Amazon’s AI‑powered Shop Direct and “Buy for Me” tools — designed to make online shopping more convenient — are coming under fire from independent vendors who say the platform is listing and selling products without permission, leading to inventory problems, mistaken orders, and reputational risk for small brands.
Launched as part of Amazon’s push into agentic AI commerce, the “Buy for Me” feature allows customers using the Amazon Shopping app to find items not carried directly in Amazon’s catalog and complete the purchase on a third‑party site without leaving the app. The system uses agentic AI to handle checkout and transmit encrypted payment and shipping data to the external site on the customer’s behalf.
However, several independent retailers — including Hitchcock Paper, a Virginia‑based stationery shop — say the reality has been far more chaotic. They claim Amazon’s AI tool has surfaced products from their websites and enabled customers to buy items that were out of stock, discontinued, or never officially listed for sale.
Unauthorized Listings and Opt‑Out Frustrations
Multiple merchants told Modern Retail that their products appeared in Amazon search results — complete with “Buy for Me” buttons — without ever opting into the program. In some cases, these listings drew orders for items the brands had long since removed from their own inventories, forcing sellers to cancel purchases and issue refunds.
The unauthorized listings also included inaccurate images or jumbled product details, which can mislead shoppers and potentially divert traffic from the brands’ own online stores. Some sellers fear this could harm their reputation or interfere with contractual obligations to partners that prohibit Amazon sales.
Although Amazon says participation is optional and that brands can opt out by contacting a dedicated email address, merchants point out that requiring them to manually remove themselves from the program makes it opt‑out rather than opt‑in, eroding autonomy and control.
Broader Implications for AI and E‑Commerce
The controversy highlights a broader tension in e‑commerce as AI tools like “Buy for Me” and Shop Direct aim to expand discovery and reduce friction for consumers. Amazon argues these innovations help customers and brands by exposing products to a wider audience.
But critics say that listing products without consent, especially when inventory is inaccurate, undermines trust between merchants and customers and raises questions about data use and platform transparency.
As AI‑driven agentic commerce gains traction, retailers and technology platforms alike will likely face closer scrutiny over how automated systems handle merchant data, inventory accuracy, and brand consent in the digital marketplace.
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