UK Court Clears Way for 200,000 Sellers to Sue Amazon

A U.K. Court of Appeals ruled Thursday (Feb. 26) that two lawsuits alleging that Amazon abused its dominant position in the market can proceed, according to updates posted by the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

Amazon had asked the court to throw out the collective proceedings, which are similar to class action lawsuits in the U.S. The Competition Appeal Tribunal also refused Amazon’s request last year.

The two lawsuits that will now move forward were brought by Robert Hammond and Andreas Stephan.

Reuters reported Thursday that Stephan’s lawsuit alleges that Amazon misuses its “Buy Box” feature and favors products that use its logistics services. The suit seeks 2.7 billion pounds (about $3.7 billion) on behalf of 200,000 third-party sellers.

Hammond’s lawsuit makes similar allegations and seeks 1.3 billion pounds (about $1.8 billion) on behalf of millions of Amazon customers, according to the report.

Amazon argued that the claims are without merit and that the court should not allow them to proceed, per the report.

In another, separate collective action that was filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal in August 2025, U.K. consumer group Association of Consumer Support Organizations (ACSO) alleges that Amazon used its market dominance to stop independent sellers from offering lower prices on other platforms, including their own websites.

The action was brought on behalf of more than 45 million U.K. consumers and alleges that Amazon’s policies ensured that buyers on Amazon’s U.K. marketplace had paid more than they otherwise would have.

An Amazon spokesperson said at the time the action was filed that the claim is “without merit and we’reconfident 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 U.K. for the fifth consecutive year.”

In another case, in January 2025, the Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled that a lawsuit accusing Amazon and Apple of collusion could not proceed. The tribunal ruled that the plaintiff, consumer law academic Christine Riefa, had not demonstrated “sufficient independence or robustness” to represent the claimant class.