FedEx, UPS and DHL, which acted as customs brokers and paid tariffs on behalf of package recipients, are now passing along refunds after the Supreme Court struck down Trump's sweeping 2025 tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. FedEx says it's returning $800 million in refunds, UPS has applied for $500 million of the $5 billion it paid, and DHL says it has filed claims for nearly all eligible shipments.
About $100 billion in tariffs has been refunded to the companies that paid them under a system run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, but that's cold comfort for the average household, which the Tax Foundation estimates paid roughly $1,000 more in 2025 because of the tariffs. Most of that came through price increases from big retailers rather than direct tariff payments, and companies like Amazon, Best Buy and Costco say they'll mostly use refunds to lower prices rather than cut checks.
More than 80 class-action lawsuits have been filed against retailers including Costco, Nike, Amazon and Walmart by consumers trying to claw back tariff costs baked into higher prices. A law firm partner told reporters that tracing a specific price increase to tariffs, rather than any other market force, will be difficult, and none of the suits have been certified as class actions yet.
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