Temu Slaps Customers With 145% Import Surcharge—Trump Tariffs Trickle Down to Shoppers
Temu’s latest move? Passing Trump-era tariffs straight to consumers with a jaw-dropping 145% import fee hike. The e-commerce platform—known for its dirt-cheap goods—just made bargain hunting a lot less appealing.
Who pays? You do. While corporate supply chains magically ’optimize’ around trade wars, the little guy gets stuck holding the bill. Classic.
Bonus finance jab: Another win for ’free market innovation’—where ’innovation’ means finding new ways to nickel-and-dime customers.
Chinese company Temu known for its cheap prices adds import charges of up to 150% to counter US tariffs. pic.twitter.com/wIwUK2tiCC
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) April 28, 2025
The import charges can be seen on a wide range of products across Temu’s marketplace. For example, a summer dress sold on Temu for $18.47 will cost $44.68 after $26.21 in import charges are added to the bill, a 142% surcharge, a CNBC analysis shows. A child’s bathing suit priced at $12.44 will cost shoppers $31.12 when the $18.68 import charge is taken into account, a staggering 150% fee. A handheld vacuum cleaner listed at $16.93 now costs $40.11 when factoring in an import charge of $21.68, which is a roughly 137% markup.
Temu, Shein Hikes Prices To Counter Tariffs
The price increases went into effect on Friday and caused prices to surge over the past weekend. “Items imported into the U.S. may be subject to import charges. These charges cover all customs-related processes and costs, including import fees paid to customs authorities on your behalf,” Temu explains on its website. “The amount listed may not represent the actual amount paid to customs authorities.”
Other cheap foreign marketplaces have followed Temu’s import charges plan, including Shein, a fast fashion company based in Singapore. The company added a banner at checkout that states, “Tariffs are included in the price you pay. You’ll never have to pay extra for delivery.”
Additionally, Temu has cut its online ad spending in the U.S. since Trump announced sweeping tariffs. The company’s shopping app used to be a trending application on the App Store nationwide. Now, Temu’s app sits outside the top 70.
