Amazon Goes After Consumer Protection Authority

A dispute over faulty carbon monoxide detectors and flammable children’s clothing at Amazon escalates. The US consumer protection authority calls for the recall of 400,000 products. But instead of distracting, the group is taking a surprising path.

Dispute over product safety escalated

Amazon goes according to the report The AP news agency on the legal offensive against the US consumer protection authority Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The online retailer filed a lawsuit after the authority had legally responsible for the recall of more than 400,000 dangerous products in January 2025.

The Commission already sued Amazon in 2021 due to the alleged distribution of dangerous articles and accused the company of jeopardizing consumers’ security by not properly informing the public about called back products.

Core of the dispute

However, the group continues to defend itself against its classification as a “dealer”. Instead, the company only sees itself as a “logistics service provider”, comparable to UPS or Fedex – even if Amazon kept the goods in its own camps, packed and shipped. However, the lawsuit continues: Amazon basically questions the constitutionality of the CPSC.

The group argues that the structure of the authority violates the separation of powers, since it also exerts judicial and executive powers. A decision could be pioneering for the entire e-commerce sector, and that also across the United States. Amazon, which controls around 40 percent of the US online trade, claimed to be recalls earlier and made refunds. However, the CPSC calls for further measures:

• Direct notification of all affected customers
• Full refund in the case of proven disposal
• Assumption of responsibility for the “Fulfilled by Amazon” program

Parallels to other tech companies

The case is part of a series of similar complaints from large technology companies. SpaceX also contested the constitutionality of US authorities.