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Amazon class action lawsuits overview: * Who: A federal panel consolidated six proposed class action lawsuits filed by consumers in several states against Amazon.com Inc. and Amazon.com Services LLC. * Why: The panel found that the cases, which accuse Amazon of refusing to refund shoppers, share common questions of fact. * Where: The Amazon class action lawsuits will proceed in Washington federal court. A federal panel has centralized a group of proposed class action lawsuits accusing Amazon of denying online shoppers refunds for tariff costs. On Oct. 2, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) sent five cases filed by consumers in Florida, Michigan, New York and Ohio to Washington federal court, where consumers filed the first Amazon lawsuit on May 15, Law360 reports. The consumers claim Amazon raised prices to recoup the cost of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down those tariffs in February, Amazon refused to give shoppers a tariff refund, the plaintiffs allege. U.S. District Judge Tana Lin merged the two Washington cases in June, and the panel assigned the centralized litigation to Judge John H. Chun. Amazon and the Washington plaintiffs supported centralization, but plaintiffs from Florida, Michigan, New York, Ohio and New Jersey raised several arguments against an Amazon-specific MDL. Tariff refund case from New Jersey may join Amazon lawsuit. The panel issued a conditional order on Oct. 5 to transfer another case from New Jersey. The order states that the case appears to involve questions of fact common to those already sent to Judge Chun. The transfer is not yet finalized. Centralization puts evidence gathering and class certification rulings before one judge, which the panel said would prevent duplicated effort and inconsistent rulings, according to Law360. The plaintiffs outside Washington asked the panel to wait until its next hearing session to consider a separate motion to consolidate all the cases into one proceeding. However, the panel refused, saying the delay would be unnecessary. Meanwhile, in September, Walmart faced two additional tariff class action lawsuits, while similar lawsuits targeted Puma, Abercrombie & Fitch and fitness equipment company Peloton. Do you think Amazon owes shoppers a refund? Let us know in the comments. The plaintiffs are represented by Hunter J. Shkolnik, Salvatore C. Badala and Shayna E. Sacks of Napoli Shkolnik; Stuart A. Davidson of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP; Michael J. Fuller Jr. of Farrell & Fuller LLC; Steve W. Berman, Sydney K. Thomas, Christopher R. Pitoun and Dana Abelson of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP; and Kelly L. Tucker, Matthew Denn and Thomas Walsh of Grant & Eisenhofer P.A. The Amazon multidistrict litigation is In re: Amazon Tariff Litigation, MDL No. 3197, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Don't miss out! Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements: "*" indicates required fields October 14, 2026 | Legal News October 13, 2026 | Legal News

TikTokers say Abercrombie is overcharging women for its sweaters - here's what experts think. Are shoppers paying a 'pink tax'? These are the not-so-simple reasons women's clothing can cost more, and what to do about it. Editor, Commerce Wed, October 14, 2026 at 7:20 AM PDT TikTok influencers are calling out Abercrombie & Fitch over its sweater selection. They're highlighting men's options that are made from 100% merino wool, comparing them to women's sweaters that are wool blends with substantial amounts of polyester or nylon. The bigger problem, they contend: Those wool-blend sweaters cost just as much as their men's 100% wool counterparts. While the company has not responded to a request for comment, a search of Abercrombie's inventory shows at least three women's 100% wool sweaters - not significantly different than the four it shows for men - aside from many wool-blend options. Still, judging by the responses to a recent Abercrombie Instagram post, the controversy is gaining steam. Abercrombie & Fitch Abercrombie's women's sweater selection relies heavily on wool blends, though there are a handful of 100% wool options. In this case, 25% of the sweater is wool; it's also 66% polyester, 6% nylon and 3% elastane. What is the 'pink tax'? The idea that women may pay more than men for similar products (or the same price for something that's not as good) is nothing new. It's called the "pink tax," and it's a larger issue than the sweater selection at one retailer, experts say. Researchers have been studying the pink tax for years, with conflicting results. For instance, a 2015 analysis of nearly 800 items by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs found that women's products cost roughly 7% more than similar men's products. The gap was slightly wider (8%) when it came to apparel and greatest (13%) on personal-care items. However, a 2021 study presented to the Federal Trade Commission challenged those findings, saying price differences stemmed from slight differences in the products themselves rather than inherent gender bias. "The pink tax is both a perception and supported by some evidence," says Sheng Lu, professor and director of graduate studies in the University of Delaware's Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies. "Retailers sometimes charge more for women's clothing than for comparable men's clothing, even when the products have similar appearances and fiber compositions." Lu has researched the issue recently, tracking the sale of plain white cotton T-shirts across 10 major retailers from Jan. 1 through Oct. 1 this year. His preliminary findings: "Women's shirts were priced approximately 3%-20% higher than men's shirts, depending on the retailer and comparison," he says. Eric Turney, president of custom hat and branded merchandise maker the Monterey Company, says his experience with apparel sourcing and pricing makes him hesitant to "[treat] one sweater as proof of the whole issue." Instead, he says, "the better comparison is value per dollar. Say a men's and a women's sweater have similar construction, similar styling and the same price, but one is 100% merino wool and the other leans heavily on synthetic fibers. Women are completely justified in asking why. That's where the pink tax shows up, in what you get for the dollar, not on the sticker." Why can women's clothing cost more than men's? There are lots of factors at play, and most of them are too complex to fit neatly into a TikTok debate. * Men's clothing is simpler - and there's less of it. "Historically, men's clothing has tended to be more standardized in styles and sizing, whereas women's apparel often offers a wider variety of styles, fits and sizes, which can require faster product development and shorter lead times," Lu says. "As a result, women's apparel can incur higher overall production costs, not only for raw materials and cut-and-sew, but also for product development, labor input, logistics and marketing." Gayane Rakopyan, owner of women's activewear brand Flex Life Wear, agrees: "Women's lines carry more styles and colors per season, and smaller production runs cost more per piece. Women's cuts are often more complex, with shaping seams and built-in support, and fitted styles tend to be returned more for size." * Sales of women's clothing are trickier to forecast. "Women's fashion moves faster, creating more potential markdowns for brands, which they offset with higher initial markups," says Belinda Jacobs, founder and CEO of Tech Packs Co, a clothing and textile design and development firm. "Women's clothing in general is more trendy, and it's more challenging to accurately predict demand," Lu confirms. * Tariffs may play a role. Tariffs continue to make headlines, especially as holiday shopping season gets underway. "Certain categories of women's clothing tend to use more man-made fiber, which is subject to higher tariff rates than those using cotton," Lu says. "Meanwhile, U.S. fashion companies may source some basic men's wear from free trade agreement partners such as Mexico and Central American countries, potentially reducing or eliminating import duties when the applicable rules of origin are met. However, for women's wear, Asia remains the key sourcing destination, and it is difficult to avoid paying high tariffs." * Women may be willing to pay more. Turney sums it up this way: "I wouldn't say retailers are necessarily sitting in a room saying, 'Women will pay more, so add $20.' [But] retail pricing is often based on what the market has shown customers will pay, not simply manufacturing cost plus a fixed percentage." Confirms Jacobs: "Brands price based on willingness to pay. Women historically shop more frequently and buy a wider variety of styles, leading retailers to test higher price ceilings on trend items." How can buyers avoid the pink tax? Experts' overarching advice: Critique an item based on its own merits. "Retailers will have to get more comfortable explaining why two similar-looking products at the same price are made from very different materials" if that happens more often, Turney says. Consider unisex basics. If you're shopping for the basics - think T-shirts, sweatshirts, joggers and the like - some brands make unisex styles. However, Lu notes that the category poses challenges that are standing in the way of wider brand adoption, like "achieving a good fit across different body proportions and sizing needs." And you always have to factor in supply and demand, he adds. "Even if unisex styles help brands reduce product development or production costs, retailers may still raise prices when demand increases rather than maintain lower prices or pass the cost savings on to shoppers."