Amazon has launched Amazon Haul in Australia, its own ultra-cheap marketplace designed to compete directly with Chinese retailers Temu, Shein, and AliExpress by offering hundreds of thousands of items under $25 through its mobile app.

The service, available from Thursday, positions itself as a “convenient and trusted” alternative to budget Chinese-operated retailers, targeting fashion, beauty, homewares, cookware, pet supplies, and accessories.

Amazon Haul Australia country manager Rebecca Henley said the platform will give customers “more choice in how they shop by offering access to a wide selection of products at lower prices.”

Amazon is differentiating Haul through its established fulfilment infrastructure, potentially offering faster delivery and better customer service compared to Chinese marketplaces that typically ship directly from manufacturers.

All Haul products must comply with Amazon policies and relevant regulations, with the same auditing processes applied as the main Amazon store.

The launch responds to the dramatic growth of ultra-cheap competitors that have reshaped Australia’s online retail landscape.

Temu was named Australia’s fastest-growing consumer retail brand for 2025, gaining over 1.3 million new customers, while Roy Morgan data shows 3.8 million Australians have tried Temu and 2 million have purchased from Shein.

Combined, Temu and Shein are expected to surpass $4.6 billion in Australian sales, driven by cost-of-living pressures that have made price the primary shopping consideration for many consumers.

Retail analyst Ben Gilbert noted that a third of survey respondents’ delivery expectations have increased in the past 12 months, directly due to Amazon, Temu, and Shein.

The $3.7 trillion Amazon faces significant competitive pressure, with these platforms offering rock-bottom prices and low free shipping thresholds that have challenged traditional retailers and marketplaces.

Amazon Haul is available exclusively through the Amazon app during its beta phase, with rollout to remaining customers planned for “coming days.”

The service is not accessible via Amazon’s website in any country.

Unlike standard Amazon Prime deliveries, Haul products ship from overseas with delivery times of “two weeks or less,” making Prime subscriptions ineffective for these purchases.

Customers can return items within 15 days under certain unspecified conditions.

To attract initial customers, Amazon is offering a 60% discount on all Haul items at checkout for the first two weeks.

The company declined to specify which countries will source Haul products.

Amazon’s expansion has concerned major Australian retailers, with Coles CEO Leah Weckert describing the company as “quite disruptive to our business model” during the ACCC supermarket inquiry.

Woolworths CEO Amanda Bardwell noted Amazon now covers 40% of the supermarket’s product range.

Gilbert estimated that Amazon Australia’s gross merchandise value now exceeds the combined value of Accent Group, The Reject Shop, Beacon Lighting Group, Temple & Webster, Premier Investments, and Universal Store, describing Amazon as growing “faster than we thought” and representing “a force to be reckoned with in Australia.”