Trump tariffs & Amazon sellers: What SmartRepricer data tells us about pricing under pressure

The 2025 tariff changes hit Amazon sellers hard. Import costs jumped overnight, cash got tight, and sellers faced a tough choice: eat the cost increases and watch profits disappear, or raise prices and risk losing customers.

Most sellers went for the price hike, but our SmartRepricer data uncovered something unexpected. Sellers who kept their cool and limited price increases to just 3% or less didn’t merely survive the tariff shock. They actually came out ahead.

The price-pressure dilemma sellers are facing

When Trump announced his tariff changes between February and June 2025, import costs shot up dramatically. The steel and aluminum tariffs (doubled to 50% as of June 4th) hit sellers of everything from kitchen gadgets to furniture. The series of tariff increases, which at one point reached 145%, on Chinese imports affected countless Amazon categories.

For many sellers, these tariffs represented a 15-25% overnight increase in the cost of goods.

The gut reaction? Jack up prices to keep profit margins intact. Makes sense, right?

But our observation says otherwise. It seems like when you raise prices, you trigger a whole chain reaction:

• Your Buy Box share drops as Amazon’s algorithms start favoring sellers with more stable pricing
• Fewer shoppers click “buy” as they balk at the higher price tag
• Your sales velocity slows as these factors pile up

Thanks to data from hundreds of SmartRepricer users all weathering the same storm, we can see exactly how this played out.

What the SmartRepricer data shows

Our proprietary data from hundreds of SmartRepricer users reveals a sharp relationship between price increase size and performance shifts, specifically in conversion rate and sales velocity.

The most successful cohort? Sellers who held their prices steady by increasing only between 0 and 3%. They saw measurable gains in both conversion rate and velocity.

In essence:

Sellers who raised prices by more than 20% saw conversion rates drop by over 50% and sales velocity fall nearly 60%.

So what’s really going on? Our data team spotted several patterns:

• Sellers who had sufficient inventory on hand and either kept prices the same or raised prices only slightly (0–3%) were in the best position to capitalize on the market.
• On the other hand, sellers dealing with the cash flow squeeze from import tariffs had to raise prices significantly. This led to a two-sided hit: slower velocity + reduced conversions.
• The pattern of decline across buckets appeared almost algorithmic, but it is unknown whether Amazon’s internal systems are penalizing sudden or steep pricing volatility.

Why holding your price might help you win the Buy Box

That magical Buy Box—the “Add to Cart” button that drives about 80% of all Amazon sales—isn’t just awarded to whoever has the lowest price. Amazon’s algorithm considers multiple factors, and pricing behavior plays a major role.

Our data points to three advantages of price stability:

1. Algorithms like consistency. While Amazon keeps its exact formula secret, our data shows stable pricing correlates with a stronger Buy Box share. Big, sudden price jumps seem to trigger penalties that stick around.

2. Shoppers remember who didn’t gouge them. Price stability builds trust, especially when everyone else is raising prices. Customers tend to come back to sellers who didn’t take advantage during tough times.

3. You stand out when everyone else panics. When most sellers react with hefty price increases, keeping your prices steady immediately sets you apart. The data shows this advantage grows stronger over time.

In short, it isn’t about keeping prices artificially low. You have to be smart in managing your prices to balance protecting your margins with maintaining your marketplace position.

How SmartRepricer helps sellers stay competitive—without margin loss

The data makes a strong case for price stability, but how do you keep prices steady when your own costs go up?

SmartRepricer offers several tools that help successful sellers navigate the tariff shock:

• Dynamic min/max guardrails: You can use SmartRepricer’s minimum price rules to protect your bottom line while also setting maximum prices to avoid overreacting. This creates automatic safeguards against both profit erosion and conversion-killing price spikes.
• Smart competitive positioning: Rather than blindly matching the lowest price, you can use SmartRepricer to maintain your position relative to specific competitor groups. This lets you make small, strategic adjustments instead of dramatic changes.
• Time-based pricing strategies: Implement both gradual price changes over time to avoid shock increases that trigger both customer and algorithmic penalties. SmartRepricer’s scheduling features make this possible without constant manual adjustments.

And as part of Seller 365, SmartRepricer connects pricing decisions to your broader business strategy. From finding products with Tactical Arbitrage to tracking profits with FeedbackWhiz Profits, you have everything in one place. 10 seller apps for the price of one.

The takeaway? Small price changes can have a big business impact

The data tells a straightforward story: during economic shocks, pricing discipline pays off. Sellers who limited increases to 0-3% significantly outperformed those who made bigger, reactive adjustments.

But this goes beyond just surviving a single tariff event. It’s about building pricing resilience for future economic challenges. Making precise, strategic pricing decisions rather than emotional reactions creates lasting advantages in Amazon’s competitive ecosystem.

In rocky markets, automated pricing tools aren’t luxuries. They’re crucial to prevent panic-driven mistakes while also enabling smarter decision-making.

The sellers who get this aren’t just surviving market disruptions—they’re turning them into opportunities.

Facing rising costs? SmartRepricer helps you hold the line profitably. Stay competitive, win the Buy Box, and protect your margins automatically. Try it free via Seller 365 for up to 14 days.