German Competition Authority Banned Amazon’s Price Controls Over Sellers

Germany’s competition authority ruled that Amazon would no longer be allowed to influence the prices of third-party sellers on its local marketplace and stated that this practice distorted competition. Bundeskartellamt also decided that approximately 59 million euros in economic benefits linked to the practice would be clawed back from Amazon.

Germany’s national competition authority Bundeskartellamt announced that it had decided that the methods long used by Amazon to steer the prices of third-party sellers on its German marketplace were unlawful. The decision, taken in coordination with the European Commission, required the U.S.-based e-commerce giant to change its policies and refrain from interfering with prices except in limited exceptions.

Amazon operates a marketplace on Amazon.de that hosts both its own retail business and hundreds of thousands of independent sellers. According to the competition authority, these sellers account for approximately 60 percent of sales on the platform; they set their own prices and also bear the financial risk of their activities.

Amazon Restricted the Visibility of Offers With Prices That Did Not Meet Its Own Expectations

Bundeskartellamt President Andreas Mundt said that the investigation found that Amazon used mechanisms that restricted the visibility of offers with prices that did not meet its own expectations. These practices included excluding such offers from the Buy Box, which was presented to customers as the default purchasing option, or removing them entirely from the platform.

Mundt stated that this approach could distort competition and lead to the “manipulation of the price level on the platform,” adding that Amazon could gain an unfair advantage over other online retailers in this way. He emphasized that restricting the visibility of legitimate sellers solely because their prices were considered “high” was unacceptable.

59 Million Euros to Be Recovered

According to the decision, Amazon would be required to revise its system and would only be allowed to intervene in seller pricing in exceptional cases such as clear price gouging. Such interventions would need to comply with detailed rules set by Bundeskartellamt.

As a notable step, the competition authority exercised its power to recover economic benefits obtained from practices that violated competition law. Since the infringement was found to be ongoing, the amount to be recovered was initially set at approximately 59 million euros. Amazon has one month to appeal the decision.

Mundt also stated that Amazon did not have to control prices in order to offer low prices. He said that reducing the fees and commissions paid by sellers to Amazon could encourage retailers to offer more competitive pricing.

Total Sales Volume on Amazon.de Exceeded 50 Billion Euros

Amazon.de is by far the clear leader in Germany’s e-commerce market. According to sector data, e-commerce revenues in the country reached approximately 40 billion euros in 2024, partly driven by strong growth in online advertising. Figures for 2025 had not yet been published at the time the decision was announced.

Bundeskartellamt stated that total sales volume on Amazon.de had exceeded 50 billion euros and that the majority of this volume was generated by third-party sellers.

Drawing attention to the fact that approximately 60 percent of all online sales in Germany were conducted through this platform, the authority emphasized that Amazon’s impact extended beyond digital commerce and was also felt in the physical retail sector. The decision showed that scrutiny of pricing practices by dominant platforms was increasing and that competition authorities were prepared to take stronger action against practices they believed undermined fair competition.

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