Costco to pass along tariff refunds to members after Trump’s tariffs struck down
Mar 13, 2026, 5:57 PM
Customers walk in the parking lot outside a Costco store. (Photo: Scott Olson, Getty Images)
(Photo: Scott Olson, Getty Images)
Costco, the Issaquah-based warehouse giant, said the company will pass along any tariff refunds it receives to its customers after President Donald Trump’s global tariffs were struck down last month.
Costco CEO Ron Vachris told analysts during an earnings call this month that the company has already taken action to reduce the tariffs’ impact, noting that “in many cases, we did not pass the full cost onto our members,” according to The Puget Sound Business Journal.
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Costco seeking refunds for all tariffs paid under emergency law
On November 28, 2025, Costco filed a federal lawsuit challenging the emergency tariffs, claiming all tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) were unlawful.
Costco asked the court to order refunds for all IEEPA-based tariffs Costco has paid, including interest on those payments. Costco did not reveal how much in duties the company owes, although importers paid nearly $90 billion under the IEEPA law as of November 2025, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data from September.
In February, many of Trump’s global tariffs were ruled to be unconstitutional, which prompted the president to announce a new global tariff of 10% to 15%.
In an effort to address the growing uncertainty of the ever-changing tariff announcements, Vachris noted Costco has already lowered prices of several items where tariffs have been reduced, including cookware, eggs, coffee, and textiles, among others.
“As we have done in the past, when legal challenges have recovered charges passed on in some form to our members, our commitment will be to find the best way to return this value through lower prices,” Vachris said at the beginning of the call, according to The Puget Sound Business Journal. “We will be transparent in how we plan to do this if and when we receive any refunds.”
Several other businesses filed similar suits against the Trump Administration to recoup funds spent on tariffs, including eyeglass makers Ray-Ban and EssilorLuxottica, and Kawasaki Motors, among others, according to court records.
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