By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 15/10/2026This rip-off is Amazon's *most* profitable line of business, more profitable than AWS or Prime. It makes the company more than *$80b/year*. And - incredibly - Expedia's found a way to make it even worse. 1947 0
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 15/10/2026Like Amazon, Expedia auctions off its search results. They call this their "VIP listing" program. 1736 0
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 15/10/2026Practically speaking, hotels *have* to pay for this, because it boosts booking rates by 42% (the first ten results on an Expedia search-results page get 62% of the clicks). VIP listing is expensive for the merchant - but it's even more expensive for you and me. 1773 0
