Branded and luxury goods, fashion apparels can still be had at very affordable prices from China under 'No Brand'

Americans say ‘trade war is lost’ as Chinese reveal unique way to get goods

‘Why don’t you just contact us and buy from us?’ says one go-getter, who claims to make handbags ultimately sold by brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. ‘You won’t believe the prices we give you.’ It’s an unorthodox tactic, albeit not one that’s completely unprecedented – the rise of e-commerce opened up these mini trade channels decades ago. MSN

The Chinese manufacturers are teaching the American consumers how to get their branded and luxury goods and fashion wear direct from them at much cheaper prices even with all the tariffs added. Buy direct from the factory at factory prices. This is possible because of the high markups by the branded companies that made their products in China for pittance, attached their labels on them and then resold them in the hundreds or thousands of dollars.

The Chinese factory charged only a few dollars for branded goods like Gucci, LV, Coach, Prada, Givenchy, YSL, Hermes, Birkin, and many other brands. The same goods, same quality and designed can be ordered from the factory at factory prices and plus 100% or 200% tariff would cost only a hundred or couple of hundred dollars, without the brands. With the brands stitched on, the same goods could cost several hundred or several thousand dollars. They are still a steal and with no fear of higher tariffs. For clothings and apparels, the logo is stitched inside, cannot be seen.

China should actively promote or franchise 'No Brand' for smart luxury goods and apparels as genuine replicas/clones and sell them at a fraction of the branded prices, eg $2,000 for a $20,000 branded equivalent. Paying another $2,000 for tariff is very reasonable and affordable for the smart consumers.

The Americans can buy all they want from TikTok, RedNote, Shein, Temu and continue to enjoy having such designer luxury goods and apparels without costing them a bomb, actually many times cheaper and more affordable, and happily paying the 100% or 200% tariffs without hurting their pockets.

China can continue to sell all 'No brand' quality luxury goods and apparels they want to the Americans and the Americans can buy all they want from China, happily. 

Good quality replica watches are now sold legally as homage watches, exact replicas without the branded names but at a fraction of the price in recognition of the design of the original watch.

With the latest 245% tariffs, US and China is as good as completely decoupled. China is opening its doors, 240 hours VISA free, to Americans to visit China and buy all the luxury goods they want, without having to pay tariffs, and bring them home. Buying a Birkin bag would be enough to cover the airfare and with a lot to spare to buy many more.

Bringing manufacturing back to the USA is Trump's wet dream

 A dream is just a dream. Bringing manufacturing back to the USA is not going to happen. Anywhere in the world, people can make things much cheaper than in the USA, so why would business leaders be blind to all the realities?

Even companies like John Deere, manufacturer of farm equipment in the USA for more than 155 years, knows that USA is not conducive for further investment and wanted to move some production to Mexico. And Tim Cook has already indicated that he cannot foresee Apple moving production back to the USA. If such homegrown USA icons are saying all this, what will foreign business leaders think?

Again, by using the lure of subsidies? Right now, the USA Government is still subsidizing farmers after the trade war Trump started during his first term. Just imagine that. What will taxpayers say about subsidizing foreign companies operating in USA for just as long. It is ridiculous and unsustainable.

Anonymous

Trump's foolish tariff wars hurting the Americans. China selling to the rest of the world with little or no tariffs

 After rolling back tariffs on laptops and electronics by calling it a reprieve, which most had looked upon as a backtrack and failure by Trump, he is now reported to be going back again to look at what items really to exempt, just to save face amid the confusion. Laptops are laptops and electronic equipment are also electronic equipment by any other name, so what is there to reconsider?

Trump has again reiterated that nobody is going to escape his wonderful tariffs, and he mentioned China in particular. Now, did Xi called him to beg him to exempt laptops and electronic equipment that he needs to mention China in particular as not going to escape as well? Is the mention of China meant to frighten Xi, who is as calm as ever, and now visiting Vietnam Cambodia and Malaysia, unlike the situation in the Trump administration not knowing how to deal with a problem they themselves started.

Chinese manufacturers are just brushing aside the tariff threat and taking them in their stride. They lose a little, but China is playing the long game. That is not the case with the USA consumers though, who will be paying more and possibly even unable to buy any cheaper products as China is now really serious about decoupling completely from the USA, rather than having provocations by the USA over and over again.

And that spells good news for the Global South, with even cheaper products from China to be enjoyed. Would the Global South be calling it a blessing in disguise?

Anonymous

Wait for the full impact of Trump's tariffs to drown the average American households

 Wait a little longer and be patient. Let us see what the 145% tariffs on Chinese goods is going to do to the USA voters just a couple of months down the road. Everything is going to cost more than double. 'Hang tough' gloated Trump and wait for manufacturers to move back to the USA to make things for them. No longer cheap, but much more expensive for sure. Let us just sit back and enjoy the soap opera that is going to unfold. In the meantime, Trump and his cronies are ripping off the stock market with his manipulation by making big announcements and immediate U-turns.

China's export to the world is more than US$3.5 trillion, with a 'T', with US$500 billion with a 'B' to the USA. The USA is therefore not the only country that China can export to, and with goods that cheap, who does not want them. Would people navigate towards expensive goods from the USA when manufacturing returns to the USA, not tomorrow, not day after but years or decades down the road? Even cutting off all exports to the USA, which is about 14% of all Chinese exports globally and is not going to collapse China. Markets can be substituted by building up more exports to countries like Africa, South America, Canada, EU, ASEAN and Bangladesh, with the last country now engaging in trade and investments from China on the cards. Xi Jinping is touring ASEAN to snarl a bigger slice of the two-way trade.

This is happening while the USA is preoccupied with cutting trade with many countries with its tariffs and Trump touting about countries having to go to Washington to kiss his arse. How shameful is that to be humiliated so openly. Taiwan is said to be the first to go to Washington to kiss Trump's arse, and seems to be proud of it like an obedient dog, to enjoy the first horrid smell of the stank. Taiwan would then have to tell the world that the smell was 'fragrant and beautiful' which Trump will demand that they announce it to the world, LOL.

Anonymous

China and BRICS taking on the Americans

 China has moved into high-tech manufacturing which is competing very well with the USA, EU, Japan and South Korea. The USA was already rattled by DeepSeek in AI, unable to compete against Chinese EVs, shipbuilding and infrastructures like high-speed rails and not to talk about manufacturing. The trickle-down effect is a bonus for other South Asian countries, particularly Africa.

Trump gloated that the world has to keep up using the US$ forever. Trump seems to have already forgotten his demonization of the de-dollarization agenda of BRICS countries and contradicting his earlier stand, knowing earlier that de-dollarization is posing a great threat to the US$ hegemony.

BRICS countries are already conducting trade outside the US$, so just spinning the continued dominance of the US$ in world trade in time to come is a bit too far-fetched. Countries are already dumping US bonds and assets in the face of those tariffs and needing to hold less US$ for trade going forward. As trade within BRICS can already be conducted in each country's local currency, what does the future hold for the US$ in the context of BRICS countries, with the exception of India.

Anonymous