What did Trump say about Amazon? Retailer denies plan to show shoppers tariff price hikes - but Brits warned they face paying more for products

However, it denied looking at such a plan for its main website, after the White House accused it of a hostile political act. The retailer spent a chaotic morning denying a report from Punchbowl News that it planned to display prices showing tariffs' impact on Amazon.com. It acknowledged it had considered it for certain inexpensive China-made products on Haul but then rejected the idea.

The confusion initially prompted a 2% drop in Amazon shares after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the reported pricing plan "a hostile and political act by Amazon." The company said its smaller Haul division, which competes for low-cost buyers with Temu and Shein, had mulled displaying import levies.

A spokesperson said: "The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products. This was never approved and (is) not going to happen”.

President Donald Trump has imposed a tsunami of tariffs on U.S. trading partners, including China which has seen tariff costs rise by 145% since Trump took office, sending many corporations scrambling. Trump called Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos to complain about the Punchbowl News report, a White House official said.

Trump told reporters: "Jeff Bezos is very nice. He solved the problem very quickly. He did the right thing."

However, Brits could soon have to pay more for many Amazon, Shein and Temu products. As the Chancellor considers axing the UK’s £135 Low Value Imports duty threshold, cheap Chinese products may soon be a thing of the past, says the international delivery expert Parcelhero.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering options to axe or radically reform the UK’s Low Value Imports rules, which currently allow goods valued at £135 or less to be imported into the country without paying Customs duty. However, the home delivery expert Parcelhero is cautioning the move could have consequences for British consumers and the UK economy.

The review could help protect under-pressure UK retailers as cheap Chinese products, such as clothing, trainers and toys, threaten to flood the market. However, Parcelhero cautions scrapping the duty exemption for Low Value Imports could put up prices for Brits buying Chinese-made products from popular online retailers such as Amazon, Shein, Temu and eBay.

Parcelhero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks M.I.L.T., explains: “If the UK’s duty exemption for Low Value Imports is abolished, it would mean a pair of trainers costing £135 would be hit with the UK’s full Customs duty for trainers, which is 16%. This could raise their final cost to the shopper to around £156 – a £21 increase.

“Plans to reform the UK’s Low Value Imports duty exemption, known as the de minimis threshold, are being considered, at least in part, because of the impact of President Trump’s new tariffs on Chinese goods. These could lead Chinese sellers to dump low-cost goods on the UK market that they cannot sell to America.

“The UK review is good news for UK stores selling British products, whose prices are often undercut by cheap Chinese imports, but it’s not necessarily great news for shoppers. Brits shopping for Chinese-made bargains on popular sites such as Shein and Temu could see the final cost of items rise considerably if the de minimis threshold is scrapped or considerably reduced. As one option, the British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA) is calling on the Government to reduce the threshold for duty to £40.”