Chinese shopping app Taobao joins DHgate in Top 5 on US App Store

The Chinese e-commerce marketplace app DHgate, which is now the No. 2 free iPhone app in the U.S., isn’t the only one that’s oddly benefiting from President Trump’s tariffs on U.S. imports from China. Another Chinese shopping app, Taobao, has now also entered the Top 5 as of Thursday. U.S. consumers began flocking to these apps over the past several days in the wake of numerous TikTok videos from Chinese manufacturers explaining how much of the luxury goods market operates out of China. The videos claim that many products from top luxury brands — like clothing, handbags, shoes, and accessories — are actually originally made in China. The items are then shipped over to the brand’s home country, like Italy or France, where they’re repackaged after the brand’s label is applied, according to these videos. Other U.S. and Chinese TikTok creators then pointed to e-commerce apps like DHGate and Taobao as a way to buy directly from the Chinese manufacturers, forgoing the huge markup the luxur ... Read full article.