But an executive ordersigned on Tuesdayofficially ends the exemption on May 2.
On June 1, the duty will increase to $50.
Temu for its part has been adding US-based sellers to its marketplace and steering customers there.
President Trump ends de minimis exemption that enaled Temu and SHEIN to ship cheap goods to the United States.Spencer Platt/Getty
Temu and SHEIN can be thought of best as H&M or Forever 21 on steroids.
Critics say this has created an unfair playing field for Chinese ultra-budget websites.
According to eMarketer, Temu alone will sell $30 billion worth of products in the U.S. in 2025.
Companies including Amazon and TikTok are attempting tocompete with their own marketplacesfor cheap goods.
The cancellation of de minimis may not necessarily help them, depending on where the goods originate.
They are particularly regressive, since lower income consumers have less wiggle room to accommodate higher costs of goods.
It is hard to argue that Temu and SHEIN are good services, however.
They are selling cheap garbage that does not last.
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