Dame founder refunds customers after tariff

Dame Products cofounder Alexandra Fine said she refunded customers who paid the company’s Trump tariff surcharge and is now trying to recover the money from U.S. Customs. (businessinsider.com) (finance.yahoo.com) Fine said Dame added the surcharge in 2025 after tariff costs jumped, then reversed it in 2026 after the Supreme Court struck down many of President Donald Trump’s emergency tariffs on February 20. (finance.yahoo.com) (supreme.justia.com) Modern Retail reported that Dame sold roughly 2,000 surcharge line items and planned to refund about $10,000 automatically within 15 business days. Fine told the outlet the company had paid more than $100,000 in tariff bills to U.S. Customs. (modernretail.co) The tariff at issue came from Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 law the Supreme Court said did not authorize tariffs. The ruling left open the mechanics of paying importers back. (supreme.justia.com) (scotusblog.com) U.S. Customs and Border Protection says it is building refund processing inside its CAPE system in the Automated Commercial Environment, the federal trade portal importers already use. The agency says the tool is meant for valid refund requests tied to IEEPA duties. (cbp.gov) Fine said getting Dame’s own refund has meant phone calls with Customs while her company fronts the cash it already returned to shoppers. Business Insider said Customs opened the refund portal on Monday, April 20. (businessinsider.com) (usatoday.com) Other companies are taking a similar position with customers. Business Insider reported that FedEx, United Parcel Service, and DHL said they would pass refunds along if their own claims succeed. (businessinsider.com) Dame’s case shows how a visible $5 checkout fee turned into a second fight over repayment after the court ruling ended the tariff itself. The surcharge is gone, but the paperwork is still running through Customs. (cbsnews.com) (cbp.gov)