Chinese Tiktokers seem to offer US buyers a way out of tariff price hike

Chinese TikTokers go viral, tell Americans to avoid tariffs by cutting out middlemen: Chinese TikTokers have gone viral for urging US consumers to skirt recent tariffs and exorbitant pricing by ordering luxury goods directly from Chinese producers, Bloomberg reports. Some videos claim that the high-end goods — such as those by Louis Vuitton and Nike — are manufactured in China quite cheaply, with US and international companies charging them steep margins.

Lululemon for USD 5? A Louis Vuitton bag for USD 50? TikTok influencer LunaSourcingChina claims she pays USD 5-6 for Lululemon yoga leggings that retail for more than USD 100 inside the US. Some are also selling what appear to be Louis Vuitton bags for USD 50, even though they sell for over USD 1k.

Brands are hitting back: Louis Vuitton says it does not manufacture in China, according to its website, while Lulumelon manufactures around 3% of its final goods in the country, a company spokesperson told the Independent.

A coordinated campaign? The TikTok phenomenon “appears to be a calculated attempt to undermine President Trump’s tariff policy on China by leveraging TikTok to promote Chinese manufacturing,” Rutgers University researcher Alex Goldenberg told Bloomberg.