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Why Online Shoppers Saw Higher Prices During the 2025 Tariff Shock

The 145% figure was a reported tariff rate during the 2025 U.S.-China escalation—not a universal increase in online prices. Here’s why some carts changed and how tariff policy evolved.
From TheFinanceBase Team4 min to read
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The “145%” in the April 2025 headline described a reported tariff rate on many Chinese goods during a rapidly changing U.S.-China trade dispute—not a 145% increase in every Temu or AliExpress price. Some shoppers did report sharp jumps in individual checkout totals, but those anecdotes do not establish a typical increase. Tariff policy has changed since then, so the figure is historical, not a current price forecast.

What shoppers were reacting to

In an April 29, 2025 report, Gizmodo described a Reddit user who said they had been ordering wedding items for their daughter and had not realized how quickly tariff news was changing. The story included screenshots of individual orders: a Temu purchase that reportedly rose from $28 to $71, another from $38 to $94, and an AliExpress glitter-fabric order from $20 to $72. These were shoppers’ reported cart experiences, not a controlled study or a representative measure of online prices. Gizmodo’s report also described Shein users saying some listings had disappeared.

Temu and Shein announced U.S. price adjustments starting April 25, 2025, citing operating expenses and changes in trade rules and tariffs. The companies did not state how large their adjustments would be, according to the Associated Press.

What 145% meant—and what it did not

The 145% figure was a high tariff rate reported during the April 2025 escalation. A tariff is a duty charged on imported goods; it is not automatically a matching increase in a shopper’s retail price. The final effect depends on the product and its applicable duties, the seller’s other costs, and how the seller chooses to handle or pass along those costs. A retailer can change an item price, add a separately identified charge, adjust shipping, or make other changes.

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For an example of how different a checkout can look from a headline rate, CBS News documented one swimsuit listed for $119 with $211.11 in import duties, $20 shipping, and $12.35 tax, for a reported total of $362.46. That was one retailer’s charge for one item at that time—not a general duty formula, typical checkout, or current quote. CBS News reported the example in May 2025.

Why the final checkout total matters

A low listing price does not tell you what you will pay if shipping, stated duties, or other fees appear later. Axios has reported examples of retailers handling costs through different parts of the purchase; its practical advice is to compare the full checkout total rather than assume every change in shipping or fees is tariff-related. Axios’s overview discusses those retailer practices.

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  • Compare the item price, shipping, and any stated duties or fees at checkout.
  • Check delivery terms and whether the item is still available; a missing listing is not itself proof of a particular price increase.
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How the tariff picture changed after April 2025

The 145% figure should not be used as today’s general rate. On May 12, 2025, the Washington Post reported a temporary reduction in headline U.S.-China reciprocal rates, while other duties remained and product-specific exposure varied. That was a snapshot from that date, not a lasting rate schedule. The Washington Post’s May 2025 account also described businesses passing some cost changes to consumers amid continued uncertainty.

In February 2026, the Supreme Court invalidated most of the previous year’s tariffs imposed under IEEPA, according to The Washington Post. Other duties, including some sector-specific tariffs, remained, and further tariff actions were possible. The article also cautioned that a legal change does not necessarily make retail prices fall immediately.

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As of September 28, 2026, the U.S. International Trade Commission listed Revision 20 as the latest version of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The Associated Press reported that the United States and China had announced reciprocal lists of nonsensitive products worth about $30 billion each for tariff cuts, and that U.S. tariffs against China had already been reduced from their 2025 peak. The AP report describes that later development. These changes do not produce one current rate for a generic “Chinese product”: the treatment of a particular import depends on its classification, origin, applicable exclusions, and subsequent government actions.

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What to do if your order suddenly costs more

  1. Open the checkout breakdown. Separate the item price from shipping, taxes, import duties, and any other displayed fee.
  2. Compare like with like. Check the full total, delivery terms, availability, and disclosed country of origin for alternatives—not just the search-result price.
  3. Save the details if you need to query the charge. Keep the listing and checkout breakdown so you can ask the seller or marketplace what each line represents. The available reports do not establish that every added fee is a tariff.
  4. For a specific import question, verify the product classification and current schedule. The USITC tariff schedule is the official starting point; a broad headline rate cannot determine the duty for an unspecified product.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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