Argentina sees record surge in consumer imports under Milei reforms

Argentina has seen a sharp surge in consumer goods imports as President Javier Milei’s libertarian reforms dismantle long-standing trade barriers, opening the market to a wave of foreign products ranging from Lego sets to Apple computers and Stanley thermoses.

Total consumer goods imports rose 55 per cent in 2025 compared with the previous year, reaching a record $11.4 billion, according to official data. Purchases made through international ecommerce platforms nearly tripled year on year to $955 million, also a record, as global retailers including Amazon, Shein and Temu established a significant presence in the country for the first time, The Financial Times reveals. 

The increase follows Milei’s aggressive rollback of tariffs and import restrictions imposed by previous governments to protect domestic industries, measures that had made foreign goods scarce and expensive in Argentina.

Among the best-selling products in Argentina last year on Tiendamia, a Latin American ecommerce platform, were a Lego set depicting Harry Potter in a flying car, Apple’s 2024 Mac Mini computer and a 940ml Stanley flask.

“Argentina sales increased 55 per cent year on year in 2025,” said Santiago García Milán, country manager at Tiendamia.

In November 2024, Milei raised the value limit for courier shipments from $1,000 to $3,000 and allowed individuals to import up to $400 worth of goods tariff-free each year. These changes have fuelled growth in platforms that allow consumers to order directly from overseas, a channel that remains relatively small in Argentina despite expansion during the pandemic and the country’s 2022–2023 inflation crisis.

“There used to be a big risk that your overseas order would get stuck in customs and never arrive,” said Natacha Izquierdo, a director at Abeceb economic consultancy. “Now everything flows, so you are seeing a big jump — albeit from a very small baseline.”

Despite the growth, Argentina’s overall import levels remain well below those of regional peers, Izquierdo added.

Amazon launched free delivery from the US to Argentina in late 2024 to capitalise on the reforms, and last November added the country to its “ultra low cost” shopping app, Amazon Bazaar. Chinese fashion retailers Shein and Temu made their first major push into Argentina in 2025, alongside a doubling of consumer goods imports from China to $1.9bn.

The arrival of these platforms has reshaped consumer culture. Argentine social media has been flooded with influencers showcasing their first Shein and Temu purchases, while a Shein resale shop opened in Buenos Aires last year.

International ecommerce sites often undercut local retailers, which struggle with high production costs and taxes. Stanley flasks — widely used in Argentina for drinking the national beverage mate — are sold for about 45 per cent less on Tiendamia than at the brand’s official local store.

The surge in imports has also intensified domestic tensions. Argentina’s textile industry, long protected by high tariffs, has urged Congress to legislate against what it calls unfair competition from Chinese ecommerce groups. The sector has lost 16,000 jobs, or 13 per cent of its workforce, since Milei took office, according to the Federation of Argentine Textile Industries.

The entry of Chinese platforms has additionally sparked conflict with Mercado Libre, the Latin American ecommerce giant that dominates Argentina’s market. The company, founded by Marcos Galperin — Argentina’s richest man and a prominent supporter of Milei — filed a complaint with the economy ministry last August accusing Temu of “misleading advertising” and “unfair trade practices”. Temu has denied the allegations, and Argentina’s Supreme Court is now expected to take up the case.

By Sabina Mammadli