Pro Tip: Check Temu

[ua_guy]

You may recognize this tactic from when the Air Force tried it a couple weeks ago -- "malicious compliance" ... It's an oldie but a goodie, forged in the fires of crusty NCOs & teenagers everywhere ... "Sure boss, we'll follow your wildly vague & imprecise guidance to the letter to ensure that nothing slips past us." ... Then sit back & watch as the world burns.

I think this one was more about true confusion and lack of clarity around process and policy. The decision to hold small packages was reversed overnight, citing increased cooperation from CBP to develop process around the tariffs.

Plan, develop, test, then implement.

[QuarterMillionMan]

James, I think you'll like this. I just got my lates Temu order, $7 XRP to the moon, and $5.99 BTC iron patch and $7 collard shirt.

[kork13]

Of course, in epic circus fashion, now the USPS is holding all small packages from China because, trade war, and nobody thought about how to levy and collect the tariffs.



If anyone had stuff on order from Temu, get ready to wait. Lol

You may recognize this tactic from when the Air Force tried it a couple weeks ago -- "malicious compliance" ... It's an oldie but a goodie, forged in the fires of crusty NCOs & teenagers everywhere ... "Sure boss, we'll follow your wildly vague & imprecise guidance to the letter to ensure that nothing slips past us." ... Then sit back & watch as the world burns.

[ua_guy]

Wow, that's fantastic. Though it sounds like that may only be a temporary step with Trump's tariff wars, vs. permanently changing the rule.

Of course, in epic circus fashion, now the USPS is holding all small packages from China because, trade war, and nobody thought about how to levy and collect the tariffs.



If anyone had stuff on order from Temu, get ready to wait. Lol

[kork13]

https://www.reuters.com/business/ret...le-2025-02-04/

Wow, that's fantastic. Though it sounds like that may only be a temporary step with Trump's tariff wars, vs. permanently changing the rule.

[ua_guy]

https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/shein-temu-amazon-haul-set-price-hikes-us-shuts-trade-loophole-2025-02-04/

[ua_guy]

Yep. And honestly, it's the kind of trade loopholes that SHOULD be closed, because it's anticompetitive toward, oh, I dunno .... Legitimate American design/production, for example?

But instead, we contract a Chinese sweatshop to build our innovative new thing, then "coincidentally" another "totally legitimate" Chinese company just happens to start building a virtually identical copy & selling it back to Americans while ignoring international intellectual property rights law & American import regulations .... Meanwhile, the original designing company that got their product ripped off is getting undercut & out-sold, ultimately fails, and never creates another innovation again.

Yeah sure uh huh. Tell me again how supporting/promoting Temu & its way of business is definitely in the best interest of consumers?

We actually agree on a lot of things!

[kork13]

I believe the 10% additional tariff on Chinese goods is still real as of today, so watch the prices. Sadly, for you Temu enthusiasts, this kind of skirting import law and dumping of foreign goods in US markets is exactly what the current administration would like to target and curtail.

Yep. And honestly, it's the kind of trade loopholes that SHOULD be closed, because it's anticompetitive toward, oh, I dunno .... Legitimate American design/production, for example?

But instead, we contract a Chinese sweatshop to build our innovative new thing, then "coincidentally" another "totally legitimate" Chinese company just happens to start building a virtually identical copy & selling it back to Americans while ignoring international intellectual property rights law & American import regulations .... Meanwhile, the original designing company that got their product ripped off is getting undercut & out-sold, ultimately fails, and never creates another innovation again.

Yeah sure uh huh. Tell me again how supporting/promoting Temu & it's way of business is definitely in the best interest of consumers?

[ua_guy]

I believe the 10% additional tariff on Chinese goods is still real as of today, so watch the prices. Sadly, for you Temu enthusiasts, this kind of skirting import law and dumping of foreign goods in US markets is exactly what the current administration would like to target and curtail.

[james.hendrickson]

Thanks QMM, my brother gave me this tip. He gets yoga gear and likes Temu's prices.

[QuarterMillionMan]

James I like your thinking on Temu, cryptos, gold/silver, etc. All of which I have similar interests. Great minds think alike.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Temu's $7 shoes, $8 jackets or shirts, $15 swim fins, $25 full body wetsuits, $7 surf gloves, $7 bike seats and posts, $100 12 volt power inverters, bike accessories (ie, bells, mirrors, tubes, lights, tires, etc) are some of the best deals I've found. One caveat is $20 minimum spend in order to get free shipping and wait times can take 1 month but no biggie for me. Side note used to be $10 minimum for free shipping.

[ua_guy]

Fair points. And I bet you dollars to doughnuts Amazon is doing the same thing.

I don't defend many of Amazon's practices, either. When I do shop on Amazon, it's for name-brand products through reputable sellers. And that is getting harder to do. Knockoff goods permeate their site now, and foreign sellers have grown exponentially. But it is worth pointing out that Amazon's core model is different from Temu. Temu is direct-from-manufacturer (China), although Amazon has launched a beta service called Haul which operates similarly. But Amazon's core business is being a middleman in business-to-consumer, and warehousing/distribution.

[riverwed070707]

I wish I had documented "what I ordered vs what I got" on the swimsuits my mom ordered from Temu She got 6 of them since they were so cheap and not 1 fit (spoiler alert, they looked like they belonged in a body building competition aka barely covered any skin), but it wasn't worth the time or hassle to send them back after they took a month to arrive. Beyond the quality and labor exploitation points, I think its also important to recognize how valuable Amazon 2 day (or less!) delivery is and how easy it is to return things when its not what you expected.

[james.hendrickson]

Hard no.

"Temu exploits U.S. customs and import regulations loopholes to ensure that its goods enter the United States with minimal scrutiny. Moreover, Temu has no mechanism to ensure compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)"

https://www.csis.org/analysis/lookin...20Act%20(UFLPA).

Fair points. And I bet you dollars to doughnuts Amazon is doing the same thing.