Amazon says it will not list tariffs' effect on prices on its site

White House had condemned reported Amazon plan to itemise how tariffs impact on prices as a 'hostile and political act'

Amazon had been accused of 'a hostile and political act' by the White House. Reuters

E-commerce giant Amazon on Tuesday denied a report that it was planning to disclose the cost of President Donald Trump's tariffs on its products after receiving condemnation from the White House.

"The team that runs our ultra-low-cost Amazon Haul store considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products," Reuters reported a company representative as saying. "This was never approved and [is] not going to happen."

Earlier on Tuesday, the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Amazon's move would be a "hostile and political act". Those comments came after Punchbowl News reported that Amazon was planning to disclose how much Mr Trump's tariffs would add to its costs next to the product's total listed price.

Mr Trump imposed a 10 per cent trade levy on most countries after pausing harsher tariffs on dozens of other nations for 90 days. Meanwhile, he has intensified his trade war with China, with trade tariffs set at 145 per cent.

Mr Trump is also ending the “de minimis” loophole, which exempts packages valued at under $800 from entering the US without being subject to levies. Companies will pay a 120 per cent tariff or a flat $100 fee per postal item once the loophole expires.

Closing it would have a major impact on Chinese e-commerce companies Shein and Temu, which account for 17 per cent of the US discount market. The companies have begun raising prices for American customers in anticipation of the tariffs.

Ms Leavitt declined to answer if the reported move had caused friction between Mr Trump and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who has sought to curry favour with the President since the 2024 election.