US shoppers won’t see huge import fees on Temu purchases anymore, but that’s only because the Chinese e-commerce platform is sidestepping Trump’s tariffs by blocking users from buying goods directly from China.
“All sales in the US are now handled by locally based sellers, with orders fulfilled from within the country,” Temu tells PCMag.
Temu’s site only surfacing “local” goods. (Credit: Temu)
As a result, users will only see so-called “local” products across Temu, or inventory that’s all been sourced from US warehouses, and won’t incur extra import charges. No matter how far you scroll down through the page or configure your search, all the goods are labeled as local, with no apparent way to query for goods directly shipped from China.
Wired first reported on the change. In its statement, Temu also tells PCMag that its “pricing for US consumers remains unchanged as the platform transitions to a local fulfillment model.”
“Temu has been actively recruiting US sellers to join the platform. The move is designed to help local merchants reach more customers and grow their businesses,” the company adds. “This shift is part of Temu’s ongoing adjustments to improve service levels.”
The Chinese e-commerce provider has been shaking up its approach after the Trump administration ended a trade loophole that now imposes tariffs on packages from China valued at $800 or less. Effective May 2, US customs can impose a 120% tariff on shipments (or postal carriers can also choose a flat $100 per-item fee).
Initially, Temu responded to the tariffs by adding import fees on customer orders, which appeared as recently as Monday. But the 120% tariff more than doubled a product’s price if it shipped from China, which doesn’t really encourage purchases. As an alternative, Temu’s site featured items from US-based warehouses that had stocked up on goods.
What the import fees on Temu could look like. (Credit: Temu)
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The company has since decided to feature only local goods, which users on Reddit noticed on Wednesday. Although the change will help customers avoid products with high import fees, some consumers are complaining that Temu’s product selection has shrunk, depriving them of items they used to buy regularly.
“My stuff was in my cart last night and gone today. Now it’s all local stuff,” wrote one user.
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You may want to consider asking friends up north to place an order for you. Temu’s Canada site continues to offer products directly from China.
This comes after the Trump administration expressed outrage after Amazon briefly considered displaying tariff-related price increases on orders for Amazon Haul, its rival to Temu.
According to the newsletter Chinesellers, Temu is also shifting away from tighter control over its supply chain and offloading more of the work, including “initial shipping, customs clearance, and final delivery,” to Chinese merchants.
As a result, it’s possible Temu’s “local” products could face price hikes over time as inventory dwindles and merchants bring in more goods from China. But consumers wouldn’t necessarily see an import fee during the checkout process.
About Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
