A few days before Christmas, the manager of a jewelry store that imports products from China, Elaine da Silva, 44, is surprised to see how much cheaper products are this year.
“Bracelets, for example, even though there is high demand, are sold at R$30, a much lower price than last year. We sold them for R$80,” he remembers.
The good deals at the store where she works, in the Rua 25 de Março area, in São Paulo, reflect the strong growth in imports of low-value Chinese products this year, in a movement driven by the tariffs imposed by Donald Trump on the Asian giant.
The rising cost of shipping products to the United States has caused China to divert some of its trade to large consumer markets, such as Brazil.
One example is the fact that Brazilian buyers imported 26.6% more kilos of jewelry like those sold by Elaine in the year to November, according to data from Mdic (Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade).
There are pieces such as the gold bangle-style bracelets sold in the store, gold chokers and “shock” necklaces, and accessories with pendants that mimic beach objects, like seashells, stars and oysters, as well as flower-shaped hair piranhas.
But the increase in purchases from China is not limited to accessories. The Asian giant’s toy imports also showed strong growth, of 28.2% in volume over the first 11 months of the year compared to the same period of 2024.
These are products such as “guns” for throwing water offered on March 25. “It’s good for summer, especially with this heat,” jokes seller Agnaldo Siqueira, 58.
This is also the case for imitation Labubus dolls, from the Chinese giant Pop Mart, and Funko Pops sold on March 25 for Christmas this year, as well as coloring books similar to Bobbie Goods, accompanied by markers – imports of pens from China increased by 365.7% in volume between January and November, according to Mdic data.
In the case of knitted clothing, purchases from China increased in volume by 16.8% in the same comparison, and purchases of shoes increased by 15.9%.
Giovana Souza, 18, who works as a cashier at a pet supply store, says she has sold a lot of Santa clothes for dogs, as well as beds and blankets.
Seller Jéssica Lebrão, 33, says one of the main items sold at her stand is a children’s onesie themed around the cartoon character Stitch. “It was like that all year.”
On the other hand, Christmas decoration items saw their sales decrease throughout the month, according to saleswoman Viviane Joelma, 52 years old. “The houses are already decorated. In the final stretch, people are buying more food and clothes,” she says.
Despite increasing product imports from China, fees imposed by the Brazilian government on low-value orders are holding back retailers who buy in smaller quantities.
Since August 2024, purchases worth less than US$50, previously exempt, will be taxed at 20%. For imports valued between US$50 and US$3,000, low-value imports are subject to a tax rate of 60%.
Tamyres Gaudino, 34, who runs a store for weddings and formal parties, says half of his products are handmade and the other half are imported from China. “Before it was cheaper, but lately it’s not even worth it anymore, because of taxes. Sometimes it’s more worth buying here than importing,” he says.
Consumer Lilian Costa, 46, who works as a freelancer, emphasizes that the low price is the main attraction when shopping.
“In fact, we look for the cheapest, and if it comes from China, we take it too,” jokes Costa, who works as a freelancer. “I think that in China, in the housewares section, there are cooler things, kitchen items, decorations,” he lists.
Mdic data shows that the volume of purchases by Brazilians of tableware and kitchen items increased by 65.1% in 2025 through November.
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