Chinese agents now offer tips to business owners on how to override 145% US tariff: 'Safe, legal' 

Chinese freight forwarding company Gonest has also been sharing videos on Instagram and TikTok on how consumers from the US and other countries can buy high-quality products directly from Chinese manufacturers without having to go through brands. (Image credit: Gonest/Instagram)

After revealing that some of the biggest names in luxury brands manufacture their products in China and offering to sell the same products directly to consumers at less than one-tenth the price, Chinese agents have now taken to social media to teach small businesses in the US, how they can buy from them and override the 145 percent tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump.

The "trick" is safe and legal, the agents claim, adding that it would also help the business owners make "high profits".

In a viral video, a Chinese agent suggested international buyers present themselves as "personal shopping" agent and declare their purchase as personal items, thus avoiding paying the high tariffs.

"How do we profit under a 145 percent US tariff? Smuggling? No. A safer and more legal method than smuggling is a personal shopping service. You can travel to China, act as an agent to purchase products for your American friends and clients, and then avoid the tariff by declaring them as personal items when you return to the US, thus earning a high profit margin," Lily, an agent for Chinese freight forwarding company Gonest, said.

The company has also been sharing videos on Instagram and TikTok on how consumers from the US and other countries can buy high-quality products directly from Chinese manufacturers without having to go through brands.

China is now providing tariff advice. pic.twitter.com/esNxGshMe6

James Wood (@commiepommie) April 13, 2025

Over the last few days, social media has been flooded with videos of Chinese suppliers detailing the high-quality materials and highly skilled labour they use to produce the luxury items for brands such as Birkin, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Estee Lauder, and Bobbi Brown while explaining the cost and offering to sell the products directly to the consumers without the brands' logos.

A supplier who makes bags for Birkin said that the cost price of models that sell for $34,000 (about Rs 29 lakh) is actually as low as $1,400 (Rs 1.2 lakh). He added that the bag makers get a very low profit margin, while the majority is pocketed by the brands for their logos.

The real cost of #Birkin bag and what you are really paying for.pic.twitter.com/WQTHFL2jKD Humanbydesign (@Humanbydesign3) April 13, 2025

Some of the Chinese suppliers also offer to cover the import duties and provide free shipping, while others pointed out that even with the high tariffs, consumers would pay only a small fraction for the luxury products as opposed to buying them from the brands.

The videos have added fuel to the heated discussion on social media on how China has been retaliating against the US in this trade war.