Amazon Received $600 Million in Tariff Refunds, Plans to Return Some to Customers

Amazon disclosed Thursday that it collected approximately $600 million in tariff refunds during the second quarter, following a Supreme Court ruling that struck down many of President Donald Trump's trade levies as illegal, and said it intends to pass a portion of that sum back to affected 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.

The Supreme Court invalidated in February the tariffs Trump imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, compelling the federal government to reimburse companies that had paid duties on goods imported into the United States. Major retailers and manufacturers — among them Apple, Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, and General Motors — all said they would apply for refunds.

Amazon had previously declined to say whether it planned to seek reimbursement. In May, consumers filed a class action lawsuit in federal court in Seattle alleging that the company was withholding refund applications in order to "curry favor" with the Trump administration, a characterization the company did not address directly Thursday.

Trump told reporters in April that he would "remember" companies that chose not to seek refunds, a remark widely interpreted as pressure on firms still weighing whether to apply.

Olsavsky said the company's $600 million recovery was "limited" relative to what some peers received, for two reasons. First, Amazon moved early to order and preposition inventory ahead of the tariff wave, reducing its direct import exposure. Second, Amazon is not the importer of record for the large majority of items sold on its marketplace — outside sellers account for more than 60% of goods sold through the platform, and many of those third-party merchants have separately filed their own refund claims.

For the portion of refunds it does control, Amazon outlined a tiered approach. "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," Olsavsky said. "Otherwise, like other large retailers, we'll utilize refunds to continue to invest in low prices for customers."

The disclosure comes nearly fifteen months after Amazon landed in conflict with the White House when it was reported that the company had planned to display the cost of Trump's tariffs alongside individual product listings. Trump personally called Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos to object to the plan, according to NBC News.

Apple, which reported earnings the same day, said tariff refunds lifted its earnings per share by 5%, or 11 cents, in its third quarter — giving investors a concrete benchmark against which to measure Amazon's recovery.

How Amazon ultimately distributes the remaining refund dollars, and whether affected third-party customers pursue additional legal claims, will be closely watched in the months ahead as other large retailers finalize their own reimbursement strategies.

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