Amazon won’t display tariff costs

The White House reacted strongly yesterday after Punchbowl News reported that Amazon planned to show consumers the impact of tariffs by displaying the added cost next to product prices.

In a sharp criticism, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt labeled the move as a “hostile and political act,” questioning why the company didn’t respond similarly under Biden’s inflation spike.

However, the e-commerce giant said it would not display import charges on the main website after the president called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Tuesday.

The company said it considered listing tariffs on products under $20 available on Amazon Haul in response to the rollback of the de minimis trade loophole but emphasized the idea was never approved.

The Haul section, launched in November last year to compete with Chinese retailers Temu and Shein, offers low-cost goods like apparel and home essentials shipped directly from Chinese warehouses.

Since Trump announced new tariffs on April 2, Amazon product prices rose 4.2% across 50 tracked items, according to MoffettNathanson.

Walmart and Wayfair raised prices by 2% and 1.3%, respectively. Out-of-stock rates also climbed—Amazon at 10% and Walmart at 20%.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy acknowledged that sellers may pass costs on, saying higher prices are likely. About 25% of Amazon’s non-grocery goods come from China.

Experts say if tariffs remain, Amazon may have to absorb costs to protect market share or risk losing customers.

Amazon was planning to display tariffs like its competitor Temu, which shows the impact of price to consumers. Several companies are mulling over adding a tariff surcharge or an additional fee to counter tariffs.