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

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.

Lots of shops have been caught out doing this historically despite their original claims of fair pay fair labour good quality products. But the unbranded one was made on the very same bench for the same few pennies per item.

Ok but a large market ie the US have decided that cheap Chinese goods aren’t an overall positive.

China have now switched to the EU market and they too think the same.

It’s a hike in prices, which sometimes threads overall say great to and others say no way that was a tax on consumers.

It's not snobbery, it's a question mark over how can they make the products so cheaply. Moral disengagement is not a plan if action in my mind.

Be careful what you wish for.

The events of the last couple of days may mean it is not viable to ship from China at such low prices soon.

Having said that even stuff which is sold by high end retailers often uses Chinese made based products.

There's one outdoor brand who are considered really ethical and make a lot of their stuff in the UK who did a presentation on their environmental considerations which I went to. Almost all their core raw materials were still made in China even if they were then manufactured in the UK. It was eye opening actually.

Shein launched on the Hong Kong exchange I think last week. Their share prices tanked immediately - this was BEFORE The Toddlers started hurling missiles at each other again. This suggests the market doesn't think their model is sustainable and there's too much competition. It will be interesting to see what does happen.

The Chinese economy is going to have some very big challenges with fuel if things carry on for much longer. Ukraine has been hitting Russian fuel and power supplies hard and the Iran - US conflict is stopping China from getting fuel from one of its biggest suppliers. Not to mention the announcement 'closure' of Russian Airspace by Ukraine which will have an impact on any airline flying in Russian Airspace (it will increase insurance costs even if Chinese airlines continue to take the risk). Flying a longer route will also cost more in fuel.

If you aren't paying attention to all this, I strongly suggest you do. This coming winter could be trying worldwide. This isn't about being a prepper - this is about keeping an eye on what's going on. We are in for 'Interesting Times'. It could get a lot tougher for all of us very quickly.

It's not snobbery, it's a question mark over how can they make the products so cheaply. Moral disengagement is not a plan if action in my mind.

There’s a lot of snobbery about Shein that people pretend is environmental and ethical concerns, while simultaneously eating meat and dairy, travelling abroad, and voting Reform. In reality it is just pure and simple snobbery, similar to what people have about Lidl and Aldi.

The truth is, they do sell a lot of rubbish, but they sell some great stuff too. People upload photos of the product so if you look at those too and not just the main image advertising the product, which is usually heavily edited, then you get a good idea of what it’s like in real life and can decide whether or not to buy it based on that.

The Levy is more a closing of a loophole, a Tariff on imports is inevitably a complete disruption to domestic markets and the economy.

I live in a remote area with no shops. Amazon is often the only retailer who will deliver. So you want me to 50% more for goods?

The US can charge what tariffs it wants - but it has to deal with the fall out.

EU done nothing but been hit by china pivoting to their markets - they've warned for months they are unhappy and may do something about it - I assume this is part of that.

These things are usually worked out with trade agreements and lots of looking at all the consequences. US isn't doing that - trade agreements get torn up almost immediately - we've in a period of flux with international trade mainly cause by US and it's actions.

We had trade agreements with US as most countires did - then Trump ripped them up and imposed taxes and barries and seems shocked that other countries did the same back - EU Canda China - everyone.

Countries agree how they will trade and what rules they will apply - if you decide you no longer want to do that other side is also free to react to new conditions.

Protecting certain industries with tariffs and levey is acceptable practise and has always happened - though recent decades there's been a foucs on free trade within rules and international arbitration - US has thrown all that away with recent actions.

There’s a lot of snobbery about Shein that people pretend is environmental and ethical concerns, while simultaneously eating meat and dairy, travelling abroad, and voting Reform. In reality it is just pure and simple snobbery, similar to what people have about Lidl and Aldi.

The truth is, they do sell a lot of rubbish, but they sell some great stuff too. People upload photos of the product so if you look at those too and not just the main image advertising the product, which is usually heavily edited, then you get a good idea of what it’s like in real life and can decide whether or not to buy it based on that.

So no one wants that? But which tariffs or levies are ok and some are not

Yanbu. There should be a 50% tarriff on all Amazon orders.

Yanbu. There should be a 50% tarriff on all Amazon orders.

But that ship has long since sailed. It was starting before COVID but that escalated it.

Do you think that people will suddenly want to use the high street if the government does this?

The high street will never come back to how it was. Online shopping offers so much more in terms of price, availability, ability to return if you change your mind etc. Also no queues or people and the ability to buy something in the middle of the night and have it delivered by lunchtime!

Our local retail park on the outskirts of town has started having charity shops where there once were big high street names - it’s a safe bet to think that it is going the same way as the high street.

Much of the stuff you buy in the shops is made in China and imported, so it’s no different ethically from Temu etc.

If you agree with the French levy, as some seem to, what’s the difference with the US tariff which many objected to

The way that we consume has been modelled on the U.S. format like out of town retail parks and now the digital consumption, this has obviously led to the erosion of the high street and civil spaces and social connectedness, that 'isn't' the same across the Western world at all!

People love the culture of consumerism.
It’s the same across the globe except for the poverty stricken countries.
People buy shit to brighten their lives, and like doing it.

100% especially on the SHEIN, clothes etc. the culture around buying hauls of cheap, unethically produced tat you wear once & put in landfill is awful. Could raise a fair whack . If anyone needs cheap clothes there are plenty of charity shops, Vinted etc
Need to change the culture when it comes to consumption

The EU been aguring for a while that China is dumping goods that orgianlly would have been sent to US on EU markets causing issue in their economies.

While with consumerism or local high streets may be playing a role with any levy- it's likely more to do with shift in global trade thanks to US tariffs.

I think the big problem UK has with shifting manufactoring back here - which would be better in many ways - is high electical costs - we have some of the highest in the world and it massively impacts manufactoring costs.