Technologies

What Is DHgate? App Surges in Popularity, but Might Not Be Helpful Against Tariffs

American consumers have become enamored with the Chinese shopping app DHgate, but hopes that it might be a way around President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda don’t hold up to scrutiny.

President Donald Trump’s contentious barrage of tariffs has people asking a lot of questions: What will they actually do to prices? Should I make that big purchase now? However, one question the White House probably didn’t see coming is consumers wondering how they can do more shopping from China. And the answer to that might be DHgate.

On April 16, the Chinese shopping service DHgate boasted the second-most downloaded free app on Apple’s App Store, behind only OpenAI’s ChatGPT. According to a report from Yahoo Finance, the previous week, it was 352nd on the same list, indicating a stratospheric rise in popularity largely attributed to popular TikTok creators advocating for the e-commerce platform as a way to buy directly from China. As of April 25, it was still the 12th most popular shopping app on the App Store.

So what is DHgate precisely? It’s an online shopping platform based in China that has been around since 2004. Similar in function and appearance to other popular sites like Shein and Temu, DHgate allows consumers to make purchases directly from manufacturers in China. It has gained popularity online for its selection of dupes, which are copies of popular brand-name products sold at much lower prices.

According to Yahoo Finance, numerous Chinese influencers have advocated for international consumers to buy these sorts of products on platforms like DHgate. They argue that many high-end brands buy cheaply made goods from Chinese factories and then sell them with sizable mark-ups.

DHgate did not respond to CNET’s request for comment. The company did, however, give a statement to Yahoo in which it said it is «grateful yet remain(s) humble about this phenomenal surge in traffic.»

Will DHgate help you get around tariffs?

While tariffs are credited with helping juice DHgate’s popularity, the unfortunate reality is that it — and apps like it — will not help you get around Trump’s new tariffs.

China has long been a fixation of Trump’s global trade agenda. The country was the primary target of tariffs and policies during his first term and has remained the biggest target on his second-term agenda, featuring a 10% universal tax on imports from all nations and higher rates for countries with trade imbalances with the US. However, the latter has largely been delayed until July. For now, China’s rates remain in effect, with a base 20% tariff and an additional 125% «reciprocal» tariff bringing the total tax to 145%, a number that has steadily been increasing as the countries retaliate back-and-forth.

Before the second Trump administration, you might have been able to use sites like DHgate to get cheap goods directly from China and avoid import taxes due to a rule known as the «de minimis exception,» which stated that purchases under $800 would not be subject to tariffs or other duties. This rule, however, was done away with via an executive order from Trump and is set to expire next month. So, our advice? If DHgate’s offerings sound appealing to you, get in while the getting’s good.

Speaking with CNET via email, Patti Brennan, CEO of Key Financial, predicted that apps like DHgate wouldn’t be a permanent solution even if they did offer a way around tariffs, as the Trump administration would get wind of them eventually and could «close this loophole one way or the other.»

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, April 28

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 28.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword isn’t too tough. I knew the 1990 Madonna hit (5-Across), but had no idea on the very next question involving tennis (6-Across). You win some, you lose some. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Chef’s creation
Answer: DISH

5A clue: Iconic Madonna hit of 1990
Answer: VOGUE

6A clue: Section of a tennis court used when playing doubles
Answer: ALLEY

7A clue: State of mind
Answer: MOOD

8A clue: Not amateur
Answer: PRO

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Rarely-used word meaning «sadness»
Answer: DOLOR

2D clue: Snow place like home?
Answer: IGLOO

3D clue: Went after in court
Answer: SUED

4D clue: «Yo»
Answer: HEY

5D clue: Fill time on stage
Answer: VAMP

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 28, #217

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 217, for April 28.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Connections: Sports Edition must be incredibly difficult to assemble. I’ve noticed numerous categories where the puzzle maker falls back in picking a certain athlete, and then listing that person’s past teams, often including college and national or Olympic teams. Hint: There’s one like that today. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta after making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: I want this one.

Green group hint: Win a medal here.

Blue group hint: Hoopster’s history.

Purple group hint: It’s also a hat.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Choose.

Green group: Last four Summer Olympics hosts.

Blue group: Teams Kevin Durant has played for.

Purple group: ____ Derby.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is choose. The four answers are draft, pick, select and take.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is last four Summer Olympics hosts. The four answers are London, Paris, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is teams Kevin Durant has played for. The four answers are Texas, Thunder, United States and Warriors.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ derby. The four answers are home run, Kentucky, Manchester and roller.

Technologies

We Love This Ugreen Tracker, and It’s Just $13 Right Now

These handy tags are a great way to keep track of your items without having to fork over the full price of $20 — for a limited time, at least.

Losing keys, having misplaced luggage and other items can be a major inconvenience. It takes time to recuperate your things, and replacing them can cost you money you’d rather spend on other needs. If you’ve got a few things you want to keep a closer eye on, then a tracker might be a great option for you. We’ve spotted this Ugreen FineTrack smart finder for just $13 at Amazon, which saves you $7 after you clip the on-page coupon. Amazon prices tend to fluctuate, so we suggest acting fast if this deal is of interest. Plus, it’s a great chance to save on electronic goods that might increase in cost due to impending tariffs.

This Ugreen FineTrack smart finder is compact, light and easily clips onto your keys, bags and other items. It’s compatible with Apple’s FindMy feature, which makes it a more affordable alternative to AirTags, which have a list price of $30. Once removed from the package, all have to do is use Bluetooth and sync this tracker to your FindMy app on any Apple device. The Ugreen FineTrack requires a battery that can last up to two years.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

Need an extra pair of eyes? You can share the location of your tag with up to five more people. Plus, you can turn on an alarm that makes a loud sound so you can locate misplaced items. You can also set up notifications that can remind you if you’ve left something behind.

To better take advantage of these trackers, take a look at our article about the best places to use your tracker during travels.

Why this deal matters

This Ugreen FineTrack smart finder is down to just $13 for a limited time at Amazon. This saves you $7 over its usual asking price and is much more budget-friendly than other available trackers. Considering the potential for price increases due to tariffs, now is an excellent opportunity to nab this deal.