The United States' removal of "de minimis" exemptions, once utilized by Chinese e-commerce giants Shein and Temu, has ended duty-free shipments from China, prompting U.S. shoppers to seek alternatives like the growing trend of "China Shopping," where they travel to China to bypass rising costs.
Starting Friday, parcels valued under 800 U.S. dollars will face a 120 percent levy or a flat fee of 100 U.S. dollars, as announced by President Donald Trump's administration.
American shoppers are now flocking to DHgate, a Chinese e-commerce platform that currently ranks second among free apps in the U.S. Apple Store, driven by tariff concerns and the appeal of prices significantly lower than local U.S. retail options.
Meanwhile, a new term "ChinaShopping", referring to the practice of Americans flying directly to China to shop in response to tariff pressures, has gained popularity in the United States recently.
In an exclusive interview with China Media Group (CMG), Dante Munoz, an American blogger based in Texas and a fervent advocate of "ChinaShopping," stated that he has visited China twice and plans to return soon. During his previous trips, he purchased items such as sunglasses and Huawei headphones.
"I use Temu a lot. But that company was a way to kind of go around the tariffs originally, because it was smaller orders. But now Trump [doesn't] allow to go around the tariffs for small orders anymore. So those prices are going to go up now. Now I have learned that the tourism visa is even easier for Americans to apply to and there's now the ten-day visa-free travel option," Munoz said.
Munoz highlighted the pronounced differences between U.S. and Chinese manufacturing, emphasizing the hurdles small businesses face as they navigate the shifting dynamics of a rapidly evolving market.
"I have been to China twice now. The first time I went was with a friend who does fashion design in China with a small factory there in Shenzhen, and so I got to meet the manufacturers. It was just not like anything I have seen in the United States. They had all these styles I had never seen before all over the place at very fair prices. Chinese garment manufacturers, tailors have the highest concentration of the highest skill in the world. I think there's a lot more freedom because all of the other sunglasses companies in the United States are owned by like one monopoly. So, it's like very overpriced to have a cool style in the United States. I have seen videos on TikTok of different U.S. small businesses who can no longer do their manufacturing in China. So, now it's just the big businesses who are more exploitative and have more of a monopoly, and it's just going to make our market less free," he said.
Tariff hikes push U.S. shoppers toward new alternatives
