Amazon UK sellers report unusually large numbers of high-value orders stuck in “pending” status, tying up stock and preventing legitimate customers from purchasing it. The sellers say the activity may be deliberate inventory-locking resembling a denial-of-service attack, but there is no evidence yet that it is malicious rather than a platform fault.

Reports began on 20 September, with some sellers seeing activity two or three times higher than normal. One seller recorded 30 pending orders in about 52 hours, while another reported 72 orders worth roughly £25,000 over three days; Amazon says pending orders can result from payment authorisation checks or awaiting business-customer approval. Amazon had reportedly escalated the issue for investigation but had not issued an official explanation by publication.