Trump’s China tariffs spark viral TikTok work-arounds

President Trump’s trade wars have officially landed on TikTok.

U.S. TikTok users’ For You Pages are being flooded with videos from Chinese manufacturers urging Americans to bypass sweeping new tariffs by purchasing goods directly from China.

“So China is doing us a solid over here in the US and allowing us to buy directly and avoid all of the ridiculous tariffs,” says one TikTok user in a video posted on Monday. Behind her is a laundry list of Chinese wholesale websites, featuring everything from beauty products to electronics. “I don’t know about you but that wasn’t on my 2025 bingo card.”

In another video, which has racked up over 11.5 million views, a creator claims to sell the same leggings that retail for $100 at Lululemon for just $5 or $6. “The materials and the craftsmanship are basically the same because they all come from the same production line,” she explains. “How do we buy direct. I hate it here,” one TikTok user commented beneath the video. “Now this is how you do a trade war,” another added.

But if it sounds too good to be true, that’s probably because it is. Lululemon has responded to the trend, stating it “does not work with the manufacturers identified in the online videos and we urge consumers to be aware of potentially counterfeit products and misinformation,” according to The Times.

Claiming to manufacture for big-name brands while actually selling knockoffs is a common scam. Experts told The Independent that some of these TikTokers are likely paid by counterfeit operations seeking to exploit the chaos around tariffs and lure U.S. consumers with cheap “dupes.”

Still, many TikTok users have welcomed the videos for revealing luxury fashion’s often opaque supply chains. “China TikTok is so messy rn,” one X user posted alongside a thread of these videos. “And YES I will be shopping at the Chinese markets for a 25 dollar Birkin Bag,” they added.

The videos gained traction as President Donald Trump announced a 145% levy on all goods imported from China. While the administration has since stated that smartphones and some electronics would be exempt, the fashion industry remains heavily affected. The U.S. manufactures only about 2% of its own clothing, while China produces roughly two-thirds of the world’s supply—and sent $49 billion in textiles to the U.S. last year alone.

The trend has also spilled into real-world behavior. Chinese wholesale marketplace app DHgate soared to the No. 3 spot in the U.S. App Store as of Monday morning, TechCrunch reported. That’s a sharp climb from No. 352 on Friday, April 11, according to data from app intelligence provider Appfigures.

While buying direct from China isn’t exactly a foolproof work-around—since imports are still subject to tariffs—one commenter summed up the mood: “Trump said, We hold the cards. So China said, We make the cards.”

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