California claims Amazon pressured sellers to boost prices on their sites
FILE - In this photo illustration, a person holds a smartphone displaying the Amazon Shopping app page in the Apple App Store in one hand and an Amazon Prime-branded delivery box in the other hand, with a computer screen showing the Amazon website in
California is accusing Amazon of price fixing so the e-commerce giant would not be undercut by its competitors.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the public release of evidence "clearly showing Amazon’s illegal price fixing scheme."
What they're saying:
"The evidence we’ve uncovered is clear as day: Amazon is working to make your life more unaffordable," according to a news release from the California’s Justice Department website.
California v. Amazon
The backstory:
Bonta originally sued Amazon in 2022, accusing the company of violating the state’s antitrust and unfair competition laws.
Dig deeper:
The alleged price fixing scheme began after Amazon demanded vendors fix or look into prices of products on other websites and requested that those prices be increased or else face penalties such as promotion restrictions or even removal of products from Amazon’s sites.
For example, the filing alleged that Amazon, apparel company Levi Strauss & Co. and Walmart agreed to fix prices on khaki pants.
Amazon sent the denim retailer links to pants that were priced lower on Walmart.com, saying it "hop(ed) these can get resolved over the next few days."
The next day, Levi Strauss reported having talked to Walmart to increase prices back to $29.99, according to the filing.
Other alleged price-fixing incidents between Amazon and other companies included:
- GlobalOne and Chewy: Pet treats
- Hanes and Target: Apparel
- Allergan and Walmart: Eyedrops
- Agrothrive and Home Depot: Plant fertilizer
- Songmic and Wayfair: Trash cans
What's next:
The hearing for the motion for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for July.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press and a news release published to the California Attorney General’s website on April 20, 2026. This story was reported from San Jose.