Amazon Accused of Price-Fixing, Bullying Vendors

0:00It's April 20th, I'm Cory with the story, and this is California News Today, local news powered by AI. New court documents in California's price-fixing lawsuit against Amazon revealed the company pressured brands like Levi Strauss to get Walmart to hike. Prices on khaki pants, Amazon wanted to sell them for $29.99, but Walmart dropped to around $26, forcing Amazon to match. Instead of competing, Amazon pushed Levi's to fix that. The filings outlined two other tactics. In one, Amazon jacked up prices on pet treats and nudged vendors to make chewy follow suit. Another time, it threatened a furniture seller with the listing right before Black Friday, unless they yank low price items from a rival store. California Attorney General Rob Bonta calls this straight up collusion to drive up costs for everyday shoppers. He says, Amazon's massive power, $717 billion in sales last year lets it bully vendors into raising prices across the board, hurting.

1:03Competition. This builds on bigger fights, like the Federal Trade Commission's case with 18 states accusing Amazon of the same tricks. Last year, Amazon settled a separate suit for $2.5 billion over sneaky primer rules, paying up to $51 per customer, without admitting fault. A hearing on blocking these moves hits July 23rd with trial in January. Amazon denies it all, insisting vendors set their own prices. Keep an eye on how this shakes out for your wallet.