Amazon is facing legal action from a consumer rights organisation on behalf of UK customers as it is accused of “artificially inflating prices”.
The Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO) filed an application for opt-out collective proceedings against the retail giant on behalf of millions of UK shoppers.
ACSO, a UK independent body aimed at promoting consumer rights, filed the application with the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal on August 14 as it seeks to represent over 45 million consumers.
It alleges that Amazon’s pricing policies have meant higher prices are being paid by consumers buying products from third-party sellers listed on Amazon’s UK marketplace.
ACSO says Amazon’s pricing policies prevent third-party sellers from offering lower prices on their products on other online sites. ACSO alleges that such policies “protect Amazon from healthy price competition” elsewhere, which allows Amazon to “charge sellers higher fees, which UK consumers end up paying for in the form of higher prices on Amazon”.
The claim is on an opt-out basis, meaning all eligible customers are included in the claim.
Eligible customers involve any who made a purchase from a third-party seller on Amazon’s UK website between August 2019 and August 2025.
A website has been created for customers to stay updated on the progress of the claim via the Amazoncostsyoumore.co.uk website.
The marketplace’s pricing policies were first investigated by the UK Competition and Markets Authority, the German Federal Cartel Office, and the Japan Fair Trade Commission in 2012, 2013, and 2016 respectively, with Amazon committing to stopping what it called “anti-competitive conduct”.
The German Federal Cartel Office and the Japan Fair Trade Commission are investigating its current price policies, while the Canadian Competition Bureau is also scrutinising them.
There are ongoing court proceedings against Amazon by the US Federal Trade Commission due to pricing policies.
The case was first brought in September 2023 after a four-year investigation, with a trial expected in early 2027.
ASCO founder and executive director Matthew Maxwell-Scott said: “Millions of people in the UK make purchases on Amazon every day. Despite the company’s assurances that it is above all else ‘customer-obsessed’, we consider there are strong grounds to argue that UK consumers have paid higher prices because of Amazon’s pricing policies.
ACSO is therefore bringing collective proceedings against Amazon to ensure that consumers can obtain redress for the considerable losses they have suffered. Collective actions such as these are an excellent way for consumers to exercise their rights and for anti-competitive corporate behaviour to be challenged.”
ACSO has instructed international law firm Stephenson Harwood for the proceedings.
An Amazon spokesperson said: “This claim is without merit and we’re confident that will become clear through the legal process. Amazon features offers that provide customers with low prices and fast delivery.
“In fact, according to independent analysis by Profitero, Amazon has maintained its position as the lowest-priced online retailer in the UK for the fifth consecutive year. We remain committed to supporting the 100,000 independent businesses that sell their products on our UK store, which generate billions of pounds in export sales every year.”
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