Amazon's AI shopping tool prompts complaints from retailers over scraped listings.

Some U.S. retailers say Amazon's Shop Direct feature and its 'Buy for Me' agent listed and sometimes purchased items from their sites without permission, and Amazon removed some listings after retailers asked for them to be taken down.

Amazon is testing a feature called Shop Direct that displays items from other retailers on its site. Some listings include a "Buy for Me" AI agent that can purchase products from those external websites on a shopper's behalf. Several small online businesses say they did not consent to having their product pages scraped and listed on Amazon. These retailers report receiving unexpected orders and listings that showed items they do not sell or that were out of stock. What is known: - Amazon announced Shop Direct in February and the services are in a testing phase for some U.S. users. - The company says a growing share of its retail platform comes from independent sellers, cited as more than 60% of sales. - Some businesses posted objections on social platforms after finding their products listed on Amazon without permission. - Hitchcock Paper reported receiving orders for a stress ball it does not sell, tied to a "buyforme.amazon" email address. - Bobo Design Studio said it contacted Amazon under guidance in a published FAQ and had listings removed within a few days. Summary: Retailers report that Amazon's testing of agentic shopping features led to listings and orders that they did not authorize, and some listings were taken down after retailers requested removal. The situation has prompted public complaints from small sellers and shows tension between the new features and merchants' control over their product pages. Undetermined at this time.