Investment rule tweak could be win for e-comm cos

India’s government has drafted a proposal to ease foreign investment rules to allow e-commerce firms such as Amazon to buy products directly from Indian sellers and then sell them to overseas customers, a document showed.

- Reuters [e-mail]

India prohibits foreign e-commerce companies from selling goods directly to consumers at home or abroad, allowing them only to operate a marketplace to connect buyers and sellers for a fee. The policy has been a matter of dispute between New Delhi and Washington for years, and Amazon has lobbied the Indian government to ease the rules for exports, Reuters has reported.

The proposed changes coincide with efforts by India and the US to overcome their differences over a long-delayed trade deal.