Sellers ask antitrust body to probe Rakuten's free shipping policy english.kyodonews.net

KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 14:12 | All, JapanMerchants on Rakuten Inc.'s online shopping mall have requested that the Japan Fair Trade Commission investigate the e-commerce giant's planned "free shipping" policy, according to sources familiar with the move.
In March, Rakuten will start free shipping on all orders exceeding 3,980 yen ($36), except those from Okinawa Prefecture and remote islands.
At present, merchants on Rakuten's online shopping mall independently set shipping fees for each item, with some providing free shipping and others offering no such services.
Small-scale sellers say they cannot survive without passing on shipping costs to customers, a move that would make them less competitive than major merchants.
About 49,000 merchants are taking part in Rakuten's online shopping mall, generating a total of some 3.4 trillion yen in transaction last year, making it one of the biggest players in Japan.