Temu and Shein, two popular Chinese e-commerce sites, have raised their prices on a large number of items ahead of new tariffs set to take effect this week. The move comes as the US imposes 145% tariffs on imports from China, including goods sold by the companies.
Rena Scott, a 64-year-old retired nurse in Virginia, relies heavily on Temu for her daily essentials. With 10-12 active orders at any given time, she buys everything from crafting items to household goods. Scott says doing all her shopping on Temu is a “no-brainer” because it cuts out the middle man.
However, with the expiration of the de minimis exemption, which allowed goods less than $800 to pour in duty-free, Temu and Shein have raised prices on many items. For Scott, this means even cheap products are no longer affordable.
“The entire idea of tariffs is idiotic, in my opinion,” says Phillip Dampier, a consumer rights writer who has been shopping at Chinese e-commerce sites for the past two weeks. He’s stocking up for what he believes will be economic hardship and shortages that rivaled the pandemic.
The impact on lower-income households will be severe, with research showing 48% of de minimis packages were delivered to poorest zip codes in 2023. The lowest-income households spent more than triple their share of income on apparel compared to the wealthiest households in 2021.
Critics argue that Chinese e-commerce sites promote overconsumption and encourage a culture of buying cheap, low-quality products. However, Scott says buying American-made goods isn’t much of an option due to high prices.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/30/business/temu-shein-tariffs-import-charges/index.html