With tariffs raising the costs of importing products from China, on April 18 Shein and Temu announced that they'd be raising their costs. So have they? And by how much? To find out, we started tracking 20 products under $50 from both retailers (which are known for selling super affordable products made in China). We found that average prices are up on both sites. The real sticker shock, though, comes from the import charges that are being added to some products.
We're also tracking grocery prices so you can tariff-proof your pantry.
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Average prices at Shein and Temu are ticking up on the products we're watching.
Our product watch list includes 20 products on each site, all under $50. They include tech, home goods, clothing, and bulk party supplies (all items commonly shopped on these sites).
When we crunched the numbers and looked at the average price of all these items day by day (from April 18 - 27), we found the following:
The average price of Shein items went up by 11%.
The average price of Temu items went up by 32%.
Remember, that’s on average. Some items we tracked shot up way more than that, doubling in some cases. And some other publications are tracking increases of 300% or more on certain items. It really depends on what you’re shopping for.
Prices have gone up at both Shein and Temu, but watch out for Temu import charges — we found them as high as $87!
Our graphic here shows some of the more significant prices we saw on both sites. But the higher price tags are just half the story. Temu is tacking on import charges to some items. If an item has these import charges, you'll spot them at checkout in your cart. Not all Temu items have these charges, and plenty of items have a “no import charges" label. But if your item does, expect your cost to at least double.
We saw the cost of 10 men’s shirts go from $48.78 to $64.15, a 32% increase. But Temu is tacking on a whopping $87.12 import change, more than doubling the final price you pay.
The cost of eight tablecloths, which used to be $7.89, is now $13.22, up 67%. But a $17.71 import charge more than doubles the final cost.
What can shoppers do if Temu and Shein prices are too expensive?
It's definitely getting more costly to get any really inexpensive stuff these days. But you've got a few tools at your disposal:
Comparison shop: You can't assume your go-to site for cheap party supplies or clothing is going to be the least expensive now. Price out what you want at discount sites, warehouse stores (if you have a membership), and at dollar stores (for example, check out our Dollar Tree deals).
Use coupons and retailer rewards to stretch your dollar further: For example, when you're shopping Amazon, look for Subscribe & Save deals, as well as Amazon promo codes that can save you money on your purchase instantly. Plus, learn how to get Amazon promo credits that you can use as you shop. At Target, make sure you're using Target Circle offers to get free gift cards with your purchase when those promotions are available.
Sign up for sale alerts with the KCL app: Tariffs are pushing prices up, so you might need to wait to buy something when it's on sale. When you use the Deal Planner feature in the KCL app, you can sign up to have us alert you when major sales go live — no need to check all the retailers' sites on your own. We'll send a push notification to your phone when sales like Prime Day, Walmart+ Week, Kohl's Friends & Family and more start.
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