Amazon is not planning to break out tariff costs online as White House attacks potential move
NEW YORK AP Amazon says it s not planning to display added tariff costs next to product prices on its site despite a analysis that sparked speculation the e-commerce giant would soon show the new import charges and the White House s fiery comments denouncing the purported change The Trump administration s reaction appeared to be based on a misinterpretation of internal plans being considered by Amazon rather than a final decision made by the company And even those talks were limited Only Amazon s Haul function its in recent weeks launched low-cost storefront considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products company spokesperson Tim Doyle commented in a declaration sent to The Associated Press But this was never approved and is not going to happen Earlier Tuesday Punchbowl News had shared that Amazon planned to start showing how much of each product s cost derived from tariffs right next to its total listed price citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter The Trump administration was quick to criticize news of the prospective move At a briefing with reporters earlier in the day White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Amazon of taking a hostile and political act and further attacked the company by suggesting it had partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm A source familiar with the matter who spoke of the condition of anonymity described The Associated Press that the president also called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to complain about the shared plans Tuesday morning The administration seemed to change its tune following Amazon s clarifying declaration Jeff Bezos was very nice He was terrific President Donald Trump stated reporters before leaving the White House for Michigan on Tuesday afternoon He solved a issue very rapidly and he did the right thing He s a good guy Bezos was one of a handful of powerful ultra-wealthy tech titans who attended Trump s inauguration in January filling several of the majority unique seats right behind the president But Trump s relationship with much of the corporate world has been tested since as the tariff wars he s launched with nearly all of America s trading partners continue to plunge companies into uncertainty Trump s tariffs and responding retaliation from targeted countries notably China threaten to increase prices for both consumers and businesses Economists warn these import taxes will hike prices for a range of goods consumers buy each day and lead to worse inflationary pressure Plenty of CEOs and companies have shared weaker outlooks due to the new and at times on-again off again import taxes And certain big names have already raised prices including Amazon rivals Temu and Shein Earlier this month Temu and Shein disclosed in separate but nearly identical notices that their operating expenses had gone up due to current changes in global pact rules and tariffs both announcing price hikes to take effect last Friday April Temu owned by the Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings now lists added import charges which have reportedly doubled multiple items prices although those available in local warehouses now appear to be exempt Meanwhile Shein now based in Singapore has a checkout banner that reads Tariffs are included in the price you pay You ll never have to pay extra at delivery
