Circuit Court of Appeals ruled differently.

But in March 2021, in a case involving a remote control, the 5th U.S. In August 2020, in a case involving a replacement laptop battery, a California state appeals court found that Amazon could be held responsible for defective products like a traditional retailer. But Amazon may pay a higher amount if the seller is unresponsive or if the seller rejects a claim that Amazon found to be valid.Īmazon’s new policy comes at a time when courts have been asked the question who is responsible for defective products when they are bought from an online platform that is acting as the go-between for the seller and the purchaser. Amazon says more than 80 percent of claims amount to less than $1,000. The seller is not responsible for this amount paid to the customer if it abides by Amazon policies and holds valid insurance. If the claim is found valid by Amazon, the customer will be paid directly by Amazon if the total damages amount to less than $1,000. With the expansion of the A-to-z guarantee, Amazon will now also be the facilitator between the seller and the customer if a defective product leads to injury or property damage.Ĭustomers can now file a defective product claim using the A-to-z claim process. For these transactions, Amazon functions as the facilitator between the seller and customer.

1, Amazon has expanded its A-to-z Guarantee to cover property damage or personal injury associated with defective products sold on its platform.įor more than half of the transactions on its website, Amazon operates as a middle man for third-party sellers.

By Hannah Rhodes, Consumer Watchdog AssociateĪs of Sept.

A to z amazon