
E-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is disputing a report that it has raised prices on thousands of items in response to tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
What Happened: Some companies are raising prices to offset the impact of Trump tariffs. Amazon, however, insists it is not raising prices on millions of everyday essential items.
A recent Wall Street Journal report indicated Amazon raised prices on thousands of items as a response to the tariffs.
"The article is based on a fundamentally flawed analysis that, in turn, fails to represent reality," Amazon said. "While we welcome scrutiny at Amazon, we believe it's important for people to understand the facts and what's really going on."
Amazon said the Wall Street Journal used a "cherry picked sample" of items and provided misleading data and incorrect pricing information.
According to Amazon, data on under 2,500 items out of more than six million represents only 0.04% of the company's everyday essentials selection. The retailer also took exception to the news outlet’s choice of two specific dates to check prices, rather than evaluating over a period of time.
"The objective approach would have been to follow the common research practice of checking prices at regular intervals during a specific time period and creating a baseline that reflects consistent prices over time."
Amazon stated that the report included items that were on sale in January. The items returned to the second price point in July. The retailer noted that some of the items also have prices set by independent sellers, rather than by Amazon.
Amazon stated that the news outlet initially used average pricing data for its report when it first contacted the retailer, but later switched to the two-date methodology.
Why It's Important: Amazon not wanting to be accused of raising prices due to tariffs comes as the retailer previously became the target of the Trump administration.
A report that Amazon was going to list the tariff costs on its site for select items was later scrapped by the company and led to the White House administration calling Amazon out for its "hostile and political action."
Trump said he called Amazon chairman and founder Jeff Bezos over the potential tariff listings on the site.
Amazon's everyday essentials selection continues to grow and has been a key in growing market share in categories like beauty products, packaged food, personal care and grocery.
The retailer said its everyday essentials segment grew more than twice as fast as the rest of its US business in the first quarter.
"This doesn't happen without consistently offering customers low prices every day."
Amazon highlights a third-party analysis from research firm Profitero that has found Amazon to be the lowest priced US retailer for everyday essentials for eight years in a row.
"Our commitment to meet or beat the prices of other retailers is unwavering."
Amazon said what matters to consumers the most is everyday low prices on "the things they need to run their lives."
"We take our role in customers' lives so seriously."
Price Action: Amazon stock is down 0.5% to $231.54 on Tuesday versus a 52-week trading range of $151.61 to $242.52. Amazon stock is up 5.1% year-to-date in 2025.
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