General   (General discussion, talk about anything.)

I recall when Amazon started out selling books.

WH Smith did a 'me too': they started to sell online and at a discount.

The difference is that WHS had to pay UK taxes where Amazon did not, so competitive advantage to Amazon. WHS soon forced out of the competition.

Don't get me wrong. I buy from Amazon. Probably it is a good thing.

But it is at the cost of taking trade from UK businesses, and of eliminating competition.

We are probably paying more for our online purchases than would have obtained had there been a level playing field, and a competitive network of online suppliers.