Shoppers are already feeling the pain of President Donald Trump’s new rules on goods imported from China, which started Tuesday.
Canada and Mexico were also set to be hit with tariffs, along with the end of a rule that previously allowed small packages to enter the US duty-free.
However, after last-minute negotiations, those changes were delayed for a month.
That didn’t happen with China, which exported $536 billion worth of goods to the US in 2022, making it America’s largest trading partner by far.
Frustrated shoppers have taken to social media, claiming they’re already seeing higher costs on items shipped from China.
Victoria Alario, a TikTok user, posted a video on Wednesday after noticing unexpected charges on her order from Meshki, a boutique clothing store that ships from China.
Her two items totaled $304, but after duties and sales tax, the final price jumped to $441.88 – including an extra $101.85 in duties.
‘This had me gasping. This caught my eye so quick because I was like, where did that come from,’ Alario said.
Victoria Alario posted a video to TikTok on Wednesday showing that she was hit with an over $100 duty on her order from women’s clothing store Meshki
While some of her viewers blamed tariffs, the more likely explanation is Trump’s executive order ending the ‘de minimis’ rule.
It is a century-old trade law that allows imports valued under $800 to enter the US duty-free – provided they are shipped directly to individual buyers.
This rule has been a major advantage for retailers like Temu, Shein and Meshki, which ship directly from China and avoid various import fees.
Chinese companies had been increasingly taking advantage of this rule, prior to Trump getting rid of it. Chinese exports of low-value packages jumped to $66 billion in 2023, up from $5.3 billion in 2018.
Retail experts say that regular US retailers like Walmart and Amazon, who ship items from domestic warehouses, face a disadvantage compared to their rivals who ship items directly from China and avoid various import fees.
New tariffs and the end of ‘de minimis’ have been announced simultaneously, leading to widespread confusion since both will contribute to rising prices.
On its website, Meshki discloses that its suppliers are based in China, which explains why Alario had to pay an extra hundred dollars for the dresses she wanted.
‘This had me gasping. This caught my eye so quick because I was like, where did that come from,’ Alario said.
On its website, Meshki discloses that its suppliers are based in China, which explains why Alario had to pay an extra hundred dollars for the dresses she wanted.
Pictured: A woman shows her receipt from DHL applying a $115 duty to her order
President Donald Trump’s stated rationale for imposing tariffs is to punish China (previously Canada and Mexico as well) for not doing enough to stem the flow of illegal migrants and to stop fentanyl from coming into the US
‘I’m super annoyed because they have the only two dresses that I have liked for my engagement shoot. I have gone on every single website, nobody has cute dresses except for Meshki,’ she said.
In Alario’s case, viewers were quick to tell her that she was lucky to have been told about the duties by the retailer before making her purchase.
Another woman who wasn’t as lucky took to social media to share her duty bill.
According to her receipt from DHL, a global shipping company, she had to pay a $115.91 duty on her order from Crop Shop Boutique.
Crop Shop Boutique, an Australian athleisure brand, sources and manufactures its items in Turkey and China, according to its website.
‘So I ordered this package from CSB and it’s over $300 and I just got this email from DHL saying I have to pay $115 to accept my package. I can’t. I’m sorry, but I can’t pay that,’ she said.
And it won’t just be clothes that will be affected by Trump’s new tariff and duty policies.
The US imported $146 billion in electronic products from China in 2023, and companies like Apple and Dell manufacture a large percentage of their inventory there.
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Laptops, tablets, video game consoles, smartphones and TVs are all items that will likely have noticeable price increases in the coming days and weeks.
Trump’s stated rationale for imposing tariffs is to punish China (previously Canada and Mexico as well) for not doing enough to stem the flow of illegal migrants and to stop fentanyl from coming into the US.
Canada and Mexico were spared tariffs for 30 days because they each agreed to put a larger military presence at their respective borders to cut down on the movement of drugs and people.
If these temporary agreements don’t end up holding and Trump decides to reinstate tariffs, many more products that Americans rely on every day could get more expensive.
Crude oil, gasoline, lumber, vehicles, alcohol and produce are all things the US imports from Canada and Mexico in large quantities.
