By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 04/09/2026I don't just mean they're getting screwed by being forced to shell out payola - I mean that Amazon is *cheating them* on that payola! 52/ 11097
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 04/09/2026Remember: Amazon doesn't just *sell* search placement; they *auction* it. Every time you run an Amazon search, the company conducts a special kind of auction called a "sealed-bid second-price auction" (SBSPA): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickrey... 53/en.wikipedia.orgVickrey auction - Wikipedia 110913
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 04/09/2026Under an SBSPA, bidders secretly tell the auctioneer the *very highest price* they're willing to pay. The auctioneer then charges the highest bidder a price equal to the *second-highest* bid, plus one cent. 54/ 11024
