Chinese factories target U.S. audience on TikTok to undercut Trump’s tariffs
Chinese manufacturers and influencers are flooding TikTok with videos asking Americans to buy high-end luxury brands from them directly amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
Dozens of videos on the app allege that clothes from the luxury brands are originally made in Chinese factories at minimal costs, then shipped to the U.S., where they’re mislabeled and sold at inflated prices.
TikTok users have reported seeing more of these clips appear in their feeds recently as the trade war between the U.S. and China continues to escalate.
In one TikTok video that has over nine million views, a creator is seen saying she can sell yoga pants from the same manufacturer that supplies Lululemon for between US$5 and $6 instead of $100, which is the average price in the U.S.
“The material and the craftsmanship are basically the same because they come from the same production line,” she said, standing in front of what appears to be a factory she mentions in the video.
Another one of the viral clips with over six million views features Ya Ting, CEO of a Chinese consulting firm, who alleges the production cost of many of these “luxury” items is only one tenth of their selling price.
She identifies brands like Givenchy, Armani, Nike, Dior, Lululemon, Calvin Klein, Adidas, Versace and more in the viral clip.
Another video of an influencer alleging that 50 per cent of Louis Vuitton bags and 90 per cent of the silk used all comes from China has gotten more than 600,000 views.
In response to their company being mentioned in some of the videos, Louis Vuitton has stuck by its statement that it does not manufacture products in China and Lululemon provides a full list of its manufacturing partners on its website.
Most of the videos have links to the manufacturers’ websites with instructions about how to proceed with a purchase.
Meanwhile, some American TikTok users have supported these clips for showing a hidden dark side of the luxury goods industry and undercutting the tariffs.
China’s counterfeit market is the largest in the world, according to The National Law Review. Counterfeit items worth around $4.1 billion were seized by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2024.
The frenzy of viral clips comes after Trump unleashed a whirlwind of tariffs against countries across the world before he backtracked some when the U.S. stock market started meting down, with China as the exception.
Trump levied a whopping 145 per cent tariff against China, but has since announced temporary exemptions for smartphones, solar panels and other electronic products like semiconductor chips.
China has responded by levying 125 per cent tariffs on all America imports.
The U.S. and China are the world’s top two economies, and a stand-off between them has affected stock and bond markets.
With files from the Associated Press
