Update: Is Amazon down? Services slowly resuming after customers couldn't check out

2026-03-05 · Source: News and Advice on the World's Latest Innovations | ZDNET · Field: Technology & Digital — Cloud Computing & IT Infrastructure · Depth: Fundamental Awareness, quick

Summary

Amazon experienced a significant service disruption on Thursday, with over 150,000 user reports submitted to Downdetector. The partial outage primarily affected major U.S. cities including New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. Users reported widespread issues with checkout processes, product page loading, and functionality within the Amazon mobile app, with checkout problems being the most frequently cited. At its peak, Downdetector recorded more than 21,000 reports simultaneously. Amazon acknowledged the disruption, stating it was working to resolve the issues, though the cause of the outage remained unclear. By 6:20 p.m. ET, reports had significantly decreased to approximately 2,000, with some users regaining full functionality.

Key takeaway

For IT professionals managing e-commerce platforms, this Amazon outage underscores the critical importance of robust incident response and transparent communication during service disruptions. You should ensure your monitoring tools are integrated with public status aggregators like Downdetector to quickly identify widespread issues and prepare pre-approved customer communication templates to manage user expectations effectively.

Key insights

Amazon faced a major service disruption affecting checkout, product pages, and its mobile app across the U.S.

Principles

• Service disruptions can impact core e-commerce functions.
• User reports are a key indicator of service health.

In practice

• Monitor Downdetector for real-time outage status.
• Check social media for widespread user reports.

Topics

• Amazon Outage
• E-commerce Disruption
• Downdetector
• Mobile App Issues
• Checkout Problems

Best for: General Interest, Tech Journalist, IT Professional

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by News and Advice on the World's Latest Innovations | ZDNET.