5 days Ago By David Richards
A survey by ChannelNews reveals that European appliance manufacturers, along with Australian CE and appliance retailers are concerned that a dumping war could break out in Australia, as Chinese manufacturers roll out “Cheap” product due to the Trump Tariff battle. Some believe that stock could hit Australian shores as early as next month as stock that was destine for overseas markets are moved to other markets globally. Some observers claim that compliance issues will be a major problem as Chinese brands move stock to Asian online retailers and Amazon marketplaces to shift stock.
The issue of dumped stock could also apply to goods that were manufactured in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand where products for Sharp, Panasonic and Sony that were destine for the US market are manufactured. In Australia, a major manufacturer of European appliances told ChannelNews that they are concerned that Chinese brands who are “Already fighting for a share of the Australian appliance market will move quickly to dump product”. “The European market was already a problem before Trump introduced tariffs, now we are set to fight another battle with Asian brands who have been impacted by US tariffs and are looking to sell stock in other markets at reduced prices.
Last night UK CE and appliance retailer Currys raised concerns about dumping. CEO Alex Baldock raised concerns about Chinese products flooding markets via platforms such as Amazon, Temu and Shein following higher tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. The chief executive told The Financial Times that there were early signs of “stock being diverted into markets in a straightforward dumping way.
He said: “The single biggest area where lots of stock is likely to land in the UK — at least in my world — is from the likes of Shein, Temu, Alibaba, TikTok shop, and most of all, Amazon marketplace, [which have a lot of Chinese vendors].” One European manufacturer claimed, “Tt’s not worth sacrificing appliance quality and warranty for a cheap deal from China”. Baldock also raised safety concerns around certain products and criticised “tax dodging” by some Chinese factories that sold in online marketplaces, even if the influx of products might lead to lower prices for consumers.
Observers have pointed out that large items such as fridges or washing machines, with certain voltage specifications, “can’t simply [be] diverted” to Australia if they were meant for the US. Baldock claims that with the US having closed the import duty for low-value imports and the EU following suit, “it’s all the more vital markets are not left behind, so we’re not the only ones flooded with unsafe and tax-dodging products.” The Currys boss said the retailer had been able to secure “four, five times” the usual volume of some products where supply is normally restricted due to the chaos caused by the tariffs.
“There are some scarce products [in gaming] that we wanted bigger allocations of than anyone could provide and suddenly we’re getting them because the stuff that was heading towards the US is now available,” he said..
