On the same day that the legality of the Trump administration’s widespread use of tariffs was being argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, CNBC reported on the results of a pricing-data survey showing that three high-profile U.S. retailers – Amazon, Target and Walmart – have been raising prices, thanks at least in part to such levies on imported goods.
Specifically, Amazon prices rose 12.8% this year on average as of the end of September, according to an analysis of online pricing data from third-party research firm DataWeave, while those at Target were up 5.5% since the start of the year, and prices at Walmart were 5.3% higher.
Walmart, Target and other retailers have said they are employing a portfolio approach to pricing following the tariff hikes, CNBC noted, meaning they have raised prices on some items but not others. But the companies rarely detail how much they’re increasing prices or on what items.
As to why Amazon’s prices went up more than its rivals, DataWeave pointed to the online giant’s heavier use of third-party sellers than the other two. “Because third-party sellers are more vulnerable to tariffs, marketplace vendors often have no choice but to pass higher costs onto the shopper,” the news service reports.
Click here for more from CNBC about findings of DataWeave’s survey, which involved reviewing prices of about 16,000 items each on Amazon’s, Walmart’s and Target’s websites.
