Amazon Cracks Down on Small Businesses for Allegedly Selling Stolen Goods from Top Home Appliance Brands

Lately, Amazon.Com, Inc AMZN ousted dozens of small businesses for purportedly selling stolen goods from home appliance brands like Breville, Keurig, Levoit, and SharkNinja. 

The suspended sellers claim they did not know they were selling stolen products, CNBC reports.

Amazon has provided limited evidence to back up its claims, sellers said who missed out on Amazon's annual deal event. They said the company had little interest in offering them second chances or much of an opportunity to defend themselves. 

Also Read: US Federal Trade Commission Plans to Prosecute Amazon's Core Online Marketplace, Citing Alleged Abuse of Power

Amazon's marketplace of independent sellers accounts for over 60% of goods sold on the platform.

Over the past decade, the rapid growth of the marketplace has fueled a parallel boom in counterfeiters and spammers, pushing Amazon to ramp up enforcement. 

CNBC spoke with six recently suspended sellers. Each provided with the names of their suppliers. 

A review of their invoices, communications with suppliers, and other documentation revealed a complex web of wholesale and liquidation companies that frequently overlapped and advertised similar products, including espresso machines from Breville, Keurig coffee makers, Levoit humidifiers, LG computer monitors, Shark mops and vacuums, and Ninja appliances.

Amazon calls the behavior "illegal and strictly prohibited" and warned against permanent suspension of the culprits.

Amazon's crackdown on stolen goods followed complaints from retailers, lawmakers, and trade groups.

Price Action: AMZN shares traded lower by 1.50% at $128.51 premarket on the last check Thursday.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons