Rena Scott, a retired registered nurse in Virginia, usually has 10 to 12 active Temu orders at any given time.

When President Trump ended a tariff exemption for small packages from China and Hong Kong, e-commerce companies Shein and Temu lost a big advantage as they became exposed to Trump’s new sky-hig

An agreement between the United States and China to temporarily slash tariffs stopped short of reinstating the US 'de minimis' duty exemption for e-commerce packages from China but still gives online retailers like Shein and Temu a window to adapt their businesses.

However, high tariffs remain on small packages shipped directly from China — the kind that Temu and Shein typically send. Until very recently, Temu and Shein benefited from the

Small packages from China are still subject to tariffs of 120%, a White House official confirmed Monday — a major blow for U.S. consumers seeking cheap goods from e-commerce retailers like Shein and Temu.

A combination of the closure of a trade loophole and prohibitive tariffs on China have upended Temu and Shein’s business model in the United States.