Amazon faces class action over tariff cost claims

US consumers have launched a proposed class action against Amazon in federal court in Seattle, claiming the retailer unlawfully passed on tariff costs totalling hundreds of millions of dollars.

The complaint was filed by two consumers from Maryland and Massachusetts and concerns purchases made between 4 February 2025 and 20 February 2026.

This period spans from when tariffs were imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to the US Supreme Court’s ruling that the law did not give President Donald Trump authority to impose them.

Plaintiffs allege that Amazon, acting as importer of record for goods sold through its online store, embedded IEEPA tariff costs in consumer prices rather than absorbing them.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision, the Court of International Trade confirmed on 4 March 2026 that the right to reclaim those duties from the federal government rests solely with importers of record.

The suit alleges Amazon has chosen not to pursue that recovery.

The complaint attributes that decision to political considerations, citing a reported conversation between President Trump and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, after which the former publicly stated he would “remember” companies that did not seek refunds.

Pricing data cited in the suit points to a Wall Street Journal analysis of 2,500 Amazon products, which found that around 1,200 low-cost items rose in price by an average of 5.2% between January and July 2025.

Over that same period, Walmart reduced prices on the same products by nearly 2%.

A separate review of more than 1,400 Chinese-made products sold on Amazon showed a median price rise of 2.6% between January and mid-June 2025.

The Budget Lab at Yale University found that tariffs drove approximately 86% of the rise in prices for imported household goods up to January 2026.

It is also estimated that from February 2025 to January 2026, US consumers paid more than $231bn in tariff-related costs, or roughly $1,745 per household.

US Customs and Border Protection estimated total IEEPA duties collected at approximately $166bn as of 4 March 2026.

The three-count lawsuit seeks restitution, a share of any refunds Amazon recovers, treble damages, interest, legal fees, and injunctive relief.

A jury trial has been requested.

Retail Insight Network has reached out to Amazon for comment.

The action comes a month after the company faced separate allegations in California that it colluded with suppliers and rival retailers to push prices higher rather than compete on cost.

That case alleged the company pressured suppliers to raise prices on competing platforms or pull their products from those sites entirely.