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Germany Orders Amazon to Drop Seller Price Controls, Citing Anti-Competitive Conduct

By  |  February 5, 2026

Germany’s competition authority has barred Amazon from setting price limits for independent sellers on its German marketplace and has moved to recover several million euros it says the company earned through anti-competitive conduct, according to Reuters.

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    The Federal Cartel Office said Amazon’s practice of influencing how third-party retailers price their products crosses a line because the U.S. tech group also sells goods in direct competition with those merchants on the same platform. According to Reuters, the authority is relying on expanded enforcement powers introduced through regulatory reforms in 2023 to take action against the company.

    “Amazon competes directly with other marketplace retailers on its platform,” said cartel office president Andreas Mundt. “Therefore, influencing competitors’ pricing, even in the form of price caps, is only permissible in absolutely exceptional cases, such as price gouging,” he added.

    Because Amazon has continued its pricing approach, the watchdog is making initial use of its new powers by demanding 59 million euros ($69.54 million) from the company, per Reuters. Amazon has been given one month to challenge the ruling.

    Read more: Amazon Launches EU-Only Sovereign Cloud to Address Data Security Concerns

    Amazon signaled it would contest the decision. Rocco Braeuniger, the country manager for Amazon’s German website, said the company would appeal “this unprecedented regulatory decision” and continue operating as before. He warned that forcing the company to allow prices without intervention could harm consumers. “If Amazon is now solely obligated to ‘promote uncompetitive or even abusive prices in the store, this will lead to a poor shopping experience,’” he said.

    The move against Amazon comes as German regulators broaden their scrutiny of large online marketplaces. According to Reuters, the cartel office opened a separate investigation in October to examine whether Chinese e-commerce platform Temu may be influencing the pricing behavior of third-party sellers on its site.

    Source: Reuters