ALBAWABA – The latest tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump are expected to significantly affect two popular online retailers, Shein and Temu. Last month, Trump announced a 10% additional tax on Chinese exports to the US.
Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imported products to the US
The US President Donald Trump announced the impose of new tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and 10% on China’s exports, claiming they are meant to protect the US economy and trade policies.
These tariffs will affect US citizens who order regularly from Chinese retailers, including Shein, the Chinese global e-commerce platform specializing in fast fashion, and Temu, an online marketplace operated by the Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings, which is owned by Colin Huang.
Many people began stocking up and ordering heavily from Shein and Temu before Trump's law went into effect, as these popular e-commerce websites had been able to ship orders under $800 free of tax charges to customers in the US.
As a result of Trump’s latest regulations, sources say websites like Shein and Temu are expected to raise their prices to account for the new tariffs. Another website joining the list is Amazon’s Haul, a new e-commerce app that imports products from China-based sellers.
The US President Donald Trump announced the impose of new tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and 10% on China’s exports, claiming they are meant to protect the US economy and trade policies. (Shutterstock)
Notably, the two popular websites are primarily used by US citizens for clothing and fashion shopping, makeup, home goods, and decor.
It is worth mentioning that Temu surpassed Amazon in 2023 as the most downloaded application in the US. Fans of both websites have stated they love shopping through them because they can grab trendy items for as little as $1 to $4.
Experts are now questioning if Trump’s new tariffs will end the fast-fashion shopping as they call it.
Margaret Bishop, a textile and apparel specialist and professor at New York’s Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology, said: “If everything costs more, particularly food, transportation and housing, they’re going to have to cut back somewhere. Americans have a real hunger for new fashion, so they will trade down to be able to continue to buy things. If a $1 pack of T-shirts at Temu becomes $2 a pack, that’s still cheaper than spending $20 for a couple of T-shirts that are better made.”
