Amazon pushed back today against reports claiming it intended to show customers the specific cost contribution of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on its main product pages.
The e-commerce company clarified that such a feature was only briefly contemplated for its separate, budget-focused Amazon Haul section and was never put into action, countering an account that had already drawn sharp criticism from the White House.
Addressing the earlier story from Punchbowl News, an Amazon spokesperson provided a clear distinction in statements to The Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. “The team that runs our ultra-low-cost Amazon Haul store has considered listing import charges on certain products,” the spokesperson explained. “This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.”
White House Condemns Reported Plan
Amazon’s clarification came hours after the White House had strongly criticized the plan described in the initial Punchbowl report, a move some analysts suggested could have been interpreted as an attempt to shift blame for price increases onto administration policy.
During a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, stating she had “just got off the phone with the president about Amazon’s announcement,” labeled the reported move a “hostile and political act by Amazon.”
She contrasted the alleged plan with Amazon’s actions during prior inflation, asking, “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?”
Leavitt further referenced a December 2021 Reuters story about Amazon partnering with a Chinese entity—a detail several outlets noted was considerably older than “recent”—suggesting the reported tariff display plan was unsurprising in that context. She finished her remarks on the matter by stating, “This is another reason why Americans should buy American.”
Understanding Amazon Haul
The Amazon Haul store, central to the company’s clarification, operates quite differently from the main Amazon marketplace. Launched around November 2024 and initially available on mobile, Haul offers a selection of lower-priced goods, often under $20, shipped directly from overseas manufacturers, primarily in China.
This model inherently involves longer delivery times (typically 1-2 weeks) compared to standard Amazon. It utilizes a separate shopping cart system and does not offer Prime shipping eligibility, instead providing volume discounts for larger orders. The consideration to list import charges was, according to Amazon, confined solely to this specific, distinct platform aimed at competing with discount retailers like Temu and Shein.
Tariffs Reshaping E-Commerce Landscape
The entire situation unfolds against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s trade policies. A new structure was announced April 2nd under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), establishing a 10% baseline global tariff effective April 5th.
Alongside this, much higher reciprocal tariffs – notably 145% on many goods imported from China – were applied from April 9th, although a 90-day pause on most reciprocal tariffs (excluding China’s) began April 10th.
These policies have prompted visible changes elsewhere in the online retail space. China-based Temu began adding explicit “import charges” reflecting the new tariffs, sometimes drastically increasing item costs, while Shein also raised prices, attributing it to included tariffs in checkout messages.
Price Impacts and Seller Concerns
Even before this specific controversy, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy acknowledged in early April that he anticipated third-party sellers would attempt to pass tariff costs to consumers, while stating Amazon was working to maintain low prices, partly through “strategic forward inventory buys.”
Despite Amazon’s denial of plans to display tariff costs directly on its main site listings, the tariffs appear to be affecting prices on the platform via third-party merchants. Analysis following the tariff implementation suggested price increases on hundreds of products sold by these sellers on Amazon.com, although Amazon disputed the calculated average increase.
This pressure is also reportedly causing unease among some sellers, with Reuters noting that uncertainty over tariffs has led some merchants to reconsider participating in Amazon’s major summer sales event, Prime Day, scheduled for July.
