Lawsuit Demands Costco Pass Tariff Refund to Customers Who Paid Higher Prices

The shopper claims the retailer increased prices during unlawful import taxes but does not intend to pass the refunds onto customers.

Customers walk in the parking lot outside a Costco store in Chicago on Dec. 2, 2025. Scott Olson/Getty Images

A Costco shopper filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Costco Wholesale Corp. on Tuesday, alleging the retailer is illegally holding potential refunds for tariffs determined to be unlawful by the Supreme Court while customers paid inflated prices on goods.

“This class action arises from Costco’s retention of windfall profits generated by the unlawful tariffs imposed by the Trump administration under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (‘IEEPA’), 50 U.S.C. § 1701 et seq.,” the complaint, filed by Matthew Stockov in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, said.