Denver, CO

The Internet is, essentially, a free market economy of its own.

There are relatively no barriers to entry so anyone with access to a computer and Internet can participate. Once online, anyone can buy, sell, trade any item or service. There is a virtually unlimited amount of information available.

Are there problems and risks with the Internet marketplace? Yes.

Can government oversight limit all the risks for every participant without stifling the market? No.

However, the people themselves are constantly at work regulating the marketplace. We see this on Amazon with buyer feedback and ratings for the sellers. Most people will not buy from a seller who has negative feedback or does not have a strong track record.

Also, most people are in control of themselves enough to avoid the websites that are not to their liking. Sites that have content they may not wish to view, products and services they view as scams, etc. Sometimes these are unavoidable, momentarily at least, when a pesky pop-up appears offering some prize for being the one millionth visitor. So what does the market offer in turn? Pop up blockers!!!

Going back to that pesky pop-up: some people click through and complete the several offers or whatever rabbit trail is proposed to get the price. And some of these are scams. Yes, in all economies there are bottom feeders who mislead, misdirect, and underserve, or even flat our steal from the consumer. I know cause I’ve been taken advantage of by a few online schemes. But rest assured, the market figures it out again and I, now an informed consumer, will no longer allow myself to fall victim to these predators.