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Did Amazon rig the Buy Box? $5.4B lawsuits say yes

Posted on by SellerBites

A heavy week wrapped in drama, and the marketplace didn’t exactly make it easy to keep calm and sell on.

Here’s what went down while you were busy running the show.

HOT TOPIC

Amazon is back in the legal hot seat after a London tribunal approved two class-action lawsuits over alleged Buy Box abuse—together worth up to $5.4B.

đŸȘ Quick bits

  • Seller lawsuit: Led by competition law professor Andreas Stephan for 200,000+ third-party sellers.
  • Claim: FBA favoritism in Buy Box kills independent seller chances.
  • Consumer lawsuit: Led by advocate Robert Hammond for millions of UK shoppers.
  • Claim: Algorithm steered buyers toward higher-priced listings.
  • Both lawsuits are opt-out, meaning sellers and shoppers are automatically included.

💬 SellerBites’ take

The Buy Box might be small, but the bill won’t be. 

Sellers have complained for years that FBA gets algorithmic favoritism. Now, sellers and consumers are putting that frustration into legalese with a multi-billion dollar price tag. 

If these cases land, Amazon could be staring down a payout that makes Prime Day sales look like pocket change.

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BITES OF THE WEEK

AMAZON NEWS

Seller feedback gets the mute button

Starting August 4, seller feedback on Amazon is going quiet. Written comments are getting the axe, leaving nothing but star ratings and zero context. 

Amazon calls it a way to speed things up. Sellers might call it a cop-out.

đŸȘ Quick bits

  • Written feedback has been removed, leaving only star ratings.
  • Amazon says it helps sellers get “more feedback faster.”
  • Without written comments, there’s no way to appeal unfair reviews.
  • FBA sellers are penalized for Amazon’s own mistakes.
  • Global seller satisfaction has dropped to 84.7%, down from 92.1% in 2020.
  • Feedback rarely affects the Buy Box or conversions anyway.

💬 SellerBites’ take

This isn’t simplification, it’s sanitation. 

By completely scrapping comments, Amazon erases context, kills appeals, and leaves sellers open to silent one-star hits they can’t fight. 

And if you’re FBA? You’re still on the hook for problems Amazon caused.

BLACK MARKET

Amazon wipes out 75 review scam sites

Amazon just dropped the hammer on fake reviews—hard.

In its biggest crackdown yet, the company seized 75 domains that doubled as paid review factories, pumping out five-star fiction to boost rankings, fool shoppers, and give cheaters the upper hand.

đŸȘ Quick bits

💬 SellerBites’ take

For honest sellers, it’s a welcome cleanup: fewer fake stars means your real ones shine brighter.

But this also raises the stakes, Amazon’s watching everything now. And in this post-takedown era, even a “harmless” gray-area tactic could turn into a headline you really don’t want to star in.