By Sam Douglass

“It’s time we return power to the people,” wrote Congresswoman Balint on Facebook.

On July 21, Vermont’s sole member of the U.S House of Representatives, Becca Balint (D-VT), introduced legislation designed to give protections for independent businesses that sell through online marketplaces, like Amazon. In her press release and posts on social media, she argued that large corporations should not be able to jeopardize a seller’s livelihood without transparency or due process in the event of seller funds or inventory being withheld.

Balint, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus’s Ending Corporate Greed Task Force, joined with New York Democrat Rep. Nydia Velázquez and several other Democratic lawmakers to introduce what they call the Online Sellers’ Bill of Rights Act of 2026. Their legislation directs the Federal Trade Commission to establish new federal protections for sellers using platforms such as Amazon and Walmart by requiring advance notice of policy changes, limiting how long companies can freeze inventory or withhold payments, and requiring due process before suspending sellers or removing listings.

“No corporation should have the power to destroy someone’s livelihood with the click of a button,” Balint wrote in her press release. “Right now, a handful of massive online retailers can suspend sellers, freeze their inventory, and cut off their income with little explanation and virtually no accountability. I’m proud to partner with Ranking Member Velázquez to introduce the Online Sellers Bill of Rights to give small businesses in Vermont and across the country the transparency, due process, and fair chance to compete that they deserve.”

According to data published by the online retail giant in May 2025, independent sellers on Amazon in Vermont averaged more than $205,000 in annual sales and sold more than 4 million items during 2024. In 2019, Vermont ranked 8th nationally among the fastest growing small and medium sized businesses on Amazon. For rural businesses, online retailers like Amazon can be a lifeline by providing a wider reach to access customers nationwide.

The bill would also require platforms to provide at least 30 days of advance notice prior to policy changes affecting product eligibility, listing restrictions, compliance requirements or fee structures. If a platform newly restricts a product category after inventory has already entered its fulfillment network, sellers would either be allowed to continue selling existing inventory for at least 30 days or have that inventory returned at no cost.

Balint said these protections are necessary because a relatively small number of companies now dominate online commerce. About 255 million Americans shop on Amazon annually, roughly 40 percent of online transactions occur through its marketplace, and more than half of the U.S. e-commerce market is controlled by just four companies, wrote Balint.

The legislation is cosponsored by several House Democrats and has received endorsements from organizations including the Responsible Online Commerce Coalition, Open Markets Institute, Main Street Alliance, Public Citizen, Small Business Majority and other advocacy groups focused on competition and small business issues.