Amazon accused in new suit filed by FTC and 22 states of rigging ad auctions to inflate prices

Movable shelving towers that hold items that are autonomously moved to Amazon employees who pack them for shipping. (GeekWire Photo / Lisa Stiffler) Amazon is accused of artificially inflating the ad prices on its e-commerce site in a lawsuit filed Monday by Washington’s attorney general, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 21 other states. Ads are sold on Amazon’s platform through so-called “second-price” auctions, in which businesses set a maximum price they’re willing to pay for an ad.