AliExpress & Temu future in Pakistan? Shipping dying? Any alternatives?

So… heard that the govt has slapped some extra taxes and closed off some of the free shipping routes that AliExpress/Temu used to rely on.

And yeah, it’s clearly happening around 60% of my AliExpress cart now says “does not ship to your location”. The stuff that does ship has absurd shipping rates like 2–3k PKR on tiny accessories or small electronics. The rest? Feels like it’s just… f*ked.

I mostly purchase small accessories and electronic bits, cheap things that never made sense to source locally before because of quality. Now it feels like that whole game is dead.

Also, weirdly, I found some items on Daraz (Ship from China option) that are literally cheaper than AliExpress now. This used to be the other way around, so something’s definitely shifted.

Sooooo,

• What’s the future of ordering from AliExpress/Temu here?
• Any reliable substitutes you guys are using?

Kinda sad if this era is ending.