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Tariffs

Amazon to Return Portion of Tariff Refund. Should Distributors Do the Same?

Amazon will automatically reimburse customers in limited cases where it can trace tariff charges to specific purchases. New disclosures from Grainger and Global Industrial show that sizable refunds are also reaching industrial distributors and materially affecting reported margins.

August 4, 2026

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Amazon received approximately $600 million in tariff-related refunds during its second quarter and plans to return a portion to customers who paid identifiable import charges.

Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky disclosed the refund during Amazon’s July 30 earnings call. Recorded in Amazon’s North America segment, the amount represented the significant majority of the tariff refunds the company expects to receive and reduced second-quarter expenses by approximately $600 million.

Olsavsky said Amazon’s refund was limited by its forward-buying and inventory-prepositioning efforts. Amazon also…

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