The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal dismissed Amazon’s bid to block a landmark case over its “Buy Box” – two linked claims, worth more than £4bn combined, can now head to trial
Key points
- The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has certified a collective claim worth more than £1.3bn, brought by consumer champion Robert Hammond on behalf of an estimated 49.4 million UK Amazon shoppers.
- The claim alleges Amazon’s “Buy Box” algorithm steers buyers toward offers that are more profitable for Amazon while hiding cheaper alternatives, inflating prices for around 80 percent of purchases that go through the Buy Box.
- Amazon’s attempt to get permission to appeal against certification was dismissed by the Tribunal in October 2025; a related £2.7bn claim brought on behalf of 200,000 third-party sellers is being case-managed alongside it, with trial directions issued in July 2026.
Amazon is heading toward a trial in London over allegations that its “Buy Box” systematically overcharges UK shoppers. The Competition Appeal Tribunal has cleared two related collective claims – one for consumers, one for sellers – worth more than £4bn between them, after rejecting Amazon’s attempt to stop the case.
The consumer claim, brought by Robert Hammond, targets the box that appears on most Amazon product pages letting shoppers “Add to Basket” or “Buy Now” in one click. About 80 percent of purchases go through that single, pre-selected offer. The claim alleges Amazon’s ranking algorithm favours offers that pay for Amazon’s own fulfilment and advertising services over cheaper rival offers, reducing price competition and leaving shoppers paying more than they should for the same products.
A second, related claim brought by Professor Andreas Stephan on behalf of around 200,000 third-party sellers makes similar allegations about exclusionary abuse of Amazon’s market position, worth about £2.7bn. The Tribunal is trying the two claims together.
What the Tribunal has decided so far
The Competition Appeal Tribunal unanimously certified Robert Hammond’s consumer claim on 24 July 2025, approving him as class representative on an opt-out basis for UK-domiciled consumers who bought a product on Amazon.com between October 2015 and 7 June 2023. Opt-out means those consumers are automatically included in the case unless they choose to leave it – unlike the German case over Prime pricing, where affected members had to actively register.
Amazon applied for permission to appeal against that certification. The Tribunal dismissed that application on 21 October 2025 ([2025] CAT 66), confirming that both the consumer claim and the related seller claim can proceed toward trial. Directions for how the case will be run, including a split-trial order, followed in July 2026.
How the case developed
The consumer claim builds on competition concerns raised earlier by the UK Competition and Markets Authority about how Amazon’s Buy Box selection process may unfairly favour offers fulfilled by Amazon itself (FBA) over offers fulfilled by the merchant directly (FBM). Hammond’s claim, filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal, argues this amounts to an abuse of a dominant market position under UK competition law.
How big is the claim, in context?
- Consumer claim: more than £1.3bn, for an estimated 49.4 million eligible UK consumers – equivalent to roughly £26 per person if the full amount were ever distributed evenly, though any actual payout would depend on the trial’s outcome and how damages are calculated.
- Seller claim: about £2.7bn, for roughly 200,000 third-party sellers on Amazon’s UK marketplace.
Calculation and caveat: these are simple divisions based on the publicly reported claim values and class sizes, not a forecast of what any consumer or seller would actually receive. Nothing has been awarded yet – both claims still need to go to trial.
Unlike the German Bundesgerichtshof ruling on Amazon Prime, which found a specific contract clause unlawful, the UK case has not yet reached a verdict on the merits. Certification only confirms that the claims are suitable to be heard collectively – it does not mean Amazon has done anything wrong, something Amazon disputes.
Do UK shoppers need to register?
No action is required for most eligible UK consumers for now. Because the Tribunal certified Hammond’s claim on an opt-out basis, consumers who bought on Amazon.com from the UK between October 2015 and June 2023 are automatically included in the class unless they actively opt out through the case’s official channels. There is no claim form to fill in at this stage, because the case has not yet gone to trial or produced any damages to distribute.
Practical checklist for UK shoppers
- No registration is needed at this stage – the claim is opt-out, so eligible shoppers are included automatically unless they choose to leave it.
- Keep an eye on official updates from the Competition Appeal Tribunal’s case pages for Hammond v Amazon.com, Inc. & Others (case 1595/7/7/23).
- Be cautious of third parties contacting you asking for money or personal details “to register” – no such step exists yet.
- Any payout, and how to claim it, would only become relevant after a trial verdict or settlement.
What Amazon says
Amazon has disputed the claims and sought to have the collective proceedings thrown out before the Tribunal certified them, and separately sought permission to appeal against certification. Both attempts were unsuccessful. Amazon maintains the claims are without merit; it has not conceded that its Buy Box practices breach UK competition law, and the matter is still headed for trial rather than resolved.
Frequently asked questions
Do I get money back automatically if I shopped on Amazon in the UK?
Not yet. The Tribunal has only certified the claims to proceed to trial; no damages have been awarded. If the case succeeds or settles, compensation would be worked out and distributed at that later stage.
Who is covered by the consumer claim?
UK-domiciled consumers who bought a product on Amazon.com between October 2015 and 7 June 2023. Because the claim is opt-out, those consumers are included automatically unless they choose to leave the case.
How much could shoppers get back?
The claim is valued at more than £1.3bn for an estimated 49.4 million consumers, but no amount has been awarded and any eventual per-person payout would depend on the trial’s outcome and how damages are calculated.
Is this the same case as the German Amazon Prime ruling?
No. The German Bundesgerichtshof ruled on a Prime subscription price-increase clause. The UK case concerns Amazon’s “Buy Box” product-ranking algorithm and alleged overcharging across the wider Amazon marketplace, and has not yet reached a verdict.
Does this change how you think about the “Buy Box” offer when you shop on Amazon? Share your view in the comments.
Sources and status
- UK Competition Appeal Tribunal: judgment [2025] CAT 66 dismissing Amazon’s application for permission to appeal, 21 October 2025
- UK Competition Appeal Tribunal: Collective Proceedings Order in Robert Hammond v Amazon.com, Inc. & Others, case 1595/7/7/23, 27 November 2025
- UK Competition Appeal Tribunal: Order (Directions), Hammond & Stephan (1595 & 1644), 6 July 2026, and Order (Split Trial), 15 July 2026
Research and data status: 2 November 2026.
Transparency note: AI-assisted tools were used in researching, structuring and writing this article. The sources used are listed in the article. Publication takes place only after manual editorial approval. Country edition based on an article from Net Trends, researched for the United Kingdom.
