SHEIN and Temu shoppers are getting a huge relief as a little-known “de minimis” rule is getting slashed in half.
The US is slashing the tariff on cheap goods from China “from 120 per cent to 54 per cent,” according to a brand new executive order signed by President Trump.
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It comes after the two countries struck a breakthrough trade deal where the US will lower its tariffs on Chinese goods temporarily from 145 per cent to 30 per cent.
Meanwhile China is to reduce its levies on American goods from 125 per cent to 10 per cent.
Trump had previously rid what was known as the “de minimis” exemption.
This was where imports valued under $800 from China and Hong Kong weren’t subject to tariffs or had to undergo thorough customs checks.
The fresh, signed executive order is sure to provide a sense of relief to gargantuan Chinese e-commerce companies like Shein and Temu – as well as their customers.
From Wednesday, the tariff will drop the significant amount, but a flat fee of $100 per parcel will still be in effect.
However, that won’t increase to $200 on June 1 which was previously announced, according to the executive order.
It comes as Amazon has launched a new shopping service to rival Temu and Shein.
The online marketplace giant has unveiled “Haul” in the UK offering shoppers thousands of products for £20 or less.
The UK is just the second location where Amazon has launched the service, after it was opened up to the US market last year.
The service is initially being trialled among select customers before being rolled out for all customers “in the coming weeks”.
Haul is only available via smartphone with shoppers able to scan a QR code via www.amazon.co.uk/b?node=201079717031 to access it.
If you already have the Amazon mobile app, search “Haul” and then hit “Enter” to be redirected.
Shoppers will be able to purchase thousands of products for £20 or less through Haul, with the majority of items costing under £10.
The service will also offer free delivery on all orders over £15, while shoppers can receive an extra 5% off their order when spending more than £50.
However, orders through Haul will arrive in “two weeks or less”, meaning shoppers could face longer shipping times.
John Boumphrey, UK country manager of Amazon, said: “We are constantly working to provide the best possible shopping experience for customers, and this is another way to offer low prices on a wide selection of products.
“Now more than ever we know our customers are looking to save, and we’re excited to provide more options through the shopping app they already know and love.”
Amazon Prime perks you might have missed
Check these out…
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First up is Prime Try Before You Buy, which is a Prime exclusive.
This lets you try new styles and sizes of clothes before buying them.
You can return them within seven days at no cost – and you’ll only have to pay for the products that you keep.
It’s a thriftier way to try on clothes, as it means you’re not fronting up money every time.
Second is Amazon Photos, which is extremely handy if you’re a serial snapper.
This gives you access to unlimited full-res photo storage, plus 5GB of video storage.
Third is Prime Reading, which serves up “a rotating collection of over 3,000 digital books, audiobooks, magazines, comics, and more”.
Fourth is another perk for book-lovers: Amazon First Reads.
This gives you early access to a brand new book for free every single month.
Fifth is a brilliant perk called Prime Gaming.
This gets you free games and in-game content every single month, as well as a free Twitch channel subscription to use each month.
You’ll also be able to play a rotating selection of free games on Amazon’s cloud gaming service Luna.
Sixth on the list is Membership Sharing.
This lets you share your existing Prime membership with your family – specifically between two adults, four teens, and four children under 13.
Seventh on the list is Amazon Music.
This gets you ad-free listening to over 100 million songs, along with thousands of playlists and popular podcasts.
And finally, don’t forget to unlock Grubhub+.
If you’re a Prime member in the US, you can get a one-year Grubhub+ trial, which normally costs $9.99 a month.
This gets you unlimited $0 delivery fees on any order over $12.
- Get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime here
