Nintendo Accused of Collecting Tariff Costs Twice as Consumers File Suit

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On Tuesday, Gregory Hoffert from California and Prashant Sharan from Washington state filed a class action lawsuit against Nintendo in federal court. The lawsuit is seeking financial compensation for all US customers who purchased Nintendo products between February 1, 2025, and February 24, 2026. The amount of compensation requested hasn’t been specified.

The lawsuit claims Nintendo would unfairly profit if it keeps government tariff refunds after already charging customers higher prices to cover those tariffs. The legal documents point out that Nintendo could essentially get the tariff money back twice: once through increased prices paid by consumers, and again through refunds from the government, including interest on those funds.

Starting in April 2025, Nintendo increased the prices of Switch accessories by $5 to $10, explaining that market factors had changed. Later, in August, the price of the Switch Lite rose by $30 and the Switch OLED by $50, but the price of the newer Switch 2 console remained the same.

Man, the pre-order situation for the Switch 2 was a rollercoaster! Originally, I was supposed to be able to snag one on April 9th, but they pushed it back to April 24th because of some confusing stuff with tariffs. Luckily, it finally launched on June 5th, 2025, just like they initially said it would. It was a bit of a wait, but I’m finally playing it!

The tariffs began when President Trump used a 1977 law – the International Emergency Economic Powers Act – in February 2025 to impose taxes on imports from almost every country. However, the Supreme Court overturned these tariffs earlier this year, deciding the law didn’t allow for their implementation. By that point, the government had already collected over $160 billion from thousands of businesses.

Nintendo is part of a large group of over 1,000 companies – including major names like FedEx, Costco, Sony, and Microsoft – that are taking the US government to court over tariffs. In a filing, Nintendo argues that government agencies have collected over $200 billion in tariffs on goods imported from almost every country and is requesting a complete refund, plus interest.

Nintendo wouldn’t say if they plan to issue refunds to customers. A company representative simply confirmed they’ve submitted a request and stated they have no further information to share at this time.

Unlike companies like FedEx, DHL, and UPS – which have promised to refund shipping costs directly to customers – Nintendo hasn’t said whether it will do the same. Similar lawsuits have also been filed against Ray-Ban’s manufacturer, EssilorLuxottica, and the clothing company Lululemon.

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2026-04-29 11:19