FTC and States Sue Amazon Over Alleged Secret Ad Surcharge: What It Means for Independent Ecommerce
September 29, 2026
On August 31, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission and 22 state attorneys general sued Amazon, alleging that for more than seven years the company secretly inflated the prices advertisers paid for Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands and Display ads. The complaint estimates the scheme likely extracted over $20 billion from roughly 1.2 million U.S. advertisers, including more than 500,000 small and medium-sized businesses.…
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20,000 Small Businesses, One Message to the FTC: Your Pricing Proposal Could Cost Consumers Their Favorite Deals
September 25, 2026
EIA files comments on the FTC’s Proposed Enforcement Policy Statement on Personalized Pricing, with a clear ask: target hidden premiums, not the welcome offers, loyalty rewards, and coupon codes consumers love. Today the EIA filed formal comments with the Federal Trade Commission on its Proposed Enforcement Policy Statement Regarding Personalized Pricing (Docket No. FTC-2026-1057). You can read our full comments. …
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The FTC’s Proposed Personalized Pricing Policy Isn’t Just About “Surveillance Pricing” — Could It Reach Your Discounts, Too?
August 27, 2026
On August 19, the FTC released a proposed Enforcement Policy Statement Regarding Personalized Pricing and opened it for public comment. Submissions are due September 18. The headlines will focus on the FTC's stated concern: companies using troves of consumer data to charge individual shoppers higher prices based on estimates of what they're willing to pay. But EIA's initial read of the proposal suggests that ecommerce brands should be paying attention for a different reason.…
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NYC’s ‘Click to Cancel’ Rule Signals a New Era of Subscription Regulation
April 17, 2026
Thanks to an initiative led by Mayor Mamdani, New York City appears poised to move forward with a first-in-the-nation municipal “click to cancel” rule. While it may sound like a local consumer protection effort, its implications could extend well beyond city limits. For ecommerce businesses, this is less about location and more about how you design subscription experiences and how regulators may begin enforcing them.…
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Eighth Circuit Strikes Down FTC’s “Click-to-Cancel” Rule
July 28, 2025
A recent decision by an Eighth Circuit panel has vacated the FTC's planned "click-to-cancel" rule. This determination will have a direct impact on consumer protection regulations relevant to the ecommerce industry. The FTC's proposed rule would have mandated that companies allow customers to cancel their subscriptions with a single click. While often framed as a consumer protection measure, such broad mandates can introduce significant operational complexities and costs for legitimate businesses without effectively addressing core issues.…
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The Record Is In: What Commenters Told the FTC About Personalized Pricing
Ecommerce Innovation Alliance
October 2, 2026
Last week we told you that the Ecommerce Innovation Alliance had filed comments opposing the FTC's Proposed Enforcement Policy Statement on personalized pricing as drafted. Our comment is now live on the public docket, and you can read it here. We were far from alone. With the comment period closed, the shape of the public record is now clear. We have read the filings so you don't have to, and the story they tell is striking: from the largest retailers in America to a boutique in Salt Lake City, commenters converged on the same message we delivered on behalf of our 20,000 members. …
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