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.