Consumers Claim Apple and Amazon Conspired to Raise iPhone Prices
- Tech giants allegedly excluded cheaper third-party resellers
- Proposed class action seeks damages for all affected buyers
The Apple iPhone 14 on sale at a company store in New York.
Photographer: Jeenah Moon/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. were accused in a lawsuit of striking an unlawful deal to drive up prices for iPhones and iPads by wiping out hundreds of third-party sellers who often offered steep discounts.
Consumer Steven Floyd says an “Unlawful Boycott Agreement” between Apple and Amazon forced him to pay $319.99 for an iPad when he should have been able to get a discount in a “normal competitive market,” according to the proposed class-action complaint filed in Seattle federal court.