Argentines snap up Lego and Apple computers as Milei opens economy
Amazon, Shein and Temu gain a foothold as libertarian president cuts import tariffsArgentines are scooping up Lego sets, Apple computers and Stanley thermoses from abroad, as libertarian president Javier Milei’s efforts to open the closed economy prompt a flood of foreign goods.
Total consumer goods imports jumped 55 per cent in 2025 on the previous year, reaching a record high of $11.4bn, according to official data.
Argentines also bought around three times more goods from overseas via international ecommerce platforms in 2025 than in 2024, reaching a record $955mn, as companies such as Amazon, Shein and Temu gained a foothold in the country for the first time.
The increase comes as Milei cuts tariffs and a web of import restrictions introduced by previous governments to protect domestic industries, which made foreign goods rare and expensive in Argentina.
A Lego set depicting Harry Potter in a flying car, Apple’s 2024 Mac Mini computer and a 940ml Stanley flask were among the best-selling products in Argentina last year on Tiendamia, a Latin American ecommerce site.
“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.
The changes have boosted sales through ecommerce platforms where consumers directly order products from overseas, which remain niche in Argentina despite growth 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.”
Argentina’s overall import levels remain far below regional peers, Izquierdo added.
Amazon launched free delivery from the US to Argentina in late 2024 to capitalise on Milei’s reforms. Last November it added the country to its “ultra low cost” shopping app Amazon Bazaar.
Shein and Temu made their first major sales in Argentina in 2025 amid a broader doubling of consumer goods imports from China, to $1.9bn. Argentine social media has become flooded with influencers showing off their first Shein and Temu purchases. A Shein resale shop opened in Buenos Aires last year.
International ecommerce sites offer more and cheaper products than local retailers, which are hamstrung by Argentina’s high production costs and taxes.
Stanley flasks, which Argentines use to consume the country’s national drink mate, are offered for around 45 per cent less on Tiendamia than at the brand’s official local store, for example.
Argentina’s textile industry, which has previously been shielded from international competition by high tariffs, has called on Congress to legislate against unfair competition by Chinese ecommerce groups. The sector has shed 16,000 jobs, or 13 per cent of its workforce, since Milei took office according to lobby group the Federation of Argentine Textile Industries.
The arrival of the Chinese companies in Argentina has also sparked conflict with Latin American ecommerce giant Mercado Libre, which dominates the sector in Argentina and whose founder Marcos Galperin is the country’s richest man and one of Milei’s most vocal supporters.
Mercado Libre filed a complaint with the economy ministry last August accusing Temu of engaging in “misleading advertising” and “unfair trade practices”. Temu has denied the allegations and Argentina’s Supreme Court is now expected to take up the case.
