Column by Anatoly Kostyrev on ideas for regulating marketplaces

The fire in the Wildberries warehouse complex in Shushary near St. Petersburg and its consequences, which attracted the attention of the media for some time, apparently, have actualized the topic of regulation of marketplaces in the information field. In recent days, several statements have appeared on this topic from different parties.

The head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), Maxim Shaskolsky, said last week that the service has established the collective dominant position of Wildberries and Ozon in the online retail market, adding that marketplaces receive many complaints from consumers and counterparties, and FAS is working with the companies. On Monday, TASS, citing the Ministry of Finance, announced plans to create an e-commerce operator in Russia, which should provide logistics for purchases on marketplaces, interact with sites and monitor the storage of goods. And the head of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy, Andrei Kutepov, told Forbes about the readiness of a bill that would limit the opening of new pick-up points for marketplaces with a share of online sales above 25%.

Despite the loud announcements, so far the statements are more reminiscent of hasty fire extinguishing than preparation for serious regulation of the industry. Moreover, other similar initiatives already exist. In September 2023, State Duma deputies, including the head of the “A Just Russia – for Truth” faction, Sergei Mironov, introduced a bill that would introduce responsibility for information on sites, regulate the issuance of fines by marketplaces, limit the possibility of changing the offer, etc. According to RBC, the government advocated for finalizing the document, suggesting that legislators, among other things, think about an alternative to the word “marketplace.”

The situation is reminiscent of the scenario in which the story of the legalization of online alcohol sales developed. The experiment with the online sale of Russian wine through Russian Post, planned for 2021, has not yet launched. An alternative bill by Senator Andrei Klishas, ​​which would have allowed the online sale and delivery of alcohol to companies with a license if included in a separate register, also did not reach implementation. And since 2019, the tourism market has been talking about the need to legalize guest houses and short-term rental tourist housing. And there are already two bills that partially contradict each other.

Marketplaces are likely to benefit from the current development of the situation. After all, it should be easier for industry lobbyists to fight off disparate initiatives than to fight off a bill promoted by the joint efforts of several parties, which would regulate the bulk of controversial issues.