Amazon selling products from outside retailers without consent part of Shop Direct feature

In an unfortunate turn of events surrounding an e-commerce juggernaut's non-consensual data scraping, Amazon is attracting enormous ire from online retailers by listing products from sellers not selling their products on the platform.

This pulling of product listings is linked to the inclusion of Amazon's new Shop Direct feature, currently in beta testing. The feature allows consumers to browse items from other brands’ websites on Amazon.

Amazon listing products from outside sellers under new Shop Direct feature 

It was reported that for listing from outside sellers on Amazon, the company has added a “Buy for Me” button, an AI agent that can purchase products from external sites on behalf of shoppers.

The retail giant reportedly also endorsed the service as a means for customers to discover products not available on its platform.

Over the past decade, Amazon has increasingly relied on third-party merchants. Over 60% of Amazon's sales come from independent sellers.

The secret development of Amazon's Shop Direct feature came to light after some retailers voiced their objections over having their products listed on Amazon without permission.

Users on Reddit and Instagram reveal complaints stating that, as part of its new functionality, Amazon is displaying items that retailers neither sell nor have in stock.

Hitchcock Paper, a stationery shop based in Virginia, reported receiving orders for a stress ball it does not sell after discovering it was part of the programme.

Bobo Design Studio CEO Angie Chua also received unexpected orders through Amazon’s Buy for Me agent, despite not opting into the service.

“We were forced to be dropshippers on a platform that we have made a conscious decision not to be part of,” she lamented.

Chua claimed to have contacted Amazon to request the removal of her products, which were taken down within days.