To abuse this analogy further - if they also put signs for their owns stores in front of the other stores signage, or redesign the mall to direct people away from the competitors - that seems less fine.
What if there's multiple other malls just across the street? As is the case in online retail. Even easier than crossing the street, to be honest, just click that second result in Google instead of the first. Is it so hard to admit that Amazon's customers are using them because their offering is great and not because of lack of alternatives?
Amazon has always used dark patterns with their 3rd party sellers. They even restrict the price sellers can charge on products they sell on Amazon and their own website. This ensures Amazon will be the lowest price.
In this analogy, that would mean you have a store inside the mall and right across the street. Amazon sees you are selling products cheaper across the street since rent across the street is way cheaper than inside the mall. Amazon then says either you charge the same price in the mall or you get kicked out. You could call Amazon's bluff but most sellers are not risking their seller accounts.
