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

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.

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.

If we are not prepared to make changes in our spending behaviours then yes, you are right.

Hey, let’s be content with nail bars, barbers, vape shops, organised crime, empty/derelict buildings, homelessness and less jobs here in the UK. (As described through this thread).

I wonder why our acceptance of cr*p and a downward spiral is so different to Europe.

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

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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

@AsMuchIn ”I wonder why our acceptance of cr*p and a downward spiral is so different to Europe.”

You keep mentioning Europe, it’s a big place.
Where are these thriving high streets?

If we exclude Switzerland and tourist areas/regions, then France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, are all in a similar state as the UK, from what I have seen.
France is particularly dire.

Actually we have accepted it. How often did you visit all of your local high street shops and spend money in them? What about your friends?

Some places are worse than others but if you are trying to get people to rise up and start a revolution to reinstate the high street, it’s a waste of time.

I don’t care what happens to the high street as it’s not fit for purpose. I will continue to pay less for more choice and better service.

Oh and you can spell out the actual word crap on here.

If you want to live somewhere with a thriving community of shops or whatever, then it’s you that has to move to somewhere more suited to your world view. People don’t care enough to change things.

A relative who loves Paris and has been many times went back a couple of years ago and said it had turned into a total shithole. All the places they used to visit were run down and it was a far cry from the way it had been.

Yet you seem determined to point the whole of Europe as a cosmopolitan utopia.

Wouldn't it have to apply to ebay, etsy, amazon etc as much of the very same chinese crap is sold on there? (although listed as 'hand crafted on etsy') The only difference is that the buyer pays a higher price anyway.

Course it would - long before Temu and SHEIN existed, the internet was overtaking the high street

Although Argos doesn’t tend to fair well these days I always thought it was ahead of its time.

A in person Amazon. No looking though all the products but go upto a catalogue copy the item number go to the desk and pay, then wait at the front deck area of really their warehouse operation.

Amazon now really outstrips Argos but I remember it always being packed when we went near by.

I don't live in a town and haven't used Amazon since 2018. It's no trouble at all, I can't think of a single time I've 'suffered'. What Amazon provides is not a necessity!

There is a huge difference between shein practices and shops that buy in and sell in store. Anything that is sold in store must comply with the rules and legislation with regards to the likes of general product safety regulations etc, they are open to being audited by the governing bodies. Shein by pass this as they dont ship mass container loads for resale here, they ship small parcels directly to the customer, The high street may not be perfect but its 100 times better than Shein

Same I just wouldn’t buy as much but I would still buy
I don’t have the time, nor do I want to go traipsing around shops to find what I want

Completely missing the point!

People shop online for many reasons and a big one is we dont want to go "into town" we dont want to caught behind the shambling shuffling unwashed, who want to stand in the doorway and chat mindlessly. We also dont want to wait in queues to pay for extra impulse items that we didnt want in the first place.

And when its cheaper its a bonus!

I think people are forgetting that people are ordering more online now because it’s more convenient to them than going to the high street. Most families now have two working parents, weekends are often busy, I don’t want to waste my free time traipsing round shops. Even if it’s more expensive to buy a particular item online, I will often still do so because it’s more convenient to me.

That’s not true. My son in law works in clothes manufacturing and he has to inspect the factories they use. Yes, they will be high street brands that use shoddy manufacturers but it is defintely not the same everywhere.