Amazon to refund some shoppers after Rs 5,700 crore tariff windfall

Amazon has received around $600 million (Rs 5,700 crore) in tariff refunds after a US Supreme Court ruling overturned several Trump-era duties. The e-commerce giant says some customers who paid tariff-linked higher prices will get automatic refunds.Amazon to refund some shoppers after Rs 5,700 crore tariff payoutAmazon has received around Rs 5,700 crore in tariff refunds after a US Supreme Court ruling struck down several Trump-era import duties. The company now says some affected customers will automatically get part of that money back. Amazon has become one of the first major retailers to confirm that it will share a portion of its tariff refund with customers. The company revealed that it received approximately $600 million (around Rs 5,700 crore) in tariff refunds during the second quarter after a US Supreme Court ruling declared many of former US President Donald Trump's import tariffs illegal.The announcement came during Amazon's latest earnings call, where Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky confirmed that the company had already received the refund as part of the government's repayment process, CNBC reported."We are participating in the tariff refund process and, as I mentioned earlier, we received approximately $600 million in Q2," Olsavsky said.Some Amazon shoppers will get automatic refunds Amazon says not every customer will receive money back, but those who directly paid higher prices because of specific import charges could be eligible.According to Olsavsky, the company has identified a limited number of cases where it can clearly trace tariff-related import costs that were passed on to customers. In such cases, Amazon plans to contact affected buyers and automatically issue refunds without requiring them to submit any claim. "We've identified a limited set of circumstances where we can trace that we've passed specific import charges onto customers, and when we receive those refunds, we will proactively contact affected customers and automatically issue refunds to them," Olsavsky said.For the remaining refund amount, Amazon says it will use the money to continue investing in lower prices across its marketplace.The refund follows a major legal decision earlier this year. In February, the US Supreme Court struck down several tariffs that had been imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, forcing the government to reimburse duties collected from importers.Several large companies, including Apple, Walmart, Costco, Home Depot and General Motors, had indicated they would seek refunds after the ruling. Apple has already said tariff refunds boosted its latest quarterly earnings.Amazon also explained why its refund amount was relatively limited. The company said it had stocked inventory in advance before tariffs took effect, reducing the impact. It also noted that Amazon is not the importer of record for most products sold on its platform, as more than 60 percent of marketplace sales come from third-party sellers, many of whom import goods themselves and have separately applied for refunds.Another big company is also paying customersAmazon's announcement comes just weeks after Apple agreed to compensate certain customers in a completely different case.Apple recently agreed to a $250 million class-action settlement in the US over claims that it misled buyers about the availability of Apple Intelligence features, particularly a more personalised version of Siri that was promoted before the iPhone 16 launch but was not available when the devices went on sale.Under the proposed settlement, eligible users who purchased supported iPhone models in the US between June 10, 2024, and March 29, 2025, could receive $25 per device, with payments potentially increasing to $95, depending on the number of valid claims. Apple has not admitted any wrongdoing and says it settled the case to avoid prolonged litigation while continuing to focus on delivering new AI features.- EndsPublished By: Ankita GargPublished On: Jul 31, 2026 15:35 IST