In one episode detailed in newly unsealed California court filings, prosecutors say Amazon raised the price of a brand of dog treats on its own site and then asked the maker to push other retailers to match the higher price. The documents, released Monday by Attorney General Rob Bonta, include email exchanges in which Amazon employees urged vendors and rival retailers to lift prices, according to prosecutors.

Newly unsealed filings lay out examples

California Attorney General Rob Bonta released a tranche of court documents on Monday that his office says include email exchanges showing Amazon employees worked with product makers and competing retailers to boost prices on multiple marketplaces. The material is drawn from a 2022 antitrust lawsuit that accuses Amazon of using its market clout to keep prices higher across the web.

The filings cite a string of incidents spanning everyday items — dog treats, khaki pants and eyedrops among them — in which Amazon allegedly alerted vendors to lower prices on rival sites and sought to have those prices raised. Prosecutors say vendors and other retailers complied, resulting in higher prices for consumers.

The unsealed exhibits include internal messages and declarations filed in the case. California officials say the documents show Amazon not only flagged competitive pricing for suppliers, but also coordinated follow-up actions that led to price increases at major chains and specialist retailers.

Those actions, the complaint contends, weren't isolated. The office argues they form part of a pattern in which Amazon used its platform relationships and data access to push sellers and competing retailers to adopt higher prices.

Specific examples cited by prosecutors

In one episode described in the filings, Amazon allegedly raised the price of a brand of dog treats on its own site and then shared a list of products with the manufacturer, asking that other retailers align their prices.

Two days later, prosecutors say, the manufacturer notified Amazon that listings at a leading pet retailer had matched the higher price.

Another example involves Dockers khaki pants sold under license by Levi Strauss & Co. State lawyers say Amazon flagged Walmart listings that were undercutting the price Amazon wanted, and then sought help from Levi's. The filing portrays a prompt response: Levi's reported back that it spoke to Walmart and that the retailer had agreed to raise the price of a particular khaki style to $29.99.

Prosecutors also point to communications with Hanes, the clothing company, and with the maker of an over-the-counter eye-drop product. In the Hanes matter, the documents indicate Amazon sent the vendor links showing lower prices on Target and Walmart, and the vendor then contacted those retailers to ask that the lower prices be adjusted upward.

In the eyedrop case, California alleges Amazon temporarily suppressed listings after it found the product selling cheaper elsewhere; the manufacturer reported that Walmart raised its price back to $16.99, and Amazon restored the listing.

Allegations and legal framing

Bonta's complaint — first filed in 2022 — frames the conduct as a wide-ranging scheme to stifle competition and keep retail prices artificially high. The attorney general claims Amazon's bargaining power forces vendors into compliance: sellers rely on Amazon for access to its marketplace and feel compelled to follow pricing directions it sends.

Those directives, prosecutors say, didn't flow only one way. Amazon is accused of communicating with both vendors and large retailers and of using its control over listings and search visibility as leverage. The complaint argues that the result was coordination that had the practical effect of aligning prices across competing storefronts.

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"The evidence uncovered today is clear as day: Amazon is working to make your life more unaffordable," said Rob Bonta, California Attorney General.