You found a supplier on Alibaba offering T-shirts at $3.50 each. Sounds like a steal. Then your first shipment hits customs, the tariff alone adds $1.05 per shirt, and there’s a $200 exam fee for a missing fiber label. That “$3.50” just became $6.80, and your margin is gone. I’ve spent 12 years moving apparel through the Los Angeles, Savannah, and New York ports, and I watch some version of this story every month. Importing clothes from China to the USA is still profitable. You just need the real numbers before you place your first order.

Why Importing Clothes from China Still Makes Sense (Even with Tariffs)

Honestly, the math still works. China supplied roughly 35% of all apparel imported into the USA in 2024, about $25 billion worth according to OTEXA data.