Shein and Temu just started raising prices ahead of new tariffs

Pages from the Shein website, left, and from the Temu site, right, are shown in this photo, in New York, June 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, FIle)

New York — “Cheap goods” sold on Temu and Shein aren’t as cheap as they were 24 hours ago.

On Friday, the two companies raised prices on many goods in advance of 120 per cent tariffs set to take effect next week. The companies had informed shoppers of the coming price hikes last week.

American customers of Temu and Shein, which source most of their products from China, have largely been able to avoid paying tariffs due to an exemption on shipments of goods worth less than US$800. That exemption, known as “de minimis,” is expiring on May 2, the result of an executive order President Donald Trump signed earlier this month.

Two patio chairs listed on Temu and reviewed by CNN had a $61.72 price tag on Thursday. By Friday, they were listed at $70.17. On Shein, CNN noted a bathing suit set cost $4.39 on Thursday; on Friday it cost $8.39, a 91 per cent increase.

The price increases, however, weren’t consistent across the board for the basket of goods CNN tracked. In fact, a smart ring sold on Temu was about $3 cheaper on Friday than it was on Thursday.

Prices fluctuate normally online so it’s not possible to know why certain prices rose and others didn’t.

“Due to recent changes in global trade rules and tariffs, our operating expenses have gone up. To keep offering the products you love without compromising on quality, we will be making price adjustments,” Shein said in a notice posted online recently. “We’re doing everything we can to keep prices low and minimize the impact on you.”

Temu posted a note with similar language to customers informing them of price increases. The company said that “Due to recent changes in global trade rules and tariffs, our operating expenses have gone up. To keep offering the products you love without compromising on quality, we will be making price adjustment starting April 25, 2025.”

Both sites encouraged customers to make purchases prior to April 25 to avoid paying higher prices. However, it’s unclear if buyers will avoid paying the 120 per cent tariffs if their orders arrive after May 2.

Around 9 am ET on Friday, it appeared Temu was experiencing site-wide issues, with several items abruptly listed as sold out.

Shein and Temu didn’t respond to CNN’s requests for comment.

A pain point for lower income consumers

The lowest-income households in America spent more than triple their share of income on apparel compared to the wealthiest households in 2021, according to a report by the Trade Partnership Worldwide, an economic research firm, analyzing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The end of the “de minimis” tariff exemption next month will also disproportionately hurt lower-income households, according to research from UCLA and Yale economists published in February.

The share of packages delivered under the de minimis threshold declines with income, the study found, with 48 per cent of packages shipped to the poorest zip codes, compared to 22 per cent for the richest zip codes in the United States.

Article by Elisabeth Buchwald and Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN