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Shein/Temu tat-tax

113 replies

SheinIsShite · 27/11/2025 13:06

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c078j4kylz3o

Missed this in the budget yesterday with all the coverage of the changes to child caps and electric cars. But AIBU to think this is about time too? In fact, I'd argue it doesn't go far enough.

France is imposing a levy of 10 euros (capped at 50% of retail value) on these "fast fashion" items along with incentives to encourage buying second hand and repairing clothing. They are also banning advertising of these companies, and banning influencers from promoting their "Shein hauls" and similar.

https://esgnews.com/france-targets-ultra-fast-fashion-with-eco-tax-ad-ban-and-transparency-rules/

So it's a start.

A woman receiving parcels at her front door

Tax-free parcels rule used by Shein and Temu under review

Retailers argue that cheap foreign rivals are undercutting business using a tax-free status on small parcels.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c078j4kylz3o

OP posts:
SpidersAreShitheads · 28/11/2025 03:25

Until there’s an acknowledgement of why some people shop at Temu/Shein etc without just loftily waving it away as “buying tat”, there’s always going to be a problem.

Reading this thread, it’s very clear that some posters make zero effort to understand others.

ElReverendoGreen · 28/11/2025 03:12

Agix · 27/11/2025 13:24

Shein is cheaper than charity shops. It's also cheaper in both time and money than repairing your own clothes.

People are going to continue choosing Shein for as long as the cost of living remains high, and we're kept too busy just to afford the basics, without adding darning on top.

To be able to disregard shein and temu clothing as landfill tat is quite the privilege.

"The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.

Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.

But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.

This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness."

I think it will need to be a gradual shift, and this seems very much like a step in the right direction.

It’s not just about price / money though. Some clothes from expensive retailers and shoddily made from cheap materials, but with a brand name slapped on and a hefty price tag.

It didn’t use to be this way. People used to buy quality and it would last. And there weren’t fast fashion options. My nan, born 1910s, had some beautiful clothes that she really took care of.

I’m in my 40s so I’ve never really got involved in the Shein/Temu stuff, but have seen some of it and it just seems so cheap and clearly won’t last.

Conversely, however, I have shopped in Primark for many years and have some jumpers etc that are still going strong many years later.

I also have very rudimentary sewing skills, but even those are enough for me to be able to extend the life of some items.

I see these tax changes as a small step in the right direction.

Theunamedcat · 28/11/2025 02:39

Amazon haul has temu/shien type products

BettysRoasties · 27/11/2025 21:43

jeomeollibyeoldul · 27/11/2025 21:33

virtually everything we buy has been manufactured and shipped in from china or similar. why punish shein and temu only?

Very true. I bet most of the stuff in places like Poundland B&m and such is all the same stuff.

The £1 pack of pens or glue by the supermarkets checkout.

I’ve purchased solar auto watering system
from Temu £16, Amazon £60 local garden centre £100. All looked identical. Did I need them well no not really but it makes watering the plants I grow for food much faster and automatically while Im on holiday.

jeomeollibyeoldul · 27/11/2025 21:33

virtually everything we buy has been manufactured and shipped in from china or similar. why punish shein and temu only?

AmberRose86 · 27/11/2025 21:18

soupyspoon · 27/11/2025 20:47

Ive never bought anything from Temu or Shein, or so I thought...

Theres a long running thread on here about these companies and castigating anyone buying from them, I dont have a view about the morality or otherwise, I just havent ordered anything from them. But in the thread, just like this one, theres lots of comments about how this stuff is throwaway, falls apart etc, to buy from charity shops to avoid it etc

I bought a nice cosy top from a charity shop the other week, I havent stopped wearing it, it was washes really nice. It has no label in the neck but on closer inspection theres a label on the side seam and its from Shein!!!

Its really good quality to be honest, I'll be wearing it for years to come

Yeah. Some stuff from Shein is crap but certainly not all of it. As much as it doesn’t suit people for this to be the case.

soupyspoon · 27/11/2025 20:47

Ive never bought anything from Temu or Shein, or so I thought...

Theres a long running thread on here about these companies and castigating anyone buying from them, I dont have a view about the morality or otherwise, I just havent ordered anything from them. But in the thread, just like this one, theres lots of comments about how this stuff is throwaway, falls apart etc, to buy from charity shops to avoid it etc

I bought a nice cosy top from a charity shop the other week, I havent stopped wearing it, it was washes really nice. It has no label in the neck but on closer inspection theres a label on the side seam and its from Shein!!!

Its really good quality to be honest, I'll be wearing it for years to come

HerVagestyTheQueef · 27/11/2025 20:40

Katypp · 27/11/2025 18:19

You are just brushing aside perfectly valid points of why people might use Shein or Temu because you are getting carried away with your righteousness.
Listen to what posters are saying. It will be more effective to campaign against these shops if you can come up with proper counter arguments, not just expect people to fall in line with your privileged view.
Still, I'm sure the people who have to use Klarna have never thought it would be better to not use credit, so I am glad you have explained that to them 🙄
I've never used either website by the way, so I have no skin in the game, but the privilege and tone deaf posts are starting to really annoy me.

“Carried away with my righteousness?” and “fall in line with my privileged view” what are you on about?

I pointed out that these sites produce poor quality items and that Klarna (and the like) can lead people into debt. Those are undeniable facts. How is that righteous?

And tat sites are not the preserve of the poor and needy, far from it: there are bloggers, influencers etc. showing off their Shein hauls. My daughter’s (not poor) friends buy stacks of things there. This is not about people struggling and depending on these sites.

MrsTerryPratchett · 27/11/2025 20:14

FuckRealityBringMeABook · 27/11/2025 19:03

In what way is our discourse privileged when we are suggesting cheaper options?

You could also argue that it is even more privileged to buy things made by slaves and children when you and your children will never suffer that.

And not care about the environmental impact when the vast majority of it is produced in the West and felt in the majority world.

Christmascarrotjumper · 27/11/2025 19:15

Goldeh · 27/11/2025 19:08

Because that discourse fails to take into account the socio-cultural reasons why many people don't access those cheaper options.

This is addressing those reasons. We've all been educated on waste by now. Change must be forced.

Goldeh · 27/11/2025 19:08

Because that discourse fails to take into account the socio-cultural reasons why many people don't access those cheaper options.

FuckRealityBringMeABook · 27/11/2025 19:03

In what way is our discourse privileged when we are suggesting cheaper options?

Goldeh · 27/11/2025 18:58

HerVagestyTheQueef · 27/11/2025 17:30

But the things people need are not definitely on shrink/Temu either; and if they are, they're certainly NOT good quality.
And bloody hell Klarna does nothing to help people struggling: they could end up with huge fees. And more than likely they will, as they add more and more to be paid "later" - when they have no more money than they do now. And now they have a huge debt.
This is not preferable to the "stigma" of own 2nd hand clothes and other items.

I know that and you know that because we're looking at from an analytical position.

Now go out into a housing estate in a deprived area with high levels poverty and all attendant social issues.

Many people would rather Klarna new things from Shein/Temu than wear second-hand and there is a stigma attached to second-hand clothing because the meaning of the clothing goes beyond the object itself. Visibly second-hand clothing or people knowing/thinking you use charity shops signals hardship and is an outward manifestation of "being poor" and therefore inferior, struggling, dirty/unhygienic whereas new clothing indicates you're managing/coping. It's a visual representation that you are respectable, clean/tidy, and can be proud of yourself. It's also a means of exerting some control over a life that may sometimes be chaotic, difficult, and complex. The option of picking and choosing, the feeling of having nice new things (and the term nice is relative), these all have an emotional resonance. Consciously or not, it's an accessible form of dignity and control to have choice over your clothing.

As for credit on poor terms, fees don't bother them because you can always just bump the payments by deleting your card details or defaulting. Debt is just a fact of life and highly normalised. It's perfectly normal to delay paying this so you can pay that or to simply ignore the repayments on the grounds that debt collection agencies cannot take what they do not have. For people living in financially precarious positions, debt is a future problem so why worry about it here and now?

PeonyPatch · 27/11/2025 18:49

Good. Shein & temu are crap!

Wfhftm · 27/11/2025 18:46

Buy from Vinted. Charity shops are over priced whereas with Vinted I can get a ten pound bundle and it’s filled with quality clothes.

smallglassbottle · 27/11/2025 18:40

Katypp · 27/11/2025 18:19

You are just brushing aside perfectly valid points of why people might use Shein or Temu because you are getting carried away with your righteousness.
Listen to what posters are saying. It will be more effective to campaign against these shops if you can come up with proper counter arguments, not just expect people to fall in line with your privileged view.
Still, I'm sure the people who have to use Klarna have never thought it would be better to not use credit, so I am glad you have explained that to them 🙄
I've never used either website by the way, so I have no skin in the game, but the privilege and tone deaf posts are starting to really annoy me.

😂😂😂 I'm definitely not privileged. My income is low and I struggle to get through each month. It still doesn't force me to use those sites though. I spend very little on clothing and footwear. My stuff has to last years.

TheWildZebra · 27/11/2025 18:22

Orangepate · 27/11/2025 13:17

None of this stuff is simple though, the people making stuff use their wages to feed their families.. what happens to them if we stop buying tat?

These people didn’t suddenly materialise out of nowhere to start making Temu Tat. They will probably find work in similar factories, or do whatever they were doing before.

overproducing crap in other parts of the world cannot be legitimised because it creates jobs.

Katypp · 27/11/2025 18:19

HerVagestyTheQueef · 27/11/2025 17:30

But the things people need are not definitely on shrink/Temu either; and if they are, they're certainly NOT good quality.
And bloody hell Klarna does nothing to help people struggling: they could end up with huge fees. And more than likely they will, as they add more and more to be paid "later" - when they have no more money than they do now. And now they have a huge debt.
This is not preferable to the "stigma" of own 2nd hand clothes and other items.

You are just brushing aside perfectly valid points of why people might use Shein or Temu because you are getting carried away with your righteousness.
Listen to what posters are saying. It will be more effective to campaign against these shops if you can come up with proper counter arguments, not just expect people to fall in line with your privileged view.
Still, I'm sure the people who have to use Klarna have never thought it would be better to not use credit, so I am glad you have explained that to them 🙄
I've never used either website by the way, so I have no skin in the game, but the privilege and tone deaf posts are starting to really annoy me.

WhitegreeNcandle · 27/11/2025 17:57

I’ve recently read Patrick Grants book Less and he goes into this in a lot of detail. It’s revolutionizing how I think about things. I highly recommend it.

I think they should introduce this tax tomorrow - the quicker the better.

BarbieShrimp · 27/11/2025 17:56

SheinIsShite · 27/11/2025 17:40

It's just so twee. All "oh but think about the POOR people, they can't afford better and are forced into buying shite from Shein, they should be pitied not criticised".

Which is a load of bollocks because most people who are shopping at Shein and Temu are not buying a single pair of boots which they wear until the boots literally fall to bits and then buy another pair to replace them. The average Shein customer is spending $100 a month (which is what, £80?) on bags and bags of "cute bits" and new outfits for every occasion.

https://www.businessinsider.com/shein-average-shopper-spends-100-month-womens-clothing-2023-6

Agreed.

There's also a very unpleasant implication that poorer people are too stupid and unresourceful to mend clothes or work out how to source quality second hand items. Wasn't the case for me when I was hard up, I managed not to wear plastic rags or go nude.

But it's never actually about poor people, they're just a deliberate red herring. It's about relatively comfortable people tying themselves in knots to justify their polyester dress-up fun when, in reality, they know it's indefensible.

"But stuff from H&M is not much better quality nowadays!". I know. I won't touch that stuff either.

SheinIsShite · 27/11/2025 17:40

Wfhftm · 27/11/2025 16:33

I’m fed up of that fucking Vimes boot story.

It's just so twee. All "oh but think about the POOR people, they can't afford better and are forced into buying shite from Shein, they should be pitied not criticised".

Which is a load of bollocks because most people who are shopping at Shein and Temu are not buying a single pair of boots which they wear until the boots literally fall to bits and then buy another pair to replace them. The average Shein customer is spending $100 a month (which is what, £80?) on bags and bags of "cute bits" and new outfits for every occasion.

https://www.businessinsider.com/shein-average-shopper-spends-100-month-womens-clothing-2023-6

Meet Shein's typical shopper: The fast-fashion retailer attracts older and more environmentally conscious consumers than you might think

The average Shein shopper is a nearly 35-year-old woman who spends $100 per month on clothing, 60% more than the average US woman, a UBS report found.

https://www.businessinsider.com/shein-average-shopper-spends-100-month-womens-clothing-2023-6

OP posts:
HerVagestyTheQueef · 27/11/2025 17:30

Goldeh · 27/11/2025 15:46

Shopping on Vinted, eBay, etc relies on the item(s) you need being available and of decent quality. It also relies on 100% payment upfront without the Klarna-type schemes available at Shein/Temu. For a lot of people there is also a social and/or cultural stigma around secondhand clothing vs new and a real aversion to what is viewed as other people's "cast-offs" which connects to ideas of pride, charity, agency, etc.

Again, it's a privilege to rule that these issues don't matter and people should simply buy second-hand. It does nothing to address the root causes of inequality.

But the things people need are not definitely on shrink/Temu either; and if they are, they're certainly NOT good quality.
And bloody hell Klarna does nothing to help people struggling: they could end up with huge fees. And more than likely they will, as they add more and more to be paid "later" - when they have no more money than they do now. And now they have a huge debt.
This is not preferable to the "stigma" of own 2nd hand clothes and other items.

FuckRealityBringMeABook · 27/11/2025 17:17

On average, people own 5 times more clothes than they did 50 years ago. That is not necessity. And if you are on your uppers it has never been easier to get clothes for free. People are gagging to get rid of them by the sackful.

ContinuewithGoogle · 27/11/2025 17:11

Yesimmoaningaboutbenefits · 27/11/2025 17:08

I don't for a second believe, that people are using Temu/Shein for essential clothing. They're using it for wanted clothing. People don't need anywhere near the amount of clothes they own (myself included!), they want them. If Temu was literally the only way to afford the bare basic necessities, I could sympathize, but it's not.

define "essential" - technically 2 pairs of trousers, 2 tops (wash one, wear one) are essential. Everything else is luxury, including nightwear.

So clothes you "need" is an interesting concept

Yesimmoaningaboutbenefits · 27/11/2025 17:08

I don't for a second believe, that people are using Temu/Shein for essential clothing. They're using it for wanted clothing. People don't need anywhere near the amount of clothes they own (myself included!), they want them. If Temu was literally the only way to afford the bare basic necessities, I could sympathize, but it's not.