United States of America

California Seeks to Halt Amazon's Alleged Price-Fixing

Is Amazon running an illegal price-fixing racket harming consumers or simply enforcing pro-consumer pricing practices?

Published APR 21

California Seeks to Halt Amazon's Alleged Price-Fixing

Story

Above: Amazon signage outside a distribution center in San Diego, California, on May 3, 2025. Image credit: Kevin Carter/Getty Images

The Facts

Amazon allegedly pressured vendors at competing retailers — including Walmart, Target, Home Depot and Chewy — to raise their prices to avoid undercutting the platform, according to newly unredacted court documents released on Monday.
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The Washington Times
The New York Times
Reuters
The filing is part of a 2022 antitrust lawsuit brought by California Attorney General Rob Bonta against Amazon in the San Francisco Superior Court, seeking orders prohibiting anticompetitive behavior by the company, which has been accused of price-fixing. A trial date is set for January 2027.
California OAG
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California OAG
The latest documents allegedly show Amazon demanding vendors "fix," "correct," "raise," "increase" or "look into" their prices on other retailers' websites. In one example, Amazon flagged the lower price of Levi's khaki pants on Walmart.com as one of two "styles of concern," following which Walmart raised the price to $29.99 and Amazon matched it.
California OAG
In another, Amazon allegedly coordinated with GlobalOne to raise prices on over 10 Canine Naturals products, with Chewy matching the increases "immediately," according to an email from GlobalOne. The company also purportedly contacted the likes of Scotts, Hanes and Babyvision, which subsequently raised their prices on other retail platforms.
California OAG
The lawsuit further accuses the e-commerce giant of coercing vendors by threatening consequences, including product removal or advertising restrictions, for non-compliance, as in the case of All the Rages, which Amazon supposedly warned it would stop ordering products from if it did not raise its Home Depot prices.
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The development follows the superior court's dismissal of Amazon's motion for summary adjudication on April 15. Additionally, the court has set a hearing for July 23 regarding the preliminary injunction Bonta filed in February. Meanwhile, Amazon previously called the allegations "entirely false," and said the latest disclosure was an "attempt to distract from the weakness" of the case.
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California OAG
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guardian

Sources Split

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CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

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ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

For years, Amazon has been running a price-fixing racket that squeezes everyday Americans at the checkout. The evidence shows Amazon bullying vendors into raising prices at Walmart, Target, Chewy and beyond — threatening to pull products or restrict advertising if they did not comply. This approach is not an aggressive business strategy; it's illegal coercion.

California OAG

Narrative A

California's lawsuit against Amazon rests on a shaky foundation that conflates pro-consumer pricing practices with illegal collusion. Amazon's business model focuses on keeping prices low and selections wide — the exact opposite of what a price-fixing scheme produces. For these reasons and more, the courts should dismiss this baseless case.