The White House reacted Tuesday, April 29, to a report that e-commerce company Amazon will show customers the increased cost of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on items they purchase. According to Punchbowl News, Amazon plans to display how much of an individual item’s price is specifically a result of tariffs. That number will reportedly be set to show up next to the product’s listed total. The report did not indicate when such pricing will begin.
At a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the move a “hostile and political act by Amazon.”
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Leavitt said she just spoke with Trump about it.
“Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?” Leavitt asked.
She added, “This is why Americans should buy American, why we are on-shoring critical supply chains here at home — to shore up our own political supply chain and boost our own manufacturing here.”
Amazon denies plans to show tariff costs on main site
In a statement to Reuters later on April 27, Amazon denied the initial report and said that it never considered listing tariffs on its main retail website. Nothing was implemented on any company site, a spokesperson told the outlet.
“The team that runs our ultra-low cost Amazon Haul store has considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products,” the spokesperson said.
Have companies listed estimated tariff costs ?
China based fashion companies Shein and Temu recently added surcharges to their products.
CNBC noted Temu has a listing at checkout for an import charge. It shows the 145% tariff Trump imposed on Chinese-made products coming into the U.S.
The international shipping company DHL Express on Monday, April 28, resumed shipping packages valued at more than $800 to American customers. It did so just one week after announcing it was stopping those shipments due to new U.S. customs rules.
DHL said tariffs imposed by the Trump administration led to more extensive inspections when shipments of $800 or more entered the U.S. The company said that process gave shippers extra work, which caused delays, NPR reported.
Amazon’s recent history
Punchbowl’s report and Amazon’s denial comes after founder Jeff Bezos attended Trump’s inauguration in January and reportedly donated $1 million to the president’s inaugural fund.
Amazon touted on its website that it reached $35 billion in annual sales in 2023, with more than 6 million customers.
