After President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on China, Chinese factories on TikTok "seized" an opportunity to reach US consumers directly.
"What these creators are saying now is that they can get even lower prices by going directly to the factories in China. So instead of maybe paying $10 for an item on a platform like Temu or Shein, they would pay $2," Sky Canaves, principal analyst for retail and e-commerce at E-Marketer, told Scripps News Group.
The viral videos gained traction and millions of views after President Trump imposed a 145% tariff on all goods from China, and the country responded by increasing its levies on US imports to 125%.
Content creators urge discount-hungry shoppers to "cut out the middleman"— meaning e-commerce sites like Temu, Shein, Alibaba and Amazon — and "buy direct" from their warehouses. But experts warn it's not that simple.
"It's questionable how that item would make it to the US. There would still be tariffs on it, but they seem to be suggesting that even with the 145% tariff, it would still be cheaper than what they could get elsewhere," Canaves said.
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While many creators are promoting products that range from laundry pods, makeup, and shoes to furniture, tk and tiny homes, others are pushing luxury brands.
"They're sharing that they're spilling the tea or revealing the secrets of luxury brands and name brands and how much their items actually cost to produce in China," Canaves said.
In one video, which has racked up more than 13 million views, a Chinese factory influencer claims to make and sell Lululemon products for as little as five dollars from China.
"Lululemon does not work with the manufacturers identified in the online videos and we urge consumers to be aware of potentially counterfeit products and misinformation," a company spokesperson told Scripps News Group in an emailed statement.
Some creators outwardly promote dupes of popular brands, receiving positive reactions from TikTok users willing to purchase a luxury look-alike.
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"The dupes have always been out there, and they've been a big part of shopping and online shopping, especially from Chinese e-commerce companies for some time. Even on TikTok shop, there have been a lot of dupe players," Canaves said.
Shopping directly from Chinese warehouses isn't new. Wholesale sites like DHgate are gaining popularity in the US, particularly among GenZ shoppers, according to a 2024 eMarketer survey.
However, some of the sites being promoted by content creators are obscure.
"Some of them encourage you to scan a QR code or join a WhatsApp group to make these purchases and they're all promising unbelievably low prices," Canaves said. "These are websites that might be only in the Chinese language, and they're encouraging users to use Google Translate, for example. They might not be able to take payments from a credit card. And they might not be equipped to send individual items because if they're factories, they're typically in the wholesale business and dependent on large orders."
"There are a lot of other hurdles in terms of product quality, the shipping, the delivery, payments, and customer service," Canaves added. "If there's any problem with the product, it wouldn't be easy to return and get your money back."
