Online retailer Amazon has been accused of listing items from independent retailers without their permission.
The ecommerce giant has listed some independent retailers’ full inventory on its website without seeking consent, four business owners told the Financial Times, allowing customers to shop via Amazon instead of directly purchasing goods.
Two independent retailers told the publication they also received orders for items that were either out of stock or mispriced and mislabelled by Amazon, resulting in customer complaints.
It comes as tech companies are experimenting with AI “agents” to carry out tasks such as shopping autonomously based on user instructions.
Amazon has previously blocked agents from Google, OpenAI, Anthropic and various other AI start-ups from its website.
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In November, the delivery company filed a lawsuit against software company Perplexity, whose Comet browser was buying products on Amazon on behalf of users. Amazon alleged that the business’ actions risked undermining user privacy and violated its terms of service.
The recent complaints against Amazon are related to its “Buy for Me” function, which was rolled out last April. It enables some shoppers to buy products which are not listed with Amazon but are on other retailers’ websites.
Retailers said the ecommerce company had not sought their permission before sending them orders which were placed on its website.
Product returns and complaints for the “Buy for Me” tool are reportedly handled by sellers instead of Amazon, even when errors are caused by the technology company.
Amazon allows merchants to opt out of the service by contacting the business using a specific email address.
Amazon told the Financial Times said: “Shop Direct and Buy for Me are programmes we’re testing that help customers discover brands and products not currently sold in Amazon’s store, while helping businesses reach new customers and drive incremental sales.
“We have received positive feedback on these programmes. Businesses can opt out at any time.”
Retail Gazette has contacted Amazon for comment.
In December, it was reported that Amazon was considering an investment of more than £7.5bn ($10bn) in OpenAI under the latest funding deal agreed by the ChatGPT developer.
In October, Amazon also confirmed that it was cutting thousands of jobs across its corporate division amid its AI push.
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