So you want to sue Amazon? This is part two of a guide for Amazon UK FBA or FBM sellers on taking Amazon to County Court. Part one is here: How to Sue Amazon UK as a Seller – Part 1
We discussed evidence collection and serving your “Notice Before Action” in part one. Here we will discuss what is likely to happen next.
When Amazon receives your Notice Before Action, assuming they don’t just ignore it (which they certainly will if you named the wrong entity – see part one), they may have someone from a department called Executive Escalations reach out to you to see if they can solve the issue. In our experience, the representative from Executive Escalations sounded helpful, achieved nothing, provided incorrect information and then vanished altogether. Your experience may vary, and if Executive Escalations can resolve your issue, all the better.
Failing that, you need to proceed with court action. Time to take on the corporate pirates and sue Amazon!
How to Sue Amazon: Determining the Value of Your Claim
The court you can use depends on the value of your claim.
In the UK, the value of your claim determines which court and track it will be assigned to. Claims up to £10,000 are usually handled in the Small Claims Track of the County Court, designed for simpler cases with minimal legal costs and no requirement for formal legal representation. Claims between £10,000 and £25,000 typically fall under the Fast Track, still within the County Court, but with stricter rules on costs and trial duration. If your claim exceeds £25,000, it is usually allocated to the Multi-Track within the County Court, which handles more complex disputes. The High Court generally deals with cases over £100,000. For most seller claims against Amazon UK, the County Court is the appropriate venue unless the claim is exceptionally large or legally complex.
Also, some rules differ between England, Wales, and Scotland. Have a read of this page on gov.uk to familiarise yourself with the processes, fees, and any specific rules in Scotland or Wales (if applicable to you). That is the page where you will begin your claim.
Here is an overview of the process by Daniel ShenSmith, a UK barrister (his YouTube channel is superb).
For cases under £25,000, and certainly those under £10,000 that are straightforward (such as withheld money or stock), you should be able to handle the claim yourself. If your case exceeds £25,000, you can still proceed independently if confident, but thorough preparation and legal advice are recommended before moving forward.
Anything big enough to go to the High Court definitely needs a lawyer. The High Court is NOT DIY territory.
Using AI to Assist with Legal Preparation
Before spending loadsamoney on a solicitor, we strongly recommend using ChatGPT as a legal assistant. It will become your indispensable little friend during the process. A basic subscription allows you to upload documents, review web links (including your seller agreement and the links to these articles), and continue working on the same case over time. GPT can help you draft your Notice Before Action, structure your court papers, guide you through form completion, and refine your arguments. However, its effectiveness depends on the quality of the information you provide. Be specific, include as much detail as possible, and always request that it use British English, spelling and grammar.
Also, ensure it avoids American-style em dashes (long dashes between words with no spaces) and AI-typical phrasing like “It’s important to note,” which could make it obvious that AI was used in your preparation.
GPT is definitely your friend here and will do much of the work for you. Especially when it comes down to the forthcoming to-and-fro between you and Amazon’s solicitors – which we’ll cover later. You can bounce ideas off GPT as you go, asking it what might be typical in your case. It will formulate your negotiations and arguments in a nice legalistic format and language.
If you are a GPT subscriber, it will remember all the details ongoing and what you did last time (keep one topic open for this purpose). As the case progresses, the quality of its output will improve the more information it gets on your case. In our opinion, GPT is far better than any high-street solicitor for this purpose. And at under twenty quid a month – a bloody bargain!
How to Sue Amazon: Calculating the Value of Your Claim
Whenever possible, use the online Money Claim Service to start your action, but to do so, your claim must specify a fixed amount. If Amazon is withholding your stock, you may want it returned, but in legal terms, it is often best to sue for its monetary value first, as this gives the court a clear figure to work with.
For example, if Amazon is holding 500 units of your product, each worth £10, the total value of the stock is £5,000. This should form the base amount of your claim.
You are entitled to claim statutory interest on the amount Amazon owes you at a rate of 8% per annum, as allowed under the County Courts Act 1984, Section 69. This is a standard rate applied to money claims in the UK courts. The court website will calculate this for you as you make your claim online.
Did you seek legal advice? If so, include that in your claim and make sure you have an invoice as proof.
You can also add any other reasonable expenses related to your case. For example, if Amazon claimed that you had to create flat files to release your frozen stock, and it didn’t work, and you had to pay someone to do it, include that cost. Make sure to keep and submit the invoice and the “case” where they told you this as part of your claim.
Beyond that, you can claim for the time you have wasted dealing with Amazon’s third-world “support” drones, AI-generated responses, copy-paste emails and all the other nonsense you endured and hoops you had to jump through to get to where you are today with them. Consider the number of seller support cases you have raised. How much time did each one take? Calculate the total hours spent chasing Amazon and add this to your claim as compensation for administrative time. For this, you charge CPR rates.
What Are CPR Rates?
In UK civil litigation, the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) set out how legal costs and administrative time are calculated. If you are representing yourself, known as a litigant in person, you are entitled to claim reasonable costs for the time spent preparing and pursuing the case.
The standard rate under CPR 46.5(4)(b) is £19 per hour, which courts consider fair compensation for your time. If you have spent 20 hours dealing with Amazon’s seller support, preparing documents, and handling correspondence, you can add £380 to your claim (£19 × 20 hours).
This ensures your time is accounted for and legally recognised, even if you are not using a solicitor. Keep clear records of your time, noting each instance where Amazon’s failure to resolve the issue caused additional work, as this strengthens your case.
Now You Are Ready to Begin Your County Court Claim Against Amazon
At this stage, you should have all your evidence organised, including screenshots and documents to support the amount you are claiming. You also know how many hours you are claiming for at CPR rates. With everything in place, you are ready to begin your claim online to sue Amazon.
When filling out your claim, avoid using emotive language. Do not write statements like “Amazon stole my stock.” Instead, present the facts clearly: “On [date], Amazon withheld [X] units of our stock, each valued at £[X], and we have been unable to retrieve them through their support system.” Keep your wording factual and to the point. GPT will help you here.
If you are unsure about anything during the process, use GPT to guide you and phrase it. It can help answer questions and clarify any steps along the way for you. The Money Claim site will automatically calculate your total, including interest, and determine the court fee based on the claim amount. This fee must be paid upfront online before proceeding (print that payment confirmation screen – it’s tax-deductible). That court fee will also form part of the claim, again the government site will do this calculation for you in the workflow.
Congratulations!
Your court action has officially begun. You are now one of many UK sellers who sue Amazon each year.
Before you get too excited, be aware that you may not recover every penny you are claiming. If Amazon is withholding your money, that part is non-negotiable, but when it comes to expenses, time, and fees, there will likely be some negotiation. In most cases, settlements are reached for a lower amount, whether in or out of court. That’s just the reality of the process.
But this is only the beginning. From this point on, you will be dealing with Amazon’s legal team, Eversheds. That may sound intimidating, but it isn’t as daunting as you might think. In part three, we’ll cover what to expect and how to handle them effectively.
Click here for part three – Taking Amazon to County Court: A UK Seller Guide
Disclaimer: The author is not a solicitor or barrister. This guide is based on personal experience and is provided for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. If you are unsure about any aspect of your claim, you should seek professional legal assistance.