Amazon could face collective action on behalf of 45 million UK consumers over the alleged artificial inflation of prices.

The Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO) has applied for collective proceedings against the e-commerce giant regarding products purchased between August 2019 and August 2025.

The association alleges that UK consumers paid higher prices when purchasing products from third-party sellers on the company's UK marketplace as a result of its pricing policies.

It said that these policies prevent third-party sellers from offering lower prices elsewhere on the internet, including via their own sales channels.

This, the organisation says, means that UK consumers who purchased products from third-party sellers on Amazon's marketplace have paid higher prices, as they have passed on the inflated fees in the form of higher prices for products sold on Amazon.

“Millions of people in the UK make purchases on Amazon every day," said Matthew Maxwell-Scott, founder and executive director, ACSO. "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."

He added that the move to bring collective proceedings against the online marketplace would ensure that consumers can obtain redress for the "considerable losses they have suffered."

Genevieve Quierin, partner at Stephenson Harwood, which is representing the claim, said that Amazon appears to have "circumvented previous regulatory interventions targeting its pricing policies."

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.”

In June, Germany's competition authority issued a preliminary warning to Amazon over pricing mechanisms that could breach national and European Union competition laws, raising fresh concerns about the tech giant's dominance in online retail.

The Bundeskartellamt said that Amazon's price control systems for third-party sellers on its marketplace platform may constitute abuse under special provisions for large digital companies, as well as general competition rules.

Amazon operates the amazon.de trading platform, which accounts for around 60 per cent of online retail sales in Germany.

The platform serves both Amazon's own retail business and as a marketplace where third-party sellers offer goods directly to customers.

The German regulator's concerns centre on Amazon's use of algorithms and statistical models to calculate dynamic price caps for sellers' offers.

When products are flagged as having prices deemed too high, they can be removed from the marketplace entirely, excluded from the prominent Buy Box display, or have their visibility restricted in search results.

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