Budget retailers Shein and Temu raise prices amid Trump tariffs
(NewsNation) — Popular budget retailers Shein and Temu are following through on plans to raise prices due to President Trump's tariffs, with some products more than doubling in cost in recent days.
The average price of the top 100 beauty and health products on Shein jumped 51% last week, according to data compiled by Bloomberg News. Some items saw even steeper hikes: a 10-piece set of kitchen towels surged 377%, while eyebrow gel rose nearly 200%.
Meanwhile, Chinese retail app Temu appears to be passing on 'nearly all' of President Trump's new import taxes to U.S. consumers, Bloomberg said. The company has started adding 'import charges' that, in some cases, exceed the value of the product.
Why is Trump ending the 'de minimis' exemption?
American consumers had been bracing for the changes after both companies announced plans to raise prices earlier this month. In nearly identical statements, Shein and Temu said their operating expenses had gone up due to 'recent changes in global trade rules and tariffs.'
Those price changes started April 25, a week before the end of the so-called 'de minimis' rule, which let low-value packages skip certain customs paperwork and enter the country duty-free.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have pushed to reform the de minimis provision in recent years, warning that the exemption makes it easier to smuggle drugs into the country.
Trump scrapped the exemption for goods from China and Hong Kong and slapped a 145% tariff on many Chinese imports.
Bloomberg's analysis of Shein found that some categories saw steeper markups than others. For home and kitchen products and toys, average prices jumped more than 30% from April 24 to April 25. The rise was 8% for women's clothing.
These were some of the biggest price jumps on Shein from Apr. 24 to Apr. 25, according to Bloomberg:
Thick kitchen cleaning towels: +377%
Blinds air conditioning gap brush: +219%
Manual chicken/meat shredder: +210%
Wax strips and post-wax wipes: +205%
Eyebrow gel, natural effect: +199%
Collagen anti-cracking lip balm: +180%
Ultra-fine blackhead removal tweezers: +168%
Eyelash shaper tool: +152%
Press on toenails, glossy white: +150%
Sweet mint matte pearl shimmering eyeshadow stick: 141%
Shein has added a banner at checkout that reads, 'Tariffs are included in the price you pay. You'll never have to pay extra at delivery.'
What is DHgate? Americans flock to Chinese app on tariff fears
Temu
Temu appears to be taking a slightly different approach, tacking on import charges at checkout.
For example, a popular 14-in-1 power strip was listed for $19.34 on Monday but costs $48.32 after $27.49 in import charges are added to the bill.
'Items imported into the U.S. may be subject to import charges,' a Temu note explains at checkout. 'These charges cover all customs-related processes and costs, including import fees paid to customs authorities on your behalf.'
A handheld steam iron on the website's bestseller page had a $25.80 price tag but costs closer to $60 once you factor in $32.10 in import charges.
Still, dozens of items on Temu's bestsellers list are marked to be shipped from local warehouses and don't face additional import charges.
Shoppers have flooded the 'TemuThings' subreddit in recent days to vent their dismay. In one post, a user shared a screenshot of a checkout receipt with import tax and wrote, 'No more Temu for me. Good luck to us all with these tariffs.'
In another post, a user wrote, 'R.I.P. Temu, it was nice while it lasted.'
Neither Temu nor Shein immediately responded to NewsNation's request for comment Monday.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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