Amazon and Apple are being sued over removed product listing requests

An accessories retailer has filed a lawsuit against Amazon and Apple, over removed product listing requests and lost sales. Filed last week, Hard 2 Find Accessories claims Amazon took down product listings from its site and suspended its seller’s account after a request by Apple, a move which is allegedly costing Hard 2 Find more than $180,000 a month in lost revenues. The suit alleges Apple complained about the listings to Amazon because it believed the items being sold were counterfeit, reports CNET, with Hard 2 Find accusing the two companies “anti-competitive”. The filing alleges that “Apple and Amazon have engaged in conspiratory and/or concerted action that involves Apple monitoring Amazon’s sellers for selling items at an ‘aggressive price point’,” that Amazon withheld payments for long periods of time, and that Amazon failed to conduct a “thorough investigation” of Apple’s complaint.

An independent electronics accessories retailer is suing tech giants Amazon and Apple on a multitude of allegations that include stopping the company from selling Apple’s products on Amazon’s site because it offers a low price. The company, called Hard 2 Find Accessories, alleges that Amazon wrongly took down its product listings at Apple’s behest and suspended the seller’s account, effectively shutting down its business, according to court documents (See PDF below). The company, which filed the suit last week, said it’s losing more than $180,000 a month due to Amazon’s actions and it wants Amazon and Apple to pay up. According to the lawsuit, Apple initially requested that Amazon take the listings down because it believed the products were counterfeit, which Hard 2 Find contests. The company’s complaint called the alleged action “anti-competitive” and “conspiratory.” An Amazon spokesman said the company does not publicly discuss active litigation or individual seller accounts. Apple did not respond to a request for comment. Amazon has always had a love-hate relationship with sellers, thanks to e-commerce giant’s practice of competing with its own sellers, but this company is accusing the Seattle company of colluding with Apple. “Apple and Amazon have engaged in conspiratory and/or concerted action that involves Apple monitoring Amazon’s sellers (like H2F) for selling items at an ‘aggressive price point’,” the document reads.