California alleges Amazon colluded with rivals to raise prices

California authorities have filed new evidence alleging Amazon engaged in illegal price fixing with competitors including Walmart, Home Depot, and Chewy. According to a court filing unsealed Monday, Amazon pressured merchants such as Levi Strauss and Allergan to make products more expensive at rival retailers. In one instance, Amazon expressed concern that Walmart was selling Levi's khakis for just over $25, after which Levi's allegedly persuaded Walmart to raise the price by nearly $5. Amazon also allegedly leaned on competitors directly, forcing Home Depot to raise its fertilizer prices so Amazon would appear cheaper, the filing states. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the company has emails showing the collusion. "The company is price fixing, colluding with vendors and other retailers to raise costs for Americans beyond what the market requires," Bonta said in a statement. "Amazon is illegally working to rake in the profits by making sure consumers have nowhere else to turn to for lower prices." Amazon has denied the charges and is contesting multiple price-fixing lawsuits. The company said it takes pride in offering low prices across a broad range of products. The antitrust lawsuit was originally filed in 2022, with a trial not expected until January 2027 at the earliest. Amazon surpassed Walmart to become the largest U.S. retailer in 2025.