Shein's revenue in the US, its biggest market, fell 14.3% to US$2.04 billion in Q1. (AFP pic)BEIJING: Shein swung to a US$99 million quarterly loss due to slowing sales after the US removed an import duty exemption on small packages and a hefty one-time accounting charge, the online retailer's pre-IPO financial filings showed on Sunday.The filing, which lays the groundwork for investor roadshows and official bookbuilding of its much-awaited Hong Kong IPO, showed that Shein posted a loss in the first quarter of 2026 compared with a net income of US$395 million a year earlier.The EU, a key market for Shein, also this month imposed a €3 fee on low-value e-commerce imports, to curb what the EU calls unfair competition from China.The Singapore-headquartered company, which was founded in China, did not disclose the size of the Hong Kong share sale, the offer price, the listing timetable, or expected proceeds from the offering in the draft prospectus.Shein won approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) for its Hong Kong listing on July 10, clearing the way for a listing after failed attempts in New York and London.Under pressureThe financial details give investors a sharper look at the pressure facing Shein as it seeks new funds amid higher costs, slower growth, and growing regulatory scrutiny in key markets.The first-quarter loss partly reflected an accounting change under which it took a $328 million fair-value charge on convertible redeemable preferred shares. These are investor shares that can later convert into ordinary shares, and their accounting value can change before a listing.The accounting loss comes as Shein, which sells US$5 dresses and US$10 jeans in around 160 countries, saw a sharp drop in its valuation in recent years as a pandemic-driven online shopping boom faded and the US closed the "de minimis" duty loophole.Shein was seeking a valuation of US$40 to US$50 billion in its IPO, Reuters reported this month, citing a source with knowledge of the matter.
That's a far cry from the US$100 billion value that media reported it was given in a funding round in 2022.'De minimis' removalSince May 2025, the removal of the de minimis exemption has had an "adverse impact" on sales in the US, Shein's biggest market, and on overall growth, and has contributed to an increase in expenses, the company said in the filing.The de minimis rule h…
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