Temu, a big online shopping site from China known for super cheap prices, has started adding big “import charges” for people buying in the U.S. This happened because of new tariffs put in place by President Donald Trump on things shipped from China. These new fees can be very high sometimes more than 145% making the final cost of items double or even triple.
The new tariffs, which were added earlier this month, are part of Trump’s plan to fix money problems between the U.S. and China. His government also ended the “de minimis exemption,” a rule that used to let things under $800 come into the U.S. without extra taxes. Ending this rule has made it a lot harder for shopping sites like Temu and Shein, which depended on that rule to sell really cheap stuff.
For example, a summer dress that used to cost $18.47 on Temu now costs $44.68 after they add a $26.21 import fee. A small vacuum cleaner that was $16.93 now costs $40.11 with a $21.68 charge added. Temu says these extra charges are for customs work and paying fees to the U.S. government. But Temu also said that the number shown might not be the exact amount they actually pay to customs.
The effects of these changes have been fast and serious. Temu became very popular in the U.S. because it sold cheap clothes, gadgets, and home stuff. Now, it’s getting harder for Temu to stay cheap. The prices are starting to look more like what you find at Amazon, Walmart, or Target but Temu still doesn’t offer faster shipping like those big American stores.
Temu put a notice on its website telling people about these new charges. The company said it had no choice and that the fees were needed to keep selling good products without lowering quality. Still, these import fees have made shopping on Temu less exciting for people who loved the low prices.
It’s not just Temu that’s feeling the heat. Shein, another popular Chinese shopping app, also raised its prices. But Shein did it differently. Instead of showing a separate import fee, Shein just added the extra cost directly into the prices. That way, customers don’t get surprised with another bill when their package arrives.
The bigger picture is that these tariffs could have a lot of effects. Some people think the tariffs are good because they help protect U.S. companies and workers. Others say they will just make things more expensive for regular people and could make the U.S. and China fight more in the future.
For Temu, the future is now a big question mark. If it can’t find a way to deal with these new costs, it could lose a lot of customers in America. Shoppers now have to think harder: is it still worth buying from Temu if prices are so much higher? Temu may need to come up with new ideas to keep people interested.
In the end, Temu’s new import charges show how government rules between countries can hit regular people right in their wallets. As online shopping changes because of these new rules, companies like Temu will have to work even harder to stay alive and keep shoppers happy.