Well, according to TFA, you're still paying an Amazon tax, which is itself similar to the Visa tax, which apparently we all pay even if we use cash to purchase directly from manufacturers (so long as the manufacturer also sells their product on Amazon).

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not-kinsale-joe a day ago | parent | next [-]

At least when I buy direct from the manufacturer the extra tax I pay goes straight to them and not amazon.

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mahboi a day ago | parent | prev [-]

The Visa tax is illegal now btw. Places are increasingly offering cash or debit discounts.

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jagged-chisel a day ago | parent [-]

I don't know about "increasingly." I think there are two places in my area of the city that offer a cash discount. These kinds of tactics really aren't convincing customers to use cash - maybe if they turned it around to "a 3% fee will be added to card transactions" then people would care. Anyway, discounts are enough of a pain that it's not worth the accounting.

Look at your costs, including card transactions fees, and spread that across your pricing. It's no different than pricing in all other business expenses - do you complain you're paying a "toilet tissue tax" because you don't use the toilet when you stop in? Paper products in the bathroom are a cost, and those costs are put into the price everyone pays for a donut.

Now, I'll agree having a minimum plus percentage of every transaction is predatory.

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mahboi a day ago | parent [-]

They phrase it as surcharge sometimes, or just cash vs credit prices at most gas stations. Toilet paper isn't 3-5% of revenue.

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jagged-chisel a day ago | parent [-]

If you have enough cash customers, total card transaction costs are not 3-5% of revenue. If you don’t, you’re definitely putting 3-5% back into your pricing to cover the fees.

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mahboi a day ago | parent [-]

But the ones in the second case don't put 3-5% back into their pricing, they do a credit surcharge.

	▲	jagged-chisel a day ago \| parent [-]
		You're right. But in my anecdotal experience, there are about half as many adding the surcharge as providing the discount. Ultimately, my point is (not even addressing the legality of Visa's compulsory pricing attempts) the cost of upfront analysis to set pricing appropriately is easily dwarfed by the cost of labor and throughput when adjusting the price by employees at the point of sale. Maybe the merchants adjusting at sale are getting a benefit in the form of customer awareness, but I have doubts.