“I was heavily dependent on Temu’s items for my business. I was just grossed when I couldn’t find my regular supplies,” wrote one Reddit user on R/Temuthings subreddit. Another user shared a screenshot that claimed to be a conversation with Temu’s in-app customer service chat feature. Agents said the platform “cannot display items outside the US at the moment” and could not provide a time frame as to how long the limit would last.
This change is also confusing Chinese Temu sellers. China does not appear to have been notified in advance that Americans will no longer be able to view their products anytime soon. According to a seller who shared his experience with Chinese social media site Xiaohongsu, Temu allegedly removed many Chinese-based sellers from the platform last week.
Furniture and home decoration sellers have wired to confirm that all products shipped from China have been removed. This is a decision that appears to have been made in response to the end of the “de minimis” exception.
Temu, Shein, and other companies that send customer orders directly from China have benefited from trade clauses for many years, but critics say they have given foreign online shopping platforms an unfair advantage. Trump issued an executive order earlier this year, declaring that De Minimis will no longer be applicable to shipments from China from May 2nd.
“The platform may need to implement regulatory adjustments during these difficult times,” says Temu Furniture Seller.
Ultimately, Trump’s trade war could fundamentally change the way Temu operates in the US and its strategies to retain American clients. The company has gained popularity in the US both for its luxurious ad spending and the fact that it can consistently offer low prices for similar items offered on other e-commerce platforms. Due to the high tariffs on Chinese imports, the end of the minimum exemption can cause the cost of Temu products to rise very significantly, and it may take some time to receive packages that are subject to a more stringent customs process.
Even before Trump announced the tariffs, Temu was already making changes to its business model. This involves storing inventory in US-based warehouses and experimenting with more traditional Amazon-style logistics structures. The platform is currently exploring another delivery program called “Y2.” According to Chinasellersa newsletter focusing on cross-border e-commerce.
As the publication explains, Y2 is a more flexible variation of Temu’s existing US warehouse model, with sellers shipping individual orders rather than bulk inventory. However, the seller is responsible for handling the new customs duties and customs declaration process. In many ways, it is similar to the existing Amazon Logistics option called “sales by seller” or FBM.
These platform-wide changes highlight how quickly Temu is adapting to the current unstable policy environment, but there is also the risk of losing what was a central part of its former identity and comparison benefits. “It hits me as a massive step for Temu. What really helped Temu differentiate herself from Wish and Aliexpress is controlling the supply chain, so we can guarantee delivery speeds and levels of quality assurance to provide a consistent experience.”
The seller of furniture Temu tells Wired that he has been preventing him from jumping to the Y2 wagon up until now. “We are a large organization so we can’t make changes overnight. We’re still observing to see if our policy changes,” explains the seller.
Temu is also trying to increase sales in other markets, such as Europe, where tariffs on Chinese imports remain far lower than in the US. One Chinese Temu seller told Wired that overall sales have been rising due to growth from other regions while the US list is being removed.
