Overview
- Juan Martín de la Serna, president of Mercado Libre Argentina, urged an equal-for-all regulatory framework at the ABECEB forum, warning that massive low-cost imports from China risk weakening local industry and jobs.
- He argued that the influx constitutes unequal competition that hurts SMEs, which account for about 90% of sales volume on Mercado Libre's platform, and said current dynamics do not create local employment.
- Founder Marcos Galperin responded on X that he is not worried and that Mercado Libre will compete with Shein and Temu as it has in other regional markets.
- National deputy Miguel Ángel Pichetto called for heavy taxation on purchases from Chinese platforms and pressed Congress to regulate, later warning that these apps could overrun Mercado Libre and affect delivery jobs.
- Sensor Tower data cited in reports shows Temu's monthly active users in Latin America jumped 143% to 105 million in H1 2025, while Mercado Libre remains the regional leader with more than 112,000 employees, as Mexico, Chile, and Uruguay advance rules that Argentina has yet to adopt.