Amazon gets $600 mln in Trump tariff refunds, plans to pass some back to customers

Amazon disclosed Thursday that it has received $600 million in tariff refunds during the second quarter, following a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated many of President Donald Trump's tariffs. The company said it intends to return some of that cash to shoppers.

"We are participating in the tariff refund process and, as I mentioned earlier, we received approximately $600 million in Q2," Brian Olsavsky, Amazon's finance chief, said on the company's earnings call.

Background

In February, the Supreme Court invalidated Trump's tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977. The ruling forced the U.S. government to repay duties to companies that imported goods affected by the tariffs.

Major companies including Apple, Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, and General Motors all said they would apply for refunds. Trump told CNBC in April he'd "remember" companies that don't seek refunds, when asked whether some firms might avoid applying out of concern for offending him.

Apple reported Thursday that its earnings per share were lifted by 5% (11 cents) due to tariff refunds in the third quarter.

Amazon's Previous Silence

Amazon had not previously disclosed whether it intended to apply for the refunds. In May, consumers filed a class action lawsuit in federal court in Seattle, arguing they were owed refunds for paying tariff-inflated prices and alleging the company wasn't seeking refunds to "curry favor" with Trump.

The company also faced White House scrutiny last April after reports that it planned to display tariff-related surcharges next to some products on its site. Trump personally called Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos to complain about the plan, according to NBC News.

Refund Details

Olsavsky said Amazon received a "limited" refund amount because it worked to order and preposition inventory in anticipation of the tariffs.

"Second, we are not the importer of record for the large majority of items sold in our store," he added.

Many of Amazon's third-party sellers — who import goods from overseas and account for more than 60% of items sold on Amazon's marketplace — were forced to raise prices due to the levies and have since applied for refunds.

Customer Refunds

Olsavsky confirmed that some of the company's tariff refunds will be returned to shoppers.

"We've identified a limited set of circumstances where we can trace that we've passed specific import charges onto customers, and when we receive those refunds, we will proactively contact affected customers and automatically issue refunds to them," he said.

"Otherwise, like other large retailers, we'll utilize refunds to continue to invest in low prices for customers."

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a news article on Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos that reads "Amazon partnered with China propaganda arm" during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 29, 2025. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images

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