Donald Trump defended his tariff plan during the presidential campaign with forceful phrases that fell among his followers: “It is not a middle class tax. It is a tax to another country” or “it will not cost you, it will cost another country.” The message was clear: Americans would not pay the Price of their commercial war. And after his victory and arrival at the White House, that speech remained. Reality, however, is being quite different.
The tariff war has already begins to move directly to the prices paid by Americans. And one of the most visible cases is that of Temu. The Chinese electronic commerce platform, which had earned a hole among the most popular applications in the country due to its very low prices, has begun to apply “import charges” that exceed 100% of the original product value in some cases.
Pay for the same. A concrete example helps to understand to what extent the situation has changed. According to NBC data, a pack of three sports shorts for men, which was offered for $ 23.61 with free shipping from China, ends up costing $ 56.36 once applied 32.75 dollars of import surcharge.
That is, the customer pays more on tariffs than for the product itself. Bloomberg was a step further and analyzed the 14 most popular articles sent from China. The result was clear: in all cases, import taxes applied in the United States were higher than the original price of products.
Temu begins to warn. Given this new reality, the platform has incorporated informative messages to alert users before finishing their purchases. “Imported articles to the United States may be subject to import positions. These charges cover all customs processes and costs, including tariffs paid to the authorities in your name,” can be read on their website.
The ‘local warehouse’ label wins prominence. In response to the price increase, Temu has begun to boost the products that are already stored within the US territory. The company groups them under a specific category: “Local warehouse”.
Although many of these articles are also manufactured in China, the fact that they are physically in the United States exempts them from new customs charges. Of course, this advantage has its nuances.
As NBC itself has verified, some of these products marked as premises have higher prices than before, despite not being subject to surcharges. In other words, dodging the tariff does not guarantee finding a bargain. The context has changed, and that is also noticed in the local stock.
The domino effect of tariffs. The price increase comes after a series of decisions that have completely changed the rules of the game. At the beginning of the month, the Trump administration raised up to 145% tariffs to certain imports from China. In addition, he has announced that as of May 2 he will eliminate the exemption known as “de minimis”, which allowed most packages with less than $ 800 to enter the United States without paying taxes.
Temu, between success and uncertainty. Since his arrival in the United States in 2022, Temu has conquered millions of users with a simple formula: ridiculous prices in clothing, technology and household items. Although the shipping times were long, many consumers were willing to wait if that meant paying less. That strategy, however, staggers now that the costs are rising and the tax advantage disappears.
Complaints flood forums. Reddit has become one of the thermometers of discontent. TeMU users share screenshots of their purchase baskets to show the new prices, visibly inflated by import positions. Many express their frustration and question whether it will continue to Buy on the platform. Change seems to be caught by many by surprise.
One of the shared captures in Reddit
An increasingly uncertain commercial future. Today it is not clear how long the current tariff barriers will remain. China has responded by raising its own tariffs on certain American products to 125%, and has described “joke” the possibility of continuing to climb. The tension not only affects companies, but also consumers who, little by little, see how the cheapest options are exhausted.
For now, the products stored locally would be offering some respite. But if the situation continues, stocks could be exhausted and consumers would end up having to resort to more expensive articles, directly affected by new tariffs.
The White House points to Amazon. In the midst of this pressure climate, the White House spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, accused the e -commerce giant of being “hostile and political.” The reason? An article by PunchBowl News suggested that Amazon was exploring the possibility of showing the exact cost of tariffs at the price of their products. The answer soon arrived: Amazon clarified that this idea was only considered for a specific section of its website, Amazon Haul, which competes directly with Temu, and that it was never contemplated for the main page.
Showing tariffs can be seen as a challenge. The idea of detailing these costs is not less: it would allow users to clearly see that, contrary to what Trump stated, the economic impact is falling on them.
A warning for all players in the sector. The message to Amazon can also be understood as a signal to other electronic commerce companies. Explicit explicitly the impact of tariff policies could be interpreted as an uncomfortable political position for the White House.
Imágenes | Freepik | Temu | The White House
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