Shein Group Ltd.’s sales in the US have taken a hit since the Trump administration ended a tariff exemption for small shipments that helped fuel the fast-growing retailer’s growth.
The policy, called de minimis, ended on August 29, and in September Shein’s observed sales declined about 8% from the same period a year ago, according to data from Bloomberg Second Measure, which tracks the transactions of an anonymous set of US shoppers. That marked the second-worst monthly performance of the past three years.
The Trump administration has said one of the reasons it ended the policy, which allowed shipments worth no more than $800 to enter the US duty-free, was to even the playing field for US companies. Closely held Shein, founded in mainland China and now headquartered in Singapore, has be