France announce a levy on SHEIN, TEMU and similar imports. AIBU to want the UK to do the same?

I went to our high street last week. It’s not dead, it’s just almost entirely frequented by gangs and drug addicts.

Twitter - but I'm very selective in which accounts I follow and how legitimate they are. Have been for years. There's a lot of total guff out there.

The accounts I follow are 99 times out of 100 reliable and at often a few days ahead of the BBC these days. I know what to look for and what to filter out. I know what the BBC will be reporting on Friday a lot of the time now.

This really frustrates me. They are unbelievably slow.

For example, I follow Zelenskyy. So I saw his announcement immediately this week. I know such things affect insurance even if nothing actually happens. That has consequences. The BBC analysis of this is dreadful.

It has to be put into context. That context is:
energy and warehousing being targeted by both Russian and Ukraine (it's going to get cold and hungry - western nations are telling their nationals to get out and this may be for this alone rather than anything more sinister)

A poor global harvest due to high global temperatures and a lack of fertiliser due to earlier issues with Iran

missiles again getting chucked about in the middle east

verified reports of Russian attacks in Germany

Putin's reaction and unusual address on TV,

both Trump and Putin look wobbly in their personal health (not a good thing - they have less to lose and there are many arguments about the capacity of both)

verified reports of various nations stepping up their military readiness (hello Poland, China, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Estonia off the top of my head)

US official data missing crucial information on petroleum prices

markets showing gold being dumped suddenly on the world markets

And bond markets being at all time highs

All this spells bad news because I have enough background knowledge to understand what these moving parts all mean in combination. It's no singular thing - but all this can be easily verified as legitimate through reputable twitter accounts and wider internet searches.

This has pretty much all come to a head in the last week.

Do I see any of this analysis on the BBC? Do I buggery. But it's all these for anyone paying attention and who understands. No I'm not being a drama llama with this. Not remotely. The next few months are going to be really rocky and anxiety producing when the penny starts to drop.

It's reminiscent of various forces coming together at the start on 2020 (no that wasn't just COVID) only a lot worse. The end of this year/start of next is going to be a shit show because it's all baked in now in terms of these forces being in motion.

I'm not going to say we are looking at WW3 which lots of people are saying. I am definitely not at that point. We don't need to be looking at that for a really rough 12-18months tbh. Even if several of these situations don't come to pass as badly as they are currently looking like they could.

If you haven't clocked it yet, it's hard to argue that fuel prices are about to be astronomical, transportation prices are going to be insane - if they can actually move stuff again (lack of fuel and insurance issues), food prices are going to skyrocket, there's going to be massive issues in Russia and Ukraine with food and heating, a failure to export grain by both is going to cause straight out famine in some parts of the middle east and beyond, another credit crunch is going to hit the west fairly soon due to these factors, so the knock on will be massive issues in China who is the main buyer of Iranian oil. The other main oil producing countries in the middle east are all crippled by the conflict so aren't making money.

It is one gigantic mess that spells high likelihood of massive problems around the world.

Buckle up is all I will say. It's going to go downhill before we see any signs of resolutions.

It isn't though, perhaps where you are but the high street isn't dead.

Yes a friend sells on TikTok shop an animal product 100% natural home made dog treat.

Its not. She buys it in bulk from a Chinese wholesaler. Repackages it as made in her kitchen and sells it at a very inflated price.

Yes last time I ventured into next for period pants for my teen they said we don’t stock them in store go online. That was 2 years ago I haven’t stepped foot in next since as well why would I. I’ll just check online.

You want to check on this.

There's been a lot of problems with dodgy stuff sold through Amazon by third parties especially electrical stuff.

Amazon have got a lot worse for just being the outlet for Chinese imports without oversight.

You should always check the seller and the reviews on Amazon these days.

Yes so the EU will feel that. It’s more about the inconsistency in commentary on higher prices.

Part of the same problem.

We've bought lights for DD1 to add to her art peice from TEMU - but others could be adding them to their products they then sell on - in fact image that fairly common certainly see them used by makers on you tube many of who also sell products.

Vinted isn't always the answer. I have a friend that buys jewellery 'parts' in bulk off Shein/Temu and assembles them at home. Suddenly they are 'handmade with love in the UK' - even the bloody 'handmade' sticker comes off Shein/Temu.

I buy my heavy cat litter and food on amazon i have a back injury why should I be punished because shops closed?

Shops are expensive to open a shop opened recently they are being charged 300% council tax because there was a gap in tenancies they may have to close (its a legitimate expense by the way) they are having to go to MPs for help resolving this because its unfair (obviously) in my town shops open and get loads of customers but then the costs pour in and its just not cost effective anymore I live semi rural in a basic town in the Midlands there is no need for it to be so expensive but it is this is what's killing the high street basic costs sales not making it worthwhile

Yes but this thread is about Shein and Temu.

That’s just a higher cost to consumers. In some cases great, others no it’s a tax on consumers. Depending on whether it’s the US or France.

Definitely, I can't believe what absolute lies these people are telling, making things look brilliant for a really cheap price, which should be a warning in its self, but saying things like,, only a few left so these are reduced, unfortunately somepeople do fall for it and are then left with the absolute load of cheap awfull crap mostly not even fit for charity shops, plastic, plastic, plastic, I don't know how they're allowed to do it, so yes a levy would be at least be something. I'm talking about one Chinese multi sellers place, not general online shopping which can be great if your carefull.

The same practices are used everywhere.

All high street shops use the same type of labour. They just put it on a hanger and display it nicely.

Same with pet stuff.

Putting something on a shelf and paying an actual human doesn’t change that.

You can pretend that that the high street is somehow ‘’better’ than SHEIN but it isn’t.

Same factories. Same people. Same problems.

Some demand can't be reduced - parts only made in China.

Plus there were a lot of small importers who imported small sometimes designed by them lines - china was apparently best for short runs as US was way to expensive for most if they could even find the service in US - sold usually via on-line shops in US occaionally in actual shops who had to close or reduce stock and reduce business.

It is cute, because you think the high street can make a comeback, and it can’t.

Stopping the imports would do nothing. We’d still all be buying online because it’s cheaper, easier and quicker with lots more choice and you can do it whenever you want.

Stop trying to push your rose tinted nostalgia on everyone else. The high street is dead.

Stop the cheap online Chinese imports and we would have to buy from the high street. Even the retail park is better than that.
Less Chinese imports, more customers, lower prices, more competition, more choice, more businesses, more jobs.

We wouldn't have to use high streets - because many UK retailers as well as other countrees are on-line.

In fact as I said earlier many UK retailer have been pushing their on-line sites in preference to people asking for goods in actual shops.

Many actual phycial shops are selling goods manufactored in china.

The textile industry used to be huge in UK - MIL worked in it biigest empoyer when she started in it gone before she retired - but they rely on imports and did decades before she retired. Maufactoring cloth in this country is expensive partly due to high energy costs. My friend also worked clothes sector design - meant a lot of time in chinese factories to produce clothing designed and sold in uk.

Should these companies pay tax here - very possibly - will taxing them bring back the high street probably not.

Please do you research before you come out with comments like this
"Oh please. What possible damage can clothes do to you. People consume all kids of crap I highly doubt a 5quid tshirt will have everyone dropping like flies."

My problem with these things is that shops sell the same shite as shein, temu etc. So you want me to pay more for the same item so a shop owner can make the profit off me?

I'm in Ireland and we already have a €3 per item levy on out of EU retailers, which once the delivery crowd have taken their cut ends up being the guts of a tenner.

I'm not a massive consumer anyway whether that is online or in person so it has minimal effects on me but I do question why it's OK to buy mountains of plastic rubbish wholesale to sell to people but it isn't OK for someone to buy 1 thing for themselves.

Yes a bit of that last line. Although there does seem to be the idea higher US prices are bad, the French or EU higher prices are good.

It’s all the same. The price has been increased to reduce demand. And consumers will feel it here, US or France etc

I don't buy from Shein but I do order online. If I go to my local high street I have to battle to find super expensive parking. Run the gauntlet of drunk or drug addled homeless in the car park stair well and then the shops don't stock anything in my fairly ordinary size and offer to order it in for me. I might as well bypass the whole disapointing experience and just buy online.

Not to mention it costing about £60 for a couple of coffees and toasties these days in town.

Local shops, independent shops are all very well if they sell things that people really need.
Our high street is full of jewellery, hairdressers, cafes, and the odd boutique clothes shop, utterly useless, I can't do but things i want or need from there, so it's online all the way, groceries are delivered, as is 90% of everything else I want.
And still local people bleat on about supporting our high street! There's only so many haircuts and coffee one can take.

Sorry but you keep saying if we didnt have cheap Chinese imports we’d have to use the high street …not if the shops aren’t there they cant. People will still but online from M and S for example if that what they do know. Stopping the likes of Shein make no difference to my shopping habits because I dont buy from them anyway.

My the way, I would love to see clean thriving high streets everywhere but I think the problem is too complex to be solvable as you suggest.

I dont buy fripperies on amazon. i buy essential goods which I cant get locally.

I simply don’t understand why we’re allowing companies that don’t contribute to the UK economy to undercut those that do. Yes Primark etc might buy their stock from China, but they will pay millions in business rates on their shops, employ thousands of people and will pay millions in tax (including payroll taxes like employers NICs). Directly or indirectly they will employ warehouse and delivery staff as well.

Temu and Shein contribute none of that, and are not conforming to the same safety standards.

it is self harm on a national level.