Temu Prices Doubled by Trump Tariffs: The Hardest Hit

Increased tariffs introduced during the Trump administration are severely impacting the prices of imported products sold in Temu, with import costs in many cases exceeding the original value of the items.

Recent data released by Bloomberg highlights the significant effect that import tariffs imposed during the Trump administration are having on the purchase prices of the Temu platform in the United States. The analysis shows that, for a selection of 14 representative items, import costs often exceed the original price of the products themselves, with an average incidence of 1.24 times their sales value. Among the items examined, products such as power strips, women's sportswear, portable appliances and home accessories show significant increases in costs due to tariffs. The most emblematic case concerns a 14-in-1 charger, whose original price of $19.49 has been increased by the duties to $27.56, with a price-to-duty ratio of 1.41 times. Similarly, clothing items such as yoga pants and cycling shorts see import costs increase by more than 35% compared to the initial price.

This phenomenon is the direct result of the tariffs imposed on a wide range of goods from China, a policy introduced in recent years with the stated aim of protecting the US manufacturing industry and rebalancing the trade balance. However, these measures are translating into a tangible increase in consumer prices for imported goods, penalizing especially platforms like Temu, which base their business model on low-cost offers and a large catalog of products of Chinese origin. Even medium-high price range products, such as gardening kits or portable air conditioning solutions, register significant increases, although slightly less than the cheaper items. This differential is explained by the proportional application of tariffs and the different price margins practiced on higher value products.