Amazon to issue tariff refunds to some customers: What we know
Trump imposes new tariffs on dozens of countries
President Donald Trump is going ahead with new double-digit tariffs on dozens of U.S. trading partners just as the clock runs out Friday on stopgap levies he imposed after a stinging defeat at the Supreme Court.
Amazon has received $600 million in tariff refunds from the federal government, and some of that money will be passed down to customers, according to the company’s chief financial officer.
CFO Brian Olsavsky announced the refunds in an earnings call this week.
Amazon tariff refunds
What they're saying:
Olsavsky said Amazon is "participating in the tariff refund process," but he noted that the company "was not the importer of record for the large majority of items sold in our store."
He also said the company did a lot of maneuvering ahead of time, like buying in bulk before the tariffs took effect and "pre-positioning inventory to avoid tariff costs."
"In cases where we did see an increase in cost due to tariffs, we largely absorbed these costs rather than pass them on to customers," he said. "We’ve identified a limited set of circumstances where we can trace that we passed specific import charges on to customers."
Amazon says it will give tariff refunds to some customers (Photo illustration by Cheng Xin/Getty Images)
What we don't know:
It’s unclear how much money of the $600 million will be passed on to customers, or how many customers will get refunds. There’s also no clear timeline on when those refunds will be issued.
What's next:
"When we receive those refunds, we will proactively contact affected customers and automatically issue refunds to them," Olsavsky said. "Otherwise, like other large retailers, we’ll utilize refunds to continue to invest in low prices for customers."
What other companies are seeking tariff refunds?
The backstory:
The Supreme Court struck down most of Trump’s global tariffs in February. In a 6-3 ruling, justices found Trump violated federal law by using the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to enact tariffs. That power belongs to Congress.
READ MORE: Lawsuit accuses Nike of pocketing tariff refunds while raising prices
Several major companies said they intended to seek refunds from the government, including FedEx, Costco, Toyota, Revlon, Apple, Walmart, Home Depot and General Motors.
Dig deeper:
Amazon didn’t say at the time whether it would seek tariff refunds, prompting a class-action lawsuit from customers who said they are owed refunds for paying more for some goods, CNBC reports. The lawsuit also accused Amazon of not seeking refunds so they could "curry favor" with Trump.
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After Trump announced his tariffs in April 2025, Amazon was planning to show the cost of the tariffs separately on its website. Trump reportedly called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and complained about the plan.
Trump has said he will "remember" companies that choose not to get refunds.
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New tariffs imposed
On July 23, Trump announced new tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on imports from 60 countries to replace the tariffs that were struck down. The administration said the new tariffs are legal because they target concerns over forced labor.
The Source: This article includes comments from Brian Olsavsky during Amazon’s most recent earnings call, as well as information from The Hill, CNBC, NBC News, and previous FOX Local reporting.