Temu and Shein shoppers, better start saving up.
If you shop for bargain items on Temu or Shein, brace yourself — US tariff changes have sent prices soaring. In late April, the Chinese e-commerce giants, known for bargain products, announced significant price hikes, with some items increasing by up to 377%, according to data aggregated by Bloomberg News.
The price surge followed the Trump administration’s revocation of the “de minimis” exemption, which previously allowed goods under $800 to enter the US from mainland China and Hong Kong duty-free.
Now Temu is taking a different tack. The company says it will no longer ship products from China to US customers. Instead, all sales to buyers in the US will be managed by “locally based sellers,” with orders fulfilled domestically to keep prices in check.
“Temu’s pricing for US consumers remains unchanged as the platform transitions to a local fulfillment model,” a Temu representative said in a statement to CNET on Friday. “Temu has been actively recruiting US sellers to join the platform.”
Be sure to explore our tariff pricing tracker to keep track of how the tariffs are affecting 11 popular products.
Representatives from Shein did not respond to requests for comment.
Shein’s price adjustments are notable in various categories. Beauty and health products have seen an average increase of 51%, home and kitchen goods an increase of 30%, and women’s clothing an increase of 8%. According to The Daily Beast, a kitchen towel’s price jumped from $1.28 to $6.10 (377% increase) and a meat shredder rose from $2.91 to $9.02 (219% increase). Temu, owned by Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings, also raised prices, citing higher operating costs due to the new tariffs.
These changes are part of a broader trend where US shoppers are facing rising costs on imported goods. The elimination of the “de minimis” rule along with the imposition of higher tariffs has disrupted the business models of these fast-fashion retailers, leading to increased prices for consumers.