Temu Stops Shipping Products from China to U.S. Amid Trump's Tariffs
Chinese bargain retailer Temu is making a big change to their business in the United States.
Amid the Trump administration’s tariffs, including new rules on shipments, Temu has changed its site to only display products that ship from U.S.-based warehouses.
Items shipped directly from China are now labeled as out of stock, via CNBC.
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Temu became a sensation in America because of its heavily discounted items shipped direct from China, including items like $5 sneakers.
The prices came because of the de minimis rule, allowing items worth $800 or less to enter the country duty-free since 2016.
The loophole expired Friday (May 2) at 12:01 a.m. ET as a result of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in April. (The White House claims the move is “a critical step in countering the ongoing health emergency posed by the illicit flow of synthetic opioids into the U.S.” on their website.)
The end of the de minimis rule, as well as Trump’s new 145% tariffs on China, forced Temu to raise prices, suspend its online advertising push and adjust the selection of goods available to American shoppers to circumvent higher levies, per the CNBC report.
A Temu spokesperson confirmed to the news outlet that all sales in the U.S. are now handled by local sellers and said they are fulfilled “from within the country.”
Temu said pricing for U.S. shoppers “remains unchanged.”
“Temu has been actively recruiting U.S. sellers to join the platform,” the spokesperson added. “The move is designed to help local merchants reach more customers and grow their businesses.”
Prior to the change, shoppers who attempted to purchase Temu products shipped from China were confronted with “import charges” of between 130% and 150%, often costing more than the individual item and more than doubling the price of many orders.
Temu says that local products have “no import charges” and “no extra charges upon delivery.”
Shein, which has also benefited from the loophole, moved to raise prices last week, adding a banner at checkout that says, “Tariffs are included in the price you pay. You’ll never have to pay extra at delivery.”
Trump recently made a big deal of “bringing back” a major holiday which never actually went away.