Specific quote is:
> Imposing a minimum shipping cost for books would weigh on the purchasing power of consumers.
The other side is a bit more complex, but Amazon is definitely subsidizing shipping costs from their yearly subscription and seller fees. The argument is that this is unfair to smaller companies which don't have capital to burn... and that is kind of true? I think there are valid points on both sides.
They may not be subsidizing shipping at all beyond the amount they would normally discount new books, but law prohibits such discounting as well. Books could be a loss leader here, but I'm not sure of it.
The other side is a bit more complex, but Amazon is definitely subsidizing shipping costs from their yearly subscription and seller fees. The argument is that this is unfair to smaller companies which don't have capital to burn... and that is kind of true? I think there are valid points on both sides.