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

[AsMuchIn]

AIBU to want the UK to do the same as France, who are imposing a levy on products bought from SHEIN, TEMU, etc.

The impact on our high street (or now lack of) is massive, shops gone or as people choose cheap, poor quality, sometimes dangerous products. Less jobs in retail, empty shops, units filled with nail bars and vape shops.

The impact on the environment is also detrimental.

We are not making good choices ourselves, so bring in a levy.

France targets Shein and Temu with fast fashion fees https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2792pendro

yanbu

I want a high street, I want to go shopping with my family, see people, meet others, see, feel, choose quality clothing. I can, but mainly when I am in Europe.

I want a thriving high street, where my teen can get a Saturday job, develop some work skills, earn some money and independence.

A levy would level the playing field.

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

Good idea in my opinion. One way the Government can raise money that can actually help
people

As an online and high street retailer I agree and the levy needs to be enough that it makes the more expensive than buying from UK retailers.
Don't even get me started on online marketplaces and all the shite being sold on there. Only yesterday I received a fake item from an eBay seller, again.

A levy, making items so much more expensive, seems such an easy answer to many issues.

The right thing to do!

The high street has been in decline for at least 20 years, since the advent of online shopping all together. You can’t blame shein or temu for this alone, it started years before they were a thing! It was partly due to shopping centres and edge of town retail parks if you look back historically. People wanted convenience- somewhere they could easily park for free and get everything they wanted in one place including lunch.

I'm generally anti tax and government intervention but I would absolutely support this. A high levy too.

Would thoroughly agree, also making sure it doesn’t pay to bring in potentially dangerous toys etc that don’t conform to safety standards.

All the fake squishies/needos etc have shown that even if you buy from a UK shop or stall they might have got them from Temu in the first place anyway, even if you don’t buy directly yourself.

I want free or cheap parking or I'm not going to the high street.

Why would I go to the shops when its going to cost me plenty and I may not even find what I need.

Absolutely!

I don't think this alone will save the high street but yes, I'd like to see a massive levy on importing shite.

This I am much more against.

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.

Just so you know, that same levy is apllied to all small retailers as well. We havecan etsy buisness, our EU customers now have an extra tax.

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

Why should people be punished because Amazon provides better stock levels and prices than the high street?

I presume you are happy for the delivery drivers and warehouse workers to lose their jobs if people stop using Amazon?

I presume all those who want to get rid of cheap online shopping live somewhere where there are massive shops who could hold all the variations of stock they want? Or is it the MN martyrdom of being happy to suffer in order to do the ‘right thing’?

It wouldnt level the field at all.Totally agree with getting rid of Temu shite etc but the death of the high street is far more complex than that.Online shopping is here to stay.

Definitely. It's ridiculous how they are currently allowed to operate.

I won't buy more on the high streets because of a levy on Temu.

They would have to close down the likes of Primark as well as their stuff is crap from China.

I will not spend much money on clothes - does that mean I would have to make do with second hand crap?

Good for you. Doesn’t it occur to you that if others felt the same, the high street would still be going? It’s gone, you need to understand that it wont be back, even if you force people away from online shopping.

You can’t punish others just because you want to return to the days before we had choices about shopping.

Oh and we’ll never go back to the days of easy to get Saturday jobs either

Dont understand why he havent had one for years already. We just impose VAT on them - and at the price they charge not at the ridiculous amount they probably declare as the cost.

I used to dread shopping for clothes in the high street, having to piss about with trying them on and paying a small fortune.

The country has made it clear what it wants. Covid made it happen quicker. To punish people because you want to go back 20 years is stupid.

Particularly the Amazon one - So many jobs would be lost in this country just so your teen might be able to get a crappy Saturday job.

The world has moved on and it’s time to accept it.