TikTok Shop’s sales in US plunge as Trump’s tariffs hit Chinese imports

Sales on TikTok’s e-commerce platform in the US have begun to decline, according to estimates by data-tracking platforms and merchants, as new tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on Chinese products take a toll on cross-border trade.

Gross merchandise volume (GMV) on TikTok Shop amounted to US$197.4 million last week, a drop from US$250.9 million the previous week, after the US first announced “reciprocal” tariffs on Chinese imports, according to EchoTik, a third-party website tracking TikTok sales. TikTok’s GMV reached US$290.8 million in the last week of March.

The White House said late on Tuesday that China would face up to 245 per cent tariffs on exports as a result of Beijing’s retaliatory actions. Such a level could significantly disrupt trade between the world’s two largest economies.

TikTok Shop, along with platforms like Shein and Temu, has emerged as a major channel connecting Chinese vendors with US consumers.

Their success has been partly attributed to the de minimis exemption, which has allowed shipments valued below US$800 to enter the US duty-free. However, the US plans to end the exemption for China on May 2.

Qian Liu, a cosmetics merchant based in Zhuhai, southern Guangdong province, recently halted her US operations and shifted her focus to Europe and Southeast Asia. “If we pay tariffs accordingly, we won’t make any profit,” she said.

  

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