[secabeen]

A lot of this is coming from the supreme court allowing companies to enforce Minimum Advertised Prices for items, and to require high prices. Amazon largely doesn't want to play the "see the price in your cart" game, and so, the price is what the manufacturer says, unless it's during a specifically authorized sale.

Before the MAP ruling, manufacturers could not ban resellers based on pricing, and you saw a lot more Internet discounting on products that the manufacturer saw as "premier" items, that they didn't want reputationally-impacted by low sale prices.

[robryan]

Yeah, in some of the branded Cosmetics you will be Amazon plus 4 or 5 other sellers all at the MAP. Brands where they have banned the grey market so it is all authorized sellers having the follow the MAP to keep their deal.