trust when some other 3rd party can come in, see the higher prices, and decide to undercut them. Not unless Amazon get's all sellers of a product to agree, but the article doesn't directly allege that.