Have you bought something on Amazon in the last few years? If so, you might be entitled to compensation.
Amazon is facing a huge legal battle in the UK over how it uses its market power. Experts believe millions of UK shoppers may have overpaid for products because of Amazon’s “Buy Box” algorithm.
What’s the claim about?
On most Amazon product pages, there’s a section where you see “Add to Basket” and “Buy Now”. That section is called the Buy Box.
When you click those buttons, you’re not necessarily buying from Amazon itself. Often, there are multiple sellers offering the same product, but only one seller’s offer appears in the Buy Box at a time.
Winning the Buy Box is hugely important because most shoppers don’t browse through other offers. They just click “Buy Now.” In fact, around 80% of all Amazon sales happen through the Buy Box.
As a result, millions of shoppers could have been steered towards higher-priced products, even when cheaper alternatives were available. Independent experts estimate UK consumers have been overcharged by more than £1 billion.
New legal claim: Who is eligible?
If you purchased a product from Amazon’s UK-based marketplace (Amazon.co.uk) between 1 October 2015 and 7 June 2023, you may be part of this collective claim. It’s estimated that this includes around 51.8 million people in the UK.
Why take action now?
This claim is being spearheaded by Robert Hammond, a former solicitor with more than 20 years of experience acting on behalf of consumers. And it has just been given the green light by the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
If successful, it could see millions of pounds returned to UK shoppers.
The lawsuit is opt-out. Meaning other than confirming that you used Amazon between 1 October 2015 and 7 June 2023, you do not have to do anything to be included in the claim. But you do need to register to stay informed and make sure you don’t miss out.
