I have an urgent question: Will my Temu order arrive?

Your supercheap Temu order could be at risk.

NurPhoto

Donald Trump’s executive orders could stop cheap shipping for e-commerce orders direct from China.That would be bad news for Temu and Shein.The biggest question: What will happen to the $2.74 mousepad I ordered from Temu last week?!

A few days ago, I noticed I needed a new mousepad. The cloth covering was starting to peel away from the rubber. So I went to Temu — more on that in a minute.

Mousepads are some of those things that — in theory — you should never buy; they just come into your life like cheap umbrellas or Mason jars.

But due to decades of repetitive motion from typing, my weary wrists need the kind of mousepad with the ergonomic padded blob at the end, not the plain, flat ones you accumulate for free.

So, spend my own money I must.

Now, I personally have conflicted feelings about shopping on Temu, but a mousepad is kind of a perfect Temu item: quality doesn’t really matter, and a $3 one is the same as a $10 one — at least to the human eye. As a price-sensitive shopper, I went for it.

I found a plain, gray mousepad with a wrist rest on Temu for $2.74 and ordered it.

A $2.74 mousepad, what could go wrong?

Temu / screenshot

Well, it wasn’t quite that simple — Temu requires a $15 minimum for an order to ship, so I threw in a few other items — a squishy elbow rest pad, a new phone case, some hair scrunchies.

Then, disaster struck. Shortly after my order was placed, President Trump declared an end to the “de minimis” exemption. There’s still some discussion as to exactly what his executive order will mean, but de minimis is the law that allows orders under $800 to ship directly from China to US customers without encountering duty and tax. It’s a big part of how Temu and Shein have operated in the US so successfully.

Then, things went apocalyptic for my mousepad: Tuesday evening, the USPS stopped taking inbound parcels from China to the US. By Wednesday morning, the USPS had reversed that decision, resuming service.

What all of this means for Temu and similar sellers like Shein isn’t exactly clear, but let’s just assume it’s not good. (Temu didn’t respond to a request for comment.)

Still, both e-commerce platforms have advanced beyond only shipping direct from mainland China, and now many of their sellers have warehouses in the US to ship orders domestically.

On the homepage of Temu, the top promoted section is for “local warehouse stores” — sellers from warehouses in the US.

“Local warehouse stores” on Temu ship from within the U.S.

Temu / Business Insider

Shein’s website has a less prominent tab for “QuickShip” items that ship from the US, which isn’t visible at all on its mobile app.

While relations with one of our largest trade partners are up in the air, I have great news about my mousepad (which I’m sure you were worried about).

My Temu order appears to be still moving along in processing to be shipped.