Temu pulls its U.S. Google Shopping ads

Cheap Imports, Quality, and Consumer Choice

• Many commenters welcome Temu’s retreat, seeing less ultra-cheap “junk” as an opportunity to buy fewer, higher‑quality items that last longer (e.g., durable electronics, clothing, furniture).
• Others stress that cheap imports are essential for low‑income households, hobbyists, and small makers: niche electronics, tools, PCBs, and components can cost 5–10x more or be unavailable domestically.
• Debate over whether people should voluntarily reduce consumption vs. being forced to via tariffs and price shocks; some frame Temu/Shein as “landfill fodder,” others as the only way some people can afford basic goods.

Tariffs, De Minimis, and Shipping

• The US is ending the de minimis exemption for low‑value Chinese parcels and adding either steep ad valorem duties (around 120%+) or large per‑package fees ($100–$200), creating confusion over how exactly charges apply.
• Concerns: surprise bills greater than the item value; large volumes of refused or abandoned parcels; potential growth of smuggling and proxy shipping via Canada, EU, or other intermediaries.
• Skeptics argue tariffs will mostly raise prices, lower quality, hurt US manufacturers using Chinese machinery/inputs, and push production to other low‑cost countries rather than back to the US.
• Supporters frame tariffs as compensation for lax labor, environmental standards and a necessary (though late) response to deindustrialization and dependence on China.

Impact on Temu, Platforms, and Businesses

• Temu’s US app performance appears tightly coupled to paid ads; pulling Google Shopping ads coincides with ranking drops, highlighting a fragile, ad‑driven growth model.
• Temu/Shein are already encouraging sellers to bulk‑ship to US/EU warehouses to amortize tariffs; prices expected to rise but not disappear.
• Amazon and other marketplaces relying on Chinese dropshippers and small importers are expected to be hit; some foresee a broad pullback in ad spending and knock‑on effects for Google/Meta, others think these giants remain resilient.

Marketplaces, Reviews, and “Letter-Soup” Brands

• Multiple anecdotes of Temu and others suppressing or constraining negative reviews; similar complaints about AliExpress, Shopee, Amazon, and even local platforms.
• “Alphabet soup” brands and white‑label factories flood Amazon and similar sites with near‑identical products, fake or incentivized reviews, and constant relisting, making quality hard to assess.
• Some users report good experiences from curated Chinese brands (electronics, cycling, hobby gear) via AliExpress, but emphasize the need for careful vendor and review triage.

Environment, Ethics, and Social Tradeoffs

• Strong environmental critique of Temu/Shein‑style ultra‑fast fashion and micro‑parcels: short‑lived products, toxic materials (especially jewelry, batteries, cables), and large waste streams.
• Others note that removing demand for “bad” jobs can leave workers worse off without alternative employment; improving conditions would require higher wages and better regulation in producer countries.
• Underlying tension: desire to curb hyper‑consumerism and externalized environmental harm vs. the reality of stagnant wages, shrinking middle classes, and reliance on cheap imports.