INDIANAPOLIS — It’s a simple as a click of a button.
Many Hoosiers resort to using fast-fashion websites like Shein and Temu, which ship many Chinese-made products to the U.S.
“Shein — that’s the go to for the summertime," 20-year-old Howard Swain said.
He relies on the e-commerce site for the latest trends.
Swain says Shein and Temu attract customers because they’re ultra-low-cost.
“They have shirts on there that range from around $5 to $10," he said.
Chinese imports into the U.S. currently face a 145 percent tariff.
Both Temu and Shein released notices last month that operating expenses have gone up “due to recent changes in global trade rules and tariffs.”
“We expect shoppers to be more conscious when they make purchase decisions, and they may make fewer impulsive purchases of cheaper items that were available in the past," Associate Professor of Marketing at IU Krista Li said.
Li says to expect delivery delays and fewer variety of available products.
“Amazon works with a number of third-party sellers, much of them are from China, from international markets, and Amazon will start to raise prices because of this tariff," she said.
Consumer Jacqueline Coleman says she rarely uses online shopping platforms, but they do help in a pinch.
“When I do shop online, I’m typically getting things that I don’t wanna carry around, like household items or things that I can’t find in retail stores," Coleman said.
Coleman says the tariffs ultimately hurt customers like her.
“I think the customer is gonna feel it the most because that’s who’s gonna eat that cost," she said.
