Rapid growth of Temu and Shein threatens US businesses and consumers, Biden says.
  • protist@mander.xyzEnglish
    171·
    2 months ago

    A shipment is eligible for the de minimis exemption if the aggregate fair retail value of the articles imported is $800 or less. De minimis shipments enter the United States with less information than other imports and are not subject to duties and taxes.

    The growing volume of de minimis shipments makes it increasingly difficult to target and block illegal or unsafe shipments. Foreign corporate giants who exploit the de minimis exemption do so for a variety of reasons. Some companies exploit the de minimis to conceal shipments of illegal and dangerous products and avoid compliance with U.S. health and safety and consumer protection laws. Other foreign entities use it to circumvent U.S. trade enforcement actions intended to level the playing field for American workers, retailers, and manufacturers.

    With today’s announcement, the Administration is using executive authority to stop the abuse of the de minimis exemption.

    I have no problem with this. This exemption was designed for individuals and small businesses to avoid import taxes, we clearly shouldn’t let large corporations abuse it.

    • MethodicalSpark@lemmy.world
      8·
      2 months ago

      I’m an employee in the U.S., working for a large international shipping company with a yellow and red logo. We’ve been struggling to maintain profitability stateside since the COVID shipping boom ended. Shein and Temu are basically keeping the U.S. operation afloat making up a significant double digit percentage of our revenue currently.

      We can’t compete domestically as our rates are sky high compared to brown and purple and we’ve become overly dependent on these Chinese retailers. I’d say this is a good signal to find a new gig.

      • Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.worldEnglish
        51·
        2 months ago

        And regular mail has been basically carried by spam for decades. It’s a real problem - how do you fix an industry if it’s entirely dependent on the problem you’re trying to solve? Everyone involved will fight you and the consumers will lose no matter what, short of public funding or other options that will be labeled “socialist” and never pass in this political climate.