DHgate, a Beijing-based business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce platform founded in 2004, directly ships factory-made goods from China under the de minimis rule.
US downloads increased by a staggering 940 per cent from its 30-day average, according to data from app intelligence firm Appfigures, cited by media company Cailianshe.
At the same time, analysts warned that the boom could also backfire as platforms face scrutiny over intellectual property and quality.
SPILLING THE TEA ON LUXURY BRANDS
A global digital information war is also taking place, with Chinese content creators flooding platforms like TikTok, using videos to pull back the curtain on China’s invisible role in the global supply chain.
Their message: asking US shoppers why they were paying hundreds of dollars more for little more than a logo.
Snappy reels and videos filmed in various factory and production settings feature hosts and sellers comparing luxury Western brands to alleged unbranded counterparts, claiming that products were made in the same factories, using the same materials – just without the expensive brand marketing.
A video from a creator with the handle Sen Bags gave viewers a tour of its production floor in Guangzhou and stated that it has been producing for global luxury brands for decades.
“Luxury can be reasonable.”
The trend isn’t entirely new – but amid rising tariffs and renewed US-China trade tensions, this content is seeing renewed interest, resonating with a new wave of price-conscious buyers.
In a resurfaced viral TikTok video from 2024, a creator from The Rohrs Team, which focuses on investment consulting, claimed Swiss watches were commonly made in China, despite their prestigious labels.
“You’re imagining this bespoke factory in Switzerland with mountains in the background … That’s not the case,” the creator said, noting that only one high-cost component is added in Switzerland to meet the 60 per cent cost threshold required for the “Swiss Made” label.
Similar comments were made in another viral TikTok video that drew more than 10,000 likes. Better known online as The Watch Regulator, the creator – a former watch technician who claims to have worked for one of the world’s largest Swiss watch companies – lifted the veil on the industry’s opaque sourcing practices.
“This has been going on for at least 50 years. I worked on some of their watches dating back to the 70s that were mainly made in China,” the creator said, adding that he had been fired for speaking publicly.
A TikTok user said: “I’m just happy people are starting to realise that it’s not worth spending thousands of dollars to buy something just because of the logo.”
