Temu adds ‘import charges’ after Trump ties

Chinese electronic tail Temu has begun to add “import positions” of approximately 145% in response to the president Donald Trump‘s duty.

The rates, which began to emerge over the weekend after price increases entered into force on Friday, cost more than individual products are buying and can double the price of a typical order.

For example, a summer dress sold in TEMU for $ 18.47 will cost $ 44.68 after $ 26.21 in import positions to the bill, a 142%surcharge, according to a CNBC analysis. A child’s swimsuit with a price of $ 12.44 will cost buyers $ 31.12 when the import charge of $ 18.68 is taken into account, an amazing rate of 150%. A portable vacuum that appears at $ 16.93 now costs $ 40.11 by taking into account an import charge of $ 21.68, which is a marking of approximately 137%.

“Imported articles to the US may be subject to import positions. These charges cover all processes and costs related to customs, including import rates paid to customs authorities in their name,” explains Temu on their website. “The amount listed cannot represent the real amount paid to the customs authorities.”

TeMU representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comments.

The rival discount retailer, Shein, has also increased prices in his place, but does not seem to be implementing import positions. The company added a banner at the end of the purchase that says: “Tariffs are included in the price you pay. You will never have to pay more in delivery.”

The movements occur after Temu and Shein warned earlier this month that they raise your prices After Trump slapped a 145% tariff in many imports from China and promised to end the exemption of minimis May 2. The widely criticized lagoon helped accelerate the growth of Temu and Shein in the United States because it allowed most packages to enter the country’s tax free, as long as imports were valued below $ 800.

“Due to recent changes in global commercial rules and rates, our operational expenses have increased,” saying In its place earlier this month. “To continue offering the products you love without compromising quality, we will make price settings as of April 25, 2025”.

Import rates erode the value proposition that made Temu popular among consumers first. Temu, owned by Chinese electronic commerce giant PDD HoldingsHe has shot in popularity in the US. Since its launch in 2022 when covering the Internet with ads that proclaim that users can “buy as a billionaire.” Although the shipping times could be long, consumers mass the site because the prices of the rock bottom in clothing, electronics and home products made it worth the extra wait.

Temu allowed consumers with liquidity problems Fighting to pay the essential elements As edible and homes to waste pleasant items, such as new clothes or home decoration without the high price. Now, the prices of many of their products will be more aligned with American competitors such as Amazon, Walmart and AimBut it could still take more than a week to arrive.

Temu has abruptly cut its online advertising spending In the United States since Trump announced radical tariffs. The TeMU classification in the Apple app Sensor tower data. Shein currently is 54 years old, below 15 last month.

TeMU buyers have flooded a Reddit forum With publications that denounce the imports for imports induced by the rate in the days elapsed since the company increased prices. In A publication Titled “Rip Temu, it was pleasant while it lasted”, a user wrote that the price of the items “flew” on Friday.

“From shopping like a billionaire to shopping like a farmer in one day,” a user wrote in A separate reddit publication On Saturday.

Macinzi Morris, a Temu customer who lives in southeast Missouri, said he ordered a set of succulent pots for $ 12.25 before the company began to increase prices. For Friday, the Pots rose to $ 30, he said.

Morris buys yoga supplies, clothing and a variety of other products from the site “a couple of times a month”, but hopes to buy in another place now that Temu items are more expensive.

“It makes no sense to pay a surcharge of 140% when I can get the same in Amazon for the same price and generally get it a little faster,” said Morris.

Some media and consumers have tracked modest price increases in individual articles sold in TEMU, before importing them. It seems that new rates are only being added to products that are not sold from local warehouses in the United States during the last year, Temu has worked to build distribution centers based in the United States to protect themselves from commercial tensions and, according to reports, it has pushed some sellers to store inventory in the United States.

Recently, Temu has been promoting products that Send the US consumers. on those that are sent directly from China. That trend has only increased as the company increases prices and adds additional rates.

For example, a scan of the “Lightning Orices” page of Temu on Monday showed on Monday that more than 75% of the products offered had a “local” label. When consumers click on the elements, a brilliant green banner with the words “without import charges” stands out.