De Coster et al. v. Amazon.com, Inc.

The name of the lawsuit is De Coster et al. v. Amazon.com, Inc., and it is pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington (Case No. 2:21-cv-00693-JHC).

A group of consumers (“Plaintiffs”) have filed a class action lawsuit against Amazon. The lawsuit alleges that Amazon violated federal antitrust laws by using its market power to impose and enforce an anti-discounting policy on its third-party sellers that allowed Amazon to charge higher commission fees and caused higher prices for goods sold on the Amazon marketplace by third-party sellers. Specifically, Plaintiffs claim that Amazon violated the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.

You can read the legal Complaint in the Important Documents section of this website.

Amazon denies that it did anything wrong. The Court has not yet decided if Amazon engaged in any wrongdoing. Amazon’s answer to the operative Complaint can be found in the Important Documents section of this website.

Plaintiffs are seeking money damages for purchasers and changes to Amazon’s policies and practices.

Plaintiffs filed this lawsuit in May 2021. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on July 21, 2021. Plaintiffs again amended their complaint on April 22, 2024, which Amazon moved to dismiss. On November 19, 2024, the Court denied Amazon’s motion. You can read the Court’s order in the Important Documents section of this website. On August 6, 2025, the Court granted Plaintiffs’ motion for class certification and certified the following Class: “All persons in the United States who, on or after May 26, 2017, purchased five or more new, physical goods from third-party sellers on Amazon’s marketplace.”

The Court has not made any decisions as to the final legal merits of Plaintiffs’ legal claims or Amazon’s defenses to those claims. No money or benefits are available now, and there is no guarantee that money or benefits will be available in the future. To win the case, Plaintiffs must prove their legal claims against Amazon at a trial. (See below in FAQ 15.)

In a class action lawsuit, one or more people called the “plaintiffs” sue on behalf of other people who have similar legal claims, called the “class members.” In certifying a class, the court appoints the plaintiffs to serve as “class representatives.” For the purposes of a class action lawsuit, one court will resolve the issues for all class members, except for those people who properly opt out (exclude themselves) from the class, as described in FAQ 10 below.

The Court has decided that, unless you request to opt out (exclude yourself), you are a member of the Class defined as: all persons in the United States who on or after May 26, 2017, purchased five or more new, physical goods from third-party sellers on Amazon’s marketplace.

Yes. Excluded from the Class are the Defendant and its officers, directors, management, employees, subsidiaries, or affiliates. Also excluded from the Class are the district judge or magistrate judge to whom this case is assigned, as well as those judges’ immediate family members, judicial officers and their personnel, and all governmental entities. Further excluded from the class are individuals who are already pursuing antitrust claims based on Amazon’s most-favored nations policies on their individual behalf in arbitration before the American Arbitration Association. For the avoidance of doubt, people are not included in the Class because of their purchases of used products, digital products, or purchases made through a prescription.

The Class will also exclude anyone who properly opts out (requests to be excluded) (see FAQ 10 below).

If you are still not sure whether you are included in the Class, please read though these Frequently Asked Questions or contact the lawyers in this case listed in FAQ 12 below.

You do not have to do anything to stay in the Class. By doing nothing, you will keep the possibility of getting money or benefits, if any, from this lawsuit in the future. If you stay in the Class and Plaintiffs obtain money or benefits, you will be notified about how to seek a share. If you do nothing now, regardless of whether Plaintiffs win or lose at a trial, you will give up your right to sue Amazon individually about the same legal claims in this lawsuit. By staying in the Class, you will also be legally bound by all of the orders and judgments the Court may make in this lawsuit.

If you do not want to be a member of the Class, you can exclude yourself from (or “opt out” of) the Class by sending a letter by mail to the Class Action Administrator. The exclusion letter must include:

1. Your full name, address, and email;
2. The name of this case: De Coster v. Amazon.com, Inc., Case No. 2:21-cv-00693-JHC; and
3. A clear statement that you want to be excluded from the Class.

The exclusion letter must be signed and dated and postmarked no later than August 31, 2026. You must mail your exclusion letter to:

If you exclude yourself from the Class, you won’t get any money or benefits from this lawsuit, if any are available in the future. By excluding yourself, however, you will retain any legal right you may have to sue Amazon individually about the same legal claims alleged in this lawsuit at your own expense.

The Court has appointed Class Representatives and the following lawyers to represent you and other Class members:

These lawyers are called “Class Counsel.” If you have questions, please read through this FAQ and the Important Documents section. If you still have questions, you may contact Class Counsel by writing to one of the addresses above. Please address your written communication to: Attention Amazon Antitrust Litigation.

After resolution of the legal claims by the Court, Class Counsel will request the Court to approve an award of attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of expenses. They also may ask for reasonable service awards for the Class Representatives from any future recovery that may occur in this Action. If approved, these fees, expenses, and service awards will be paid from any judgment if Plaintiffs win at trial.

You do not need to hire your own lawyer because Class Counsel is working on your behalf. But if you want your own lawyer, you will have to pay that lawyer. If you hire your own lawyer, you can ask them to appear in Court for you if you want someone other than Class Counsel to speak for you.

Plaintiffs will have to prove their legal claims against Amazon at a trial, and Amazon will also have an opportunity to prove its defenses. The Court has currently set the trial in this matter for June 14, 2027, but that is subject to change by the Court. To check on the status of the trial date, please see the Home page of this website.

During the trial, a jury will hear all of the evidence to help the Court reach a decision about whether Plaintiffs or Defendant are right about the legal claims in the lawsuit.

You do not need to attend the trial. Class Counsel will represent Plaintiffs’ legal claims, and Amazon will present the defenses to those legal claims. You or your own lawyer are welcome to attend at your own expense.

If you have any questions, you may contact Class Counsel listed above or the Class Action Administrator at DeCoster v. Amazon.com, Inc. Class Action Administrator, P.O. Box 5594, Portland, OR 97228-5594. Certain important case documents are available in the Important Documents section of this website. You may also obtain information regarding the lawsuit on the Court docket in this lawsuit, for a fee, through the Court’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system at https://ecf.wawd.uscourts.gov or by visiting the office of the Clerk of the Court for the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, 700 Stewart Street, Suite 2310, Seattle, WA 98101, between 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Honorable John H. Chun is overseeing the Action.