Asger Risom
Vendors were neither asked for permission nor notified before their products appeared on Amazon.
Amazon has come under fire from independent sellers after its AI-powered shopping tool was found to have created product listings without vendors’ consent, in some cases introducing errors that sellers say damaged their businesses.
The listings were generated under Amazon’s Buy For Me programme, which creates duplicate product listings on Amazon’s platform and allows customers to complete purchases without leaving the site.
Bloomberg and the Financial Times reported that vendors were neither asked for permission nor notified before their products appeared on Amazon.
AI-generated listings
Under Buy For Me, Amazon’s system scans third-party retail sites and generates its own listings, effectively inserting Amazon into transactions between buyers and sellers who are not part of its marketplace.
California-based seller Angie Chua of Bobo Design Studio told Bloomberg she began tracking the issue after discovering her products listed on Amazon without her knowledge. She later set up a survey to assess how widespread the problem was, which more than 180 vendors have since completed.
Many respondents said they did not want their products sold through Amazon and had to contact the company to request removal.
Inaccurate information
Some sellers reported that the AI-generated listings contained incorrect details. Sarah Burzio, who runs Hitchcock Paper Co. in northern Virginia, said inaccuracies in Amazon’s duplicate listings led customers to demand refunds.
She said resolving the issue proved difficult because vendors without Amazon seller accounts had no dedicated support channel to address problems caused by Buy For Me listings.
A new approach
Amazon has long encouraged independent retailers to join its marketplace voluntarily, charging commissions on sales. The Buy For Me programme appears to mark the first time the company has effectively enrolled vendors without consent or prior notice.
The move reflects Amazon’s broader push to use AI agents to keep customers within its ecosystem, reducing the need to visit external retail websites.
Opt-out concerns
In a statement, Amazon said vendors are free to opt out of Buy For Me and its related Shop Direct feature, which links directly to purchases on third-party sites. The company did not explain why vendors were added without permission or notification.
The controversy follows Amazon’s lawsuit against AI startup Perplexity in November, which targeted a similar automated shopping feature that allowed users to buy products from Amazon through an AI agent.
Sources: Bloomberg; Financial Times; statements from independent sellers and Amazon.
