Amazon can be held liable for third-party seller goods

A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled against Amazon.com Inc in a case that could expose the online retailer to lawsuits from customers who buy defective products from third-party vendors through its website.

Numerous other courts, including two federal appeals courts, have held that Amazon cannot be held liable as a seller of products from third-party vendors. The new ruling from the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, which reversed a lower court decision, appeared to be the first to buck that trend.