Latest news with #ShirleyBekker
Daily Mirror
03-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Woman goes furniture shopping in China and prices leave her floored
A British woman named Shirley Bekker decided to travel all the way to Foshan in China in order to buy all the furniture she'd need for her future home after hearing it was cheaper than the UK As the USA issued new trade tariffs on products from across the world at the start of 2025, with China being hit with a 20% tariff, which was an increase from the 10% tariff it had been before, Chinese wholesale sellers took to social media to urge people to shop with them directly. While these tariffs didn't directly affect the UK, it didn't stop British social media users to see the videos that Chinese sellers were making about being able to by luxury products to a fraction of brands' prices directly from the factories and wholesalers. This includes everything from designer clothes to furniture and home goods. Doctor Shirley Bekker was one of many viewers who saw these videos on TikTok, and decided to book a spontaneous shopping trip to China in May 2025 in order to buy all the furniture she'd need for her future flat. As she arrived in Foshan in China, a city known for its high manufacturing output to the world, having 30 towns specialised in particular industries, including furniture, machinery, and beverages, Shirley decided to document her shopping trip on TikTok to show people the big savings she was making. While Shirley herself hadn't been convinced that travelling all the way to Foshan to buy furniture would be worth it, she quickly changed her mind when she found her 'dream' coffee table. "It's built on a solid wood platform, real glass on top, it's really heavy, really durable, and just looks so luxe," she said as she showed off the table, which also included wooded geometric details under the glass. While it looked luxurious and expensive, she revealed that she'd only paid £150 for it, saying it cost her less than her HD frontal weave. In her next video, she shared that she'd gotten a wooden dining table for £80, as well as customised chairs to go with it that matched the luxurious sofa she'd gotten for £340. She also made sure to get lamps and art to decorate her future how with as well. While all of these sums do add up quickly, as she got home, Shirley decided to make a presentation to share how much money she'd saved after finding similar items sold in shops around the UK. Starting off with the £80 wooden dining table she'd bought in China, she'd found an almost identical table being sold in B&Q for £349.99. While the import costs aren't included in this comparison, Shirley saved £269.99 just from the table alone. Meanwhile, the two chairs she'd gotten for £65 each cost a whopping £990 each if she'd bought them in the UK. Shirley continued to go through the comparisons for all the different items she'd bought, only to come to the conclusion to how much she'd save. "So in conclusion, you flew to all the way to China with nothing but a Monzo, Google Translate, and praised hands. You ran around for six days and bought enough stuff to furnish a bedroom, balcony, renovate a bathroom, and have enough dinnerware to host the royal family," the voiceover said. It continued: "Had you stayed in the UK and bought all the same things, this little venture would have cost you a grand total of £21,800. But all because you took the plunge and bought it all in China instead, you spent a grand total of £3,690.56." While these calculations did not include the shipping costs to get her furniture from China to the UK, Shirley still saved herself a whopping £18,109.04, which will most likely be more than enough to cover the shipping costs.
The Sun
07-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
I jetted to China to furnish my UK house – for £1k I got a king-sized bed, mattress, tables, chairs and MORE
A YOUNG woman has jetted off to China to furnish her UK house. Shirley Bekker took to social media to share her experience, leaving people stunned by just how affordable it was. 2 She decided to spend six days in Foshan, China, to find furniture for her new house. And it seems to have worked in her favour; not only does she cut out the middleman by going to the manufacturers directly, but she was also able to get her furniture customised to her liking. Shirley spent the day looking for furniture for her bedroom and managed to kit it out for just £1,000. First, she looked for the ideal mattress to take home along with a bedframe. She ended up finding both and was able to customise the colour of the bedframe. In total, the two pieces cost her just £350. Next, she spotted a large chair and foot stool for her bedroom to match her new bed frame. "Shirley almost choked on her own saliva when the man said £185 for the set. But she quickly calmed down," the video read. "After reverse search imaging the chair, it revealed that the chair alone costs thousands of pounds in the UK. Eventually, she shook hands at £165." Next, she found a dressing table and chair that she was also able to customise for £170. Shoppers urged 'not to blink' and get their hands on Home Bargains garden essential that sold out fast last time and it makes your garden extra cute - TikTok homebargainsofficialuk While she was meant to be shopping for her bedroom, Shirley got distracted with the outside furniture and picked up an egg chair for just £45. She also bought a table and chair set for outside as well as a TV stand. "I spent £1000 today and managed to buy: king-sized custom bed, perfect mattress for my back, egg chair, Bistro table and chair, TV table, 6 handmade ceramic pots, dressing mirror, Japanese style chair and pouffe," added Shirley. The clip went viral on her TikTok account @ shirley_bekker with 319k views and 47k likes. People were quick to share their thoughts and were eager to try it for themselves. One person wrote: "Ok I've seen enough… anyone wanna go China and go halves on a shipping container to the UK???" Another commented: 'How much to ship to the UK? Cos I'm gonna need to book a flight to China." "Oh so we're being ripped off real bad here in the UK," penned a third. Meanwhile a fourth said: "This is crazy. I might make a trip too." "I have never been so influenced to go to China,' claimed a fifth. Someone else added: '£350 for the whole bed is insane."
