Trade War: Criticized by the White House, Amazon will not display the effect of customs duties on its platform
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The American giant explained that it had "considered the idea of publishing import costs for certain products." A proposal that was ultimately "not implemented."
Skip the ad Skip the adAmazon reverses course. Under fire from the White House, the American e-commerce giant announced Tuesday that it would no longer display the impact of customs duties on the prices of products sold in the United States on its e-commerce site. The group explained that the team in charge of low-cost products, Amazon Haul, had "considered the idea of publishing import costs for certain products," but that the proposal had "never been approved" and that it would "not be implemented."
A few hours earlier, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt had described as "hostile" and a "political act" the alleged attempt by online retail giant Amazon to clarify the impact of customs duties on the prices of products it offers on its platform. The accusation was referring to an article on the Punchbowl News website discussing this new presentation, which allegedly shows, alongside the sale price, the portion related to the customs duties imposed by Donald Trump on the United States' major trading partners.
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"It's not a surprise," Karoline Leavitt continued during a press briefing, "because Amazon has signed a partnership with a Chinese propaganda entity." The spokeswoman held up a copy of a Reuters article from December 2021, according to which Amazon has established a partnership with Chinese authorities, which has notably led to the creation of an internet portal specifically dedicated to books by members of the Chinese government, first and foremost President Xi Jinping. She indicated that she had just discussed the subject of Amazon on the phone with the American president.
According to several US media outlets, many third-party companies that list their products on Amazon have raised their prices to cushion the expected impact of the tariffs. Businesses and economists expect a particularly significant impact on imports of finished products or components from China, on the majority of which Donald Trump has imposed 145% tariffs.
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