8 ms·

too little too late for Forever 21 and it's 350 locations which once employed 43,000 people at it's peak: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/17/forever-21-files-for-s

by astar1 1y ago

too little too late for Forever 21 and it's 350 locations which once employed 43,000 people at it's peak: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/17/forever-21-files-for-second-bankruptcy-blames-shein-and-temu.html https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/17/forever-21-files-for-second-... The temu/shein loophole should been closed ages ago.

jgalt212 1y ago
It is pretty crazy how worker unfriendly US trade policy has been for so long.
- blitzar 1y ago
  They need to get their priorities straight - stop directing trade policy towards tech companies employing 1000's of workers on $250,000 a year and start building factories employing 100's or people on 25c an hour.
yonran 1y ago
> The temu/shein loophole should been closed ages ago. Or the US should figure out how to get domestic shipping rates to be as cheap as the rates that Chinese shippers pay to ship to the US.
- GuinansEyebrows 1y ago
  That would probably require that they receive federal funding to subsidize postage rates, which is unfortunately not going to happen (especially not under DeJoy).
  - yonran 1y ago
    Yes, perhaps the government should subsidize (or allow states to subsidize) the fixed costs of mail, just as we subsidize the fixed costs of roads, so that our business can be competitive. Is this what China does domestically, or what the US does when we charge for international shipping? Point is, we should at least list all the ways that we can be more competitive, rather than cheering isolationism that makes us all worse off.
  - CubsFan1060 1y ago
    He resigned last month.
    - GuinansEyebrows 1y ago
      Ah, yeah, just in time to be replaced by another Trump appointee to similar or worse results.
- narism 1y ago
  International shipping from China to the US is subsidized by USPS under the Universal Postal Union rules since China is classified as a developing country. Terminal dues to the US have been increasing over the last 5 years to compensate for this. https://www.ecomcrew.com/why-china-post-and-usps-are-killing-your-private-labeling-business/ https://www.ecomcrew.com/why-china-post-and-usps-are-killing...
  - miningape 1y ago
    It's still crazy to me that we classify the second largest economy as a developing country. Especially when said "developing" country is trying to flex it's muscles over the world stage and attack its neighbors. China can either remain a developing country subject to rules imposed by developed countries. Or it can join the developed countries and shape those rules. It can't do both.
thawtxp 1y ago
[dead]
scarface_74 1y ago
They tried closing the loophole a month ago. It was such a burden trying to track and collect tariffs on small shipments they gave up.
tgsovlerkhgsel 1y ago
I'm surprised the Chinese sellers are able to compete for fast fashion. Clothes are the one thing I don't really buy online because getting sizing right is already hard even when you're not dealing with Temu-style "well actually we said there's a +- 25 tolerance in the fine print and this is within tolerance" bullshit. AliExpress is indispensable for small technical items. If they're available locally at all, shipping included they'd often cost 10-20x as much.
- ljf 1y ago
  No idea about Shein, but I was shocked how easy/good Temu return policy was. My wife bought some rugs and some prints and they were not as described/pictured. Took a minute in the app to generate a qr code, then I had it to the post shop the same day and they refunded within 3 days. I wouldn't (personally) buy clothes to wear normally from them, but something like beach shoes or a poncho for a festival I'd maybe get there.
  - tgsovlerkhgsel 1y ago
    TIL Temu has a return policy. I thought the return policy was "throw it in the trash and be out the money (albeit 1/10th of what you would have paid in a regular store)".
- globular-toast 1y ago
  People are happy to just try stuff on at home then deal with returns or accept the loss if it doesn't fit or look good.
- Freak_NL 1y ago
  It's not fast-fashion they are competing with — they invented ultra-fast-fashion. Their platforms (Shein and Temu) are fully geared towards allowing manufacturers to jump on board the latest hypes and trends and have a saleable product on there within a week or so, to sell for a few weeks until it is no longer trending. You want a 'My tariffs did that' T-shirt? Temu. https://www.temu.com/search_result.html?search_key=tariffs%20t-shirt https://www.temu.com/search_result.html?search_key=tariffs%2... Local store chains can't match that velocity.

by astar1 1y ago

jgalt212 1y ago

It is pretty crazy how worker unfriendly US trade policy has been for so long.

blitzar 1y ago
They need to get their priorities straight - stop directing trade policy towards tech companies employing 1000's of workers on $250,000 a year and start building factories employing 100's or people on 25c an hour.

yonran 1y ago

> The temu/shein loophole should been closed ages ago. Or the US should figure out how to get domestic shipping rates to be as cheap as the rates that Chinese shippers pay to ship to the US.

GuinansEyebrows 1y ago
That would probably require that they receive federal funding to subsidize postage rates, which is unfortunately not going to happen (especially not under DeJoy).
- yonran 1y ago
  Yes, perhaps the government should subsidize (or allow states to subsidize) the fixed costs of mail, just as we subsidize the fixed costs of roads, so that our business can be competitive. Is this what China does domestically, or what the US does when we charge for international shipping? Point is, we should at least list all the ways that we can be more competitive, rather than cheering isolationism that makes us all worse off.
- CubsFan1060 1y ago
  He resigned last month.
  - GuinansEyebrows 1y ago
    Ah, yeah, just in time to be replaced by another Trump appointee to similar or worse results.
narism 1y ago
International shipping from China to the US is subsidized by USPS under the Universal Postal Union rules since China is classified as a developing country. Terminal dues to the US have been increasing over the last 5 years to compensate for this. https://www.ecomcrew.com/why-china-post-and-usps-are-killing-your-private-labeling-business/ https://www.ecomcrew.com/why-china-post-and-usps-are-killing...
- miningape 1y ago
  It's still crazy to me that we classify the second largest economy as a developing country. Especially when said "developing" country is trying to flex it's muscles over the world stage and attack its neighbors. China can either remain a developing country subject to rules imposed by developed countries. Or it can join the developed countries and shape those rules. It can't do both.

thawtxp 1y ago

[dead]

scarface_74 1y ago

They tried closing the loophole a month ago. It was such a burden trying to track and collect tariffs on small shipments they gave up.

tgsovlerkhgsel 1y ago

I'm surprised the Chinese sellers are able to compete for fast fashion. Clothes are the one thing I don't really buy online because getting sizing right is already hard even when you're not dealing with Temu-style "well actually we said there's a +- 25 tolerance in the fine print and this is within tolerance" bullshit. AliExpress is indispensable for small technical items. If they're available locally at all, shipping included they'd often cost 10-20x as much.

ljf 1y ago
No idea about Shein, but I was shocked how easy/good Temu return policy was. My wife bought some rugs and some prints and they were not as described/pictured. Took a minute in the app to generate a qr code, then I had it to the post shop the same day and they refunded within 3 days. I wouldn't (personally) buy clothes to wear normally from them, but something like beach shoes or a poncho for a festival I'd maybe get there.
- tgsovlerkhgsel 1y ago
  TIL Temu has a return policy. I thought the return policy was "throw it in the trash and be out the money (albeit 1/10th of what you would have paid in a regular store)".
globular-toast 1y ago
People are happy to just try stuff on at home then deal with returns or accept the loss if it doesn't fit or look good.
Freak_NL 1y ago
It's not fast-fashion they are competing with — they invented ultra-fast-fashion. Their platforms (Shein and Temu) are fully geared towards allowing manufacturers to jump on board the latest hypes and trends and have a saleable product on there within a week or so, to sell for a few weeks until it is no longer trending. You want a 'My tariffs did that' T-shirt? Temu. https://www.temu.com/search_result.html?search_key=tariffs%20t-shirt https://www.temu.com/search_result.html?search_key=tariffs%2... Local store chains can't match that velocity.