Amazon disclosed that it received approximately $600 million in tariff refunds during the second quarter, following a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated many of the tariffs former President Donald Trump imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977. Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky confirmed the figure during the company’s earnings call and said Amazon plans to return part of that money to customers.
Why is Amazon receiving a refund at all
The Supreme Court ruled in February that many of the tariffs imposed under the 1977 law were illegal, a decision that required the federal government to repay import duties to companies that had been hit by the levies. That ruling opened the door for major importers across industries to apply for reimbursement, and The company is now among the companies collecting on that process.
Which other companies are getting tariff refunds
Amazon is far from alone. Apple, Walmart, Costco, Home Depot and General Motors have all said they would seek refunds under the same program. Apple disclosed on the same day as Amazon that tariff refunds lifted its third quarter earnings per share by 5%, or 11 cents, showing just how significant these repayments have become for major importers.
Why didn’t Amazon confirm this sooner
Until Thursday’s earnings call, Amazon had not said publicly whether it intended to apply for refunds at all. That silence had drawn scrutiny. In May, a group of consumers filed a class action lawsuit in federal court in Seattle, arguing that the company owed them money for tariff-inflated prices and alleging the company was avoiding the refund process specifically to stay in Trump’s good graces. Trump himself had stoked that suspicion in April, telling reporters he would remember which companies chose not to seek refunds.
Why is Amazon’s refund smaller than expected
Olsavsky explained that the company’s refund total came in more limited than it otherwise might have been for two main reasons. The company had proactively ordered and pre-positioned inventory in anticipation of the tariffs, reducing its overall exposure. Just as significant, The company is not the importer of record for the large majority of items sold on its platform, since more than 60% of goods sold through Amazon’s marketplace come from third party sellers who import directly and are responsible for their own customs obligations. Many of those sellers raised prices because of the tariffs and have since applied for their own refunds.
Will Amazon customers actually get money back
Some will. Olsavsky said the company has identified a limited set of circumstances where it can trace that specific import charges were passed on to customers, and in those cases, Amazon plans to proactively reach out and automatically issue refunds. Beyond those traceable cases, the company said it will follow the lead of other large retailers and put the refund money toward keeping prices low across its store rather than issuing broader reimbursements.
How does this fit into Amazon’s history with the White House
This is not the first time Amazon’s tariff decisions have drawn attention from the Trump administration. In April 2025, reports surfaced that the company was considering displaying tariff related surcharges next to certain products on its site. According to NBC News, Trump personally called Amazon founder and Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos to object to the idea, and the plan was ultimately dropped. The tariff refund disclosure adds another chapter to that ongoing dynamic between the retail giant and the White House.
