Federal judge allows consumers to pursue antitrust claims collectively, adding to legal pressure on the e-commerce giant over its marketplace pricing policies.
A federal judge in Washington has allowed online shoppers to pursue a class-action lawsuit against Amazon.com Inc. over allegations that the company’s pricing restrictions caused consumers to pay higher prices on rival marketplaces operated by Walmart Inc. and eBay Inc.
The decision grants partial class certification to consumers who accuse Amazon of using its influence over third-party merchants to discourage discounts on competing retail websites, according to reporting by MLex and an Oct. 13 report by Law360.
The ruling represents a procedural victory for shoppers challenging Amazon’s business practices, potentially allowing qualifying purchasers to seek damages collectively rather than through individual lawsuits. It does not establish that Amazon violated federal antitrust law.
The dispute centers on allegations that Amazon’s pricing policies extended its influence beyond its own marketplace, affecting the prices consumers paid when purchasing goods from third-party sellers on Walmart and eBay.
According to the plaintiffs’ legal team at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, Amazon used pricing restrictions and marketplace enforcement measures that discouraged merchants from offering products at lower prices elsewhere, even when selling through competing platforms involved lower costs.
The consumers argue that the restrictions weakened price competition among online retailers and prevented shoppers from benefiting from discounts that might otherwise have been available.
Amazon has disputed allegations that its pricing practices violated antitrust laws. The company has also challenged efforts to certify large groups of consumers in related litigation, arguing that differences among individual transactions complicate efforts to establish common harm.
Court Decision Expands Legal Stakes
The case, Frame-Wilson v. Amazon.com Inc., is being heard in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington before Judge John H. Chun.
The litigation began in March 2020 and focuses on purchases made outside Amazon’s marketplace. The plaintiffs contend that Amazon’s policies influenced the prices charged by merchants across competing online retail platforms.
In their February 2026 request for class certification, the consumers proposed groups covering certain U.S. purchasers who bought at least two qualifying products through Walmart’s online marketplace or four through eBay’s marketplace after March 19, 2016, according to Hagens Berman.
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The proposed definition covered new physical products also offered by third-party sellers on Amazon and subject to the company’s competitive price monitoring. The court subsequently granted class certification in part, although the precise scope of the approved classes is not established by the publicly accessible reporting reviewed for this article.
Class certification is a significant step in U.S. antitrust litigation because it determines whether consumers with similar claims can pursue their allegations in a single proceeding. Such decisions can increase the financial exposure facing corporate defendants, although plaintiffs must still establish liability and damages.
Amazon is seeking permission from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to challenge the partial certification decision immediately, Law360 reported Oct. 30.
Broader Scrutiny of Amazon’s Marketplace
The Walmart and eBay dispute is part of a wider series of legal challenges involving Amazon’s relationships with independent merchants and the company’s ability to influence online retail pricing.
In a separate lawsuit, De Coster v. Amazon.com Inc., consumers allege that Amazon’s restrictions on third-party sellers contributed to higher prices on its own marketplace.
That case received nationwide class-action status in 2025, covering U.S. consumers who purchased at least five new physical goods from third-party sellers on Amazon beginning May 26, 2017, according to court-related information published by the litigation administrator.
Amazon denies wrongdoing in that proceeding, and the court has not issued a final determination on the underlying antitrust claims.
Together, the cases raise questions about whether a dominant online marketplace can influence pricing across competing retail channels through the conditions it imposes on participating merchants.
For consumers, the central issue is whether Amazon’s marketplace rules prevented retailers from passing along potential cost savings in the form of lower prices.
For Amazon, the litigation presents another challenge to policies governing its relationships with third-party sellers, a central component of its e-commerce business.
Source: MLex
