Column by Alexandra Mertsalova about the negative experience of marketplaces

The excessive desire of third-party observers to intercept the agenda is a companion of any high-profile conflict. The protracted proceedings of marketplaces with their sellers were no exception. “A monopolist has been created that behaves unceremoniously, rudely and impudently. I do not exclude that after some time the nationalization of Wildberries will be required to restore order there, ”Andrei Kovalev, chairman of the All-Russian Movement of Entrepreneurs, said at a recent meeting with State Duma deputies.

The reason for the outrageous statement was the numerous conflicts between the marketplace and sellers and owners of pickup points (PIU), which take the form of spontaneous rallies near the company’s office. In the last month alone, they met twice: first, the sellers were dissatisfied with the write-offs of funds for advertising, then with the blocking of accounts. All this is happening against the backdrop of a discussion about the advisability of introducing regulation for marketplaces.

Marketplace scandals are reminiscent of the situation in the housing market five years ago. Before the transition to project financing, developers attracted the bulk of funds for construction work by receiving money directly through equity participation agreements. This practice, on the one hand, allowed potential co-investors to conclude a profitable deal, on the other hand, it left them alone with the risk of construction in progress.

The buyers of apartments, of course, were not ready for the latter: the phenomenon of “deceived equity holders” appeared on the market, holding numerous rallies not only at the doors of companies, but also at government buildings. The phenomenon has become so familiar that the profile portal – the Unified Resource of Developers – in 2017 introduced constant monitoring of rallies of deceived equity holders. Then there were calls for nationalization. For example, Vladimir Zhirinovsky proposed to transfer all housing construction in the country to the Ministry of Construction. The problem was put to an end only thanks to a moratorium on the direct attraction of co-investor funds by developers: now transactions are concluded through escrow accounts.

Will the authorities take such drastic measures in the case of marketplaces? It is quite possible that this will not be required, and, having decided to minimize the attention of regulatory authorities to themselves, large companies will independently decide to limit the practice of doing business with individuals. The same Ozon recently announced the launch of its own pickup points in the branches of the Russian Post, another option is the points of issue of orders in the stores of federal retailers. And an alternative option for working with sellers can be the cooperation of marketplaces through an intermediary company – this is how taxi and delivery services already work.