Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
An appeals court in California has ruled that Amazon can be held liable for products sold through its marketplace by a third-party seller, the Los Angeles Times reported. It’s the second major case in California where an appeals court has rejected Amazon’s long-held position that it is merely an intermediary between buyers and its third-party sellers. Amazon collectively refers to these sellers as its “Amazon Marketplace” even though it’s not a separate or distinct part of Amazon’s website. Third-party sellers’ products typically appear in Amazon listings, with a small line of text to indicate that Amazon itself is not the actual seller.
At issue was the case of a woman who suffered burn injuries after a hoverboard she purchased on…
