A surprise credit after an overseas purchase: The tariff refunds now flowing through shippers

FedEx, UPS, and DHL are passing along tariff refunds to customers after the Supreme Court in February struck down tariffs Trump imposed in March 2025 under emergency powers on goods from nearly every country. About $100 billion in tariffs has been refunded so far, with FedEx returning $800 million and UPS applying for $500 million of the $5 billion it had paid on clients' behalf.

Because most large retailers passed tariff costs on indirectly rather than as line-item charges, direct refunds to shoppers are unlikely; Amazon, which received $600 million in Q2 refunds, said it will mostly use the money to lower prices rather than issue individual refunds. Best Buy and Costco gave similar answers, with Costco's CEO saying only that the company would return money 'in some form.'

More than 80 class-action lawsuits have been filed against retailers including Costco, Nike, Amazon, and Walmart by customers seeking to recoup tariff-driven price increases, though a lawyer noted proving a specific price hike was tariff-caused, rather than general inflation, will be difficult. In 2025 the tariffs amounted to an average $1,000 tax increase per U.S. household, according to the Tax Foundation.

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