Amazon Reaches Out to Sellers Amid Trump’s Tariff Storm
Seattle, WA – April 15, 2025, 10:49 AM PDT – Amazon has quietly despatched emails to its third-party sellers in latest days, looking for to grasp how President Donald Trump’s escalating tariffs are reshaping their companies, from sourcing to pricing and worldwide gross sales, per The Wall Road Journal. With tariffs on Chinese language imports hitting 145%—up from 104% final week—and a blanket 10% obligation on different nations paused for 90 days, the e-commerce large is bracing for fallout that might spike costs and squeeze its 60% third-party-driven market. Sellers, particularly these reliant on China for 70% of Amazon’s items, face a grim selection: soak up prices or go them to customers, risking the coveted “purchase field” (CNBC, Washington Put up).
The emails, described as a uncommon transfer by Amazon, ask about shifts in provide chains, price hikes, and gross sales impacts, reflecting urgency as tariffs disrupt a mannequin the place Chinese language sellers dominate over half the platform’s prime ranks (Fox Enterprise). Gina Castagnozzi, a California pet provide vendor, informed Washington Put up she’s “paralyzed” after Trump’s fast tariff jumps from 54% to 145% left her canine waste luggage cargo at sea going through a crushing invoice. Others, like Shenzhen-based Brian Miller, plan 20-50% worth hikes when stock runs dry, per Reuters. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy warned on CNBC April 10 that sellers will probably “go prices on,” as margins—usually 15% or much less—can’t soak up 145% duties (NBC Information).
Amazon’s personal Haul platform, launched November 2024 to rival Temu, feels the warmth. Ending the $800 de minimis exemption, which fueled low cost Chinese language imports, might assist Amazon outmaneuver rivals however hikes prices for its China-sourced Haul items (Forbes). X posts seize the strain: @algotradingdesk famous Amazon’s inventory dip as sellers panic, whereas @cryptoplusplus1 flagged the e-mail outreach as an indication of deeper fear (Put up:3,4). But, some U.S. sellers see a silver lining—Mark Cuban argued on X that tariffs may enhance home sellers, although critics name it naive (Put up:1). With gold at $3,200 amid commerce chaos, Amazon’s knowledge seize indicators a scramble to stabilize a market teetering on the sting.
