Big sites are locking AI shopping agents out. Some of those blocks are not decisions.
Amazon, Delta, JPMorgan Chase and others are turning agents away. Others, like Walmart and Sephora, partnered with Meta. For a brand, the sharper question is what happens when an agent shows up.
AI companies say their agents can book dinner, clean out an inbox and buy new shoes. But on Oct 17, The Verge reported that many popular services are not letting that happen. Ynetnews followed the next day with its own account. Both are worth reading if you sell online.
Who is blocking agents
In recent weeks, users of Meta’s Muse, xAI’s Grok, OpenAI’s Dots and Instinct have reported blocks on top websites. Here is what the two outlets report, and who said it.
| Company | What was reported | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Said Muse’s “continued access” violates its site policies. Reports of Grok, Instinct and Dots also being unable to use Amazon | The Verge |
| Delta Air Lines | Preventing agents from booking tickets for users | The Verge |
| JPMorgan Chase, Charles Schwab | Confirmed they block AI agents from accounts, citing security | The Verge |
| Yelp | Told TechCrunch it only allows agents that pay for its data licensing program | The Verge |
| eBay | Prohibits automated agents without prior permission, including shopping bots that place orders without human oversight | Ynetnews |
| Tapestry (Coach, Kate Spade) | Restricts unauthorized agent purchases on its own sites, but sells selected products through Google’s Gemini and AI search with approval per transaction | Ynetnews |
Some users say Cars.com and Amtrak, which worked with their agents before, are no longer reachable. The Verge notes that suggests other companies could be blocking quietly. Ynetnews adds reports of restrictions at Kohl’s.
Amazon and the court case
Amazon’s fight with Perplexity set the pattern. Amazon banned Perplexity’s shopping agent last year and sued, saying it had repeatedly asked Perplexity to stop. A judge first ordered Perplexity to stop its agents from shopping on the site. An appeals court overturned that in August, and Amazon has since filed an amended complaint.
The two sides disagree on principle. Amazon says agents should “operate openly and respect service provider decisions whether or not to participate.” Perplexity calls its agent an extension of the user. The case is not settled.
Some blocks are not decisions
This is the part a DTC brand should read twice. The Verge says that even when a site does not ban agents, agents may clash with anti-bot systems. Reports on Reddit suggest Google is blocking some Muse accounts for “suspicious activity.” Others reported checkout trouble at Walmart, even though Walmart partnered with Meta.
There are all kinds of things that are set up not even to block agents, but to block in general bots or programs that are trying to scam or hack. These AI agents trigger those same safeguards.
Ynetnews makes the same point: defenses built against hacking, fraud and data collection do not always tell a malicious bot from an assistant acting for a real customer. A store can end up turning away a shopper’s agent without ever deciding to.
Who is opening the door
Meta says turning away a personal agent means turning away the customer behind it. It partnered with Walmart, Gap, Sephora, Best Buy and others so Muse can shop on their sites. Shopify has also opened its network of storefronts to AI agents. Ynetnews adds that QVC and HSN increasingly see agent purchases as a legitimate sales channel, and that some retailers supply product catalogs to OpenAI and Google.
Shoppers are not all ready either. Ynetnews cites a survey by payments company NMI: 3% of American adults describe AI as a personal shopper that can manage every stage of shopping, 10% would be comfortable giving AI full control over a purchase, and 45% would not trust AI to buy for them at all.
What to check this week
The question is not only whether to allow agents. It is whether you know what happens when one shows up. You do not need a project to find out.
How Shopthru.ai helps
Shopthru.ai is an AI agents team for consumer brands. It asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI, Perplexity and Copilot what your shoppers ask, finds where AI gets your products, prices or policies wrong, and drafts each fix into an approval inbox. It ships only on your yes, then checks again. Instagram and Amazon are next.