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

Consumers never like higher prices unless they get some thing for it like higher quaility (or higher welfare with animals) and even then there will be moans and it will often hit poor people harder.

US consumers have not been happy to pay tariffs and higher prices for many things are a big electoral issue.

Higher prices in UK when cost of living is still hurting many could be political hard to justify but could be spun - though biggest manufactoring issue in UK is enegry prices.

Amazon paying higher taxes would be popular but that rising prices on the site would be moaned at.

Do I think consumer paying more for chinese goods is a good idea - well depends what the good are, cheap solar pannels seems good idea for everyone - how much more and what impact that will have on anything else - if it's part of a supply chain can cause job losses along that.

I personally would only want to pay more for clothes if they had old lasting quality - but actual shops or on-line they do not tend to.

Making own clothes is not a cheap option either - charity shops are often now fairly expensive option as well. I personally am not buying clothes every week or even every month - have some items over 20 year old - older than my first child but most modern purchases do not have that lasting quality but are not cheap either.

I susepct it's inconsistant partly becuase it is complex and partly becuase everyone wants others to pay but not themselves - like most taxes.

Yeah seriously 😬 just buy secondhand if you don't want to spend much?

I'm assuming most people haven't seen the images of even shops like H&M burning tonnes of perfectly usable new clothes still with tags on.

Yes, the clothes waste is horrific - these labels produce far more clothes every day than anyone is ever going to wear and so much goes straight to landfill, it's horrendous. They could probably cut their output by 90% and probably still make a profit, in fact they might make more profit because they won't have to dump so much stuff. The world is dying for this week's Insta aesthetic...

If you're not convinced, watch 'Buy Now' on Netflix. I watched it 2 years ago and immediately stopped buying clothes on the high street - I only buy second hand, Vinted or small labels now. Honestly, if you're into fashion you can find everything you need on Vinted pretty much.

Obviously I cannot speak for everyone but I most definitely do not do 'fast fashion'. As I've said, Shein is not somewhere I shop often but I do have items from there. I swam this morning, Shein bikini (absolutely nothing wrong with it) that I've had for four years and will keep until it wears out. Same for my other items.

Last night I went to the pub in a Shein top that I've had for longer than the bikini, along with second-hand jeans and second-hand boots, jacket from a much more expensive shop that again, the lining has gone in. If I was a different sort of person (perhaps the ones you refer to!) I would've got rid of it, but I just put up with the inconvenience.

"The new testing found that 7 of the 18 products contained concerningly high levels of PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of 10,000 synthetic chemicals, sometimes called ‘forever chemicals’, as they are highly persistent and take generations to break down in the environment. Exposure to some PFAS has been linked with adverse health impacts, including certain cancers, reduced fertility, and the disruption of the immune system." from https://chemtrust.org/news/report_finds_hazardous_chemicals_in_shein_clothing_above_eu_limits/)

Also your "bargain" dressing up costumes and kids nightwear will go up in flames much more readily than UK bought items which have to meet the standards.

Have you ever tried shopping for secondhand clothes - Vinted or charity shops etc? Don't assume it's crap.

I've been buying all secondhand for years, great quality stuff at a knock down price. I trust it more than buying clothes from Amazon or Shein.

I went into our local town centre last week to buy school shoes etc for the kids. £9 to park for 3 hours! It’s ridiculous. I could have got the same things with free delivery. I won’t make that mistake again.

Personally I really value my local shops. They provide a hub for people to get together, local employment, and they bring people to the town. They're a vital part of the local community.
Amazon has its place, sure, but there are plenty of alternatives for the bulk of our shopping needs. It's really not martyrdom to put your money where your mouth is.

Must admit I’ve never really purchased many clothing items on Temu.

The odd rug, a cushion cover but it’s mainly garden stuff. Most of it I’ve had for years. Oh a big Woollen cardi people always ask where it’s from as it’s so big and warm.

You are okay with their exploitative and dangerous practices then?

'Hazardous chemical regularly found in a high percentage of Shein clothing, and people are buying these for their kids???'

Some people feed their kids junk food. Some people smoke and drink. Alleged 'chemicals' in affordable clothing will be of no interest to many.

I’m asking if you think customers paying more for Chinese goods is a positive or not

It’s pretty much the only way to change consumer behaviour. Which sometimes posters applaud and other times they state ‘it’s a tax on consumers’. It’s inconsistent.

'Kids clothes from shein have been found to have 3,300 times the limit of chemicals these toxins are doing so much damage to your bodies when you wear them'

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.

Councils need to make it easier for businesses here to fourish. So, cheaper business rates and free parking for starters. Common sense stuff.

Objecting to Shein and Temu is nothing to do with "snobbishness". Although when you start to question just how they can produce items so quickly it opens up a whole murky world of slave labour, child labour and lack of concern over safety standards.

It;s more that Shein and Temu are the pinnacle of fast fashion which is all about buy buy buy the latest trends and discard very quickly when the next thing comes around.

https://earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/ 85% of all textiles go into landfill each year. Microplastics from polyester. Water use in processing. Toxic dyes.

Shein releases 10,000 new lines - not new individual products - PER DAY. https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/apr/10/shein-the-unacceptable-face-of-throwaway-fast-fashion

Hazardous chemical regularly found in a high percentage of Shein clothing, and people are buying these for their kids??? https://chemtrust.org/news/report_finds_hazardous_chemicals_in_shein_clothing_above_eu_limits/

Most people shopping on Shein and Temu are not making a carefully considered purchase of a single item with a view to keeping it for years. They are impulse buying multiple items to get additional discounts or offers. This whole attitude that you "need" 15 pairs of pyjamas, 10 different bikinis for a 7 day holiday, new outfit for each night out, decorative items for every single occasion through the year - that's what needs to change.

Trade agreements take years to sort because there are competeing interests in both sides signing up.

With in each side there may be sectors governments may want to protect - for national security or poltical reasons - but too much protection can also cause issue - for manufactoring lines stuck with higher priced inputs or even consumers who may end up paying more for less technolcical advance products.

Between the side of any agreement there also competing interests both side wanting access to other markets and protect their own.

US tariffs were dumb under Trump because they took account of nothing - no existing agreements no reponses from other countries and no supply chains.

Previous US tarrifs have also been problematic - when previous adminstraions taxed chinese steel US manfauctors who used the cheaper steal complained bacause their costs went up meaning the took less profit or raised the prices to consumers - affecting those manufactoring jobs while trying to protect steel manfautoring ones. The main goal was in end to bring China to table to talk through issues and to be seen to be doing something to US electorate.

The EU is a massive trading block - I image they've looked at their trade agreement with China very carefully - and how effective or impactful this levy will be will depend if and/or how China reponds to it.

I'm honestly not sure what point you are trying to make - levey and tariffs are tools that do some things and not others - they are never all good or bad - because the world is a complex place.

Shein do not have to comply with Laws on what they can and can not use during their manufacturing process, therefore they use chemical etc that are not allowed for the likes of Primark etc who mass import their clothes to sell in retail stores. Kids clothes from shein have been found to have 3,300 times the limit of chemicals these toxins are doing so much damage to your bodies when you wear them
High street retailers like Marks and spencer are audited alot and have to make sure they comply with all the legislation or risk being fined.
People really need to open their eyes on the damage the likes of Shein and Temu are doing. They are not a necessity, nothing on it is a need and they are not there to provide clothing for the poor

It's the same stuff made in China but 10 times the price anyway as a pp has just said due to rent costs etc in this country.

If the op wants to buy home made clothes from independent UK businesses where everything is made on site at extortionate prices, lovely. Once you buy on a high street Next, M&S wherever it's all coming from the same places be it China or India.

The answer would be to expect better from our shops.

But the end of the line factory worker is getting the same pay and conditions if you buy it direct from their boss or from the approved U.K. store.

All the clothes you buy on the high street are made in the same factories as the ones you get from
SHEIN - the difference is that SHEIN don’t have to worry about paying all the rent, insurance, building costs, staffing costs and taxes that high street shops have to pay.

Sadly high street shops are far too expensive for a lot of us.

They distrubute cheaply because they cut out the grabby retail middle men. Many of items and clothes on the high street are made in China anyway.

I am not a prolific Shein shopper, I would say at least 80% of my clothes (and other things!) are second-hand. It isn't all about being skint or frugal, but I live alone in an expensive area and (like many other people, including my post-grad educated self!) have been made redundant and had to take a low-paid crap job.

I also like second-hand goods generally, I am environmentally conscious and they make life more interesting.

Having said this, I do agree with you. Shein do some styles that are very different, and the quality isn't going to be brilliant, but it is comparable to a lot of the high street stores. And the quality of some expensive brands isn't great either, for example I have a Burberry coat that I've had around three years but only wear for going out, and only in winter. The lining had gone within the year and its buttons come off regularly! I also have some designer trainers that began showing signs of wear and tear within the year that my £10 (second-hand) Nike ones have not.

Out of interest, I tried to find a duvet cover with a similar design to one of my 'Shein' ones. Jewel coloured with a beautiful bird pattern on it. Nada. Nothing like it from generic shops to high street shops to designer. I was actually willing to spend a lot more on a good one, as I love the one from Shein and it has been discontinued and won't last forever.

It's the same with clothes. I like quirky things, clothes that are a bit different and stand out. Shein is fantastic for this. I am hardly going to traipse around every independent boutique in england looking for a top similar to one I can only find on Shein, I do not have the time for that and I doubt most others do.

And again, as for price v quality with Shein I ordered a gym romper from eBay, £15.99 (the price listed was £6!) and quickly cancelled once I realised they'd misled me with the advertisement. It's a gym romper, it will become covered in oil quickly and the fabric does not need to be fantastic quality for such garments. Almost identical one on Shein, £3.99. I am sorry but, no brainer unless you're very comfortably off.

'Problem is those items you might buy from other places at a higher mark up are very often made in the very same factories. You are just paying more for the shop to buy it first'

This. If people want to pay for goods direct from China so what?

High streets are struggling because stupid councils impose car parking fees. Go to any retail park with free parking and the places are rammed.

Ok so the tariffs are a negative for Chinese goods to the US, and how about levies the op talks about?

When the EU hike prices on Chinese goods is it a positive thing?