The shopping app offers some serious discounts on a range of items, from fashion and beauty to homeware If you’ve recently had an ad pop up for Temu whilst browsing online, you might have seen a massive discount advertised and wondered if it’s too good to be true or not. When a site has a […]
The shopping app offers some serious discounts on a range of items, from fashion and beauty to homeware
If you’ve recently had an ad pop up for Temu whilst browsing online, you might have seen a massive discount advertised and wondered if it’s too good to be true or not. When a site has a tagline ‘shop like a billionaire’ you may be thinking, Is Temu online shopping a scam?
What is Temu
Temu is an ultra-low cost Chinese shopping company, which launched in the US late 2022 and then in the UK in April 2023. It has quickly risen in popularity.
From clothing, jewellery, beauty products and homeware – all at discount prices – Temu is fast becoming TikTok’s latest obsession. And shoppers seem to be impressed with their purchases.
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Temu’s prices are made even lower with its ‘lightning deals’ and various sales, including deals promising up to 99% off.
From running shoes for less than $12 to wireless waterproof earbuds for under $5 and eyeshadow palettes for less than $3 – the app has it all.
Fans are full of praise on social media
There seem to be a lot of complaints online about long delivery times and the quality of products – also people have said items don’t always match what was advertised.
There’s also debate about how ethical the products are.
However, on social media, TikTok in particular, it’s a different story, with fans full of praise.
‘I’m actually really impressed’
One Mum shared on TikTok how she’d bought a recent Temu haul and was actually wowed by the quality.
TikToker @madaboutmoneyofficial wrote: ‘I did a little Temu haul for my holiday, and I’m actually really impressed, all 3 dresses for under £15 which is a bargain. And the material is actually a pretty nice quality.
‘Which one is your favourite? I like the flower one the best i think. I am going to wear with a bikini though too much nip 😂’
What do other shoppers say?
‘Love them 🥰 I’m going to look at the one with big flowers on 😁,’ one user replied.
‘Love this app,’ penned another.
Someone else raved: ‘I have brought clothes. Absolutely amazed with how quick delivery is and their clothes are true to size xx.’
Meanwhile another added: ‘I have just received my first order, all dresses. loved everyone of them. Will definitely buy again. So cheap as well.🥰’
And one Netmums staff member agreed writing: ‘We love Temu here. Got our third parcel coming soon 😂’
Are the products on Temu good quality?
On TrustPilot Reviews, Temu has over 1,700 reviews and an average of 2.9 stars. However, 1-star reviews have a slight majority over any other number of stars. The 3 most complained about topics seem to be:
- long shipping times
- low-quality items
- poor customer service
There are plenty of 5-star reviews for Temu on TrustPilot, mostly praising:
- low prices
- large selection of items
How long does delivery take?
It seems it can differ and it’s pretty much down to luck.
@MadAboutMoney wrote on TikTok about her dresses: ‘I ordered last week, took about 8 days to come :)’
But one person wrote: ‘I’m waiting for my order of sandels.’
On their website, Temu’s standard delivery is free, but it says it can take from 7-15 business days. Temu says that if your package never arrives, or you’re told it’s been delivered but hasn’t been, you should contact customer service within 90 days of purchase.
And it looks pretty standard that if your item doesn’t arrive (which shoppers have complained about in on Trust Pilot reviews) then you get your money refunded.
How do you pronounce Temu?
In her video @MadAboutMoney admitted she didn’t know how to say it, but one user confirmed:
‘Apparently it’s Tee-moo 😊.’
They also added: ‘I’ve had a few orders now and been happy with all. One word of warning is to ignore their marketing 😂.’
Good advice indeed, we think!
Is it worth buying from Temu?
‘Only buy things you really want from Temu otherwise you could end up being very poor, very quickly,’ advises the TikToker.
‘I’m pretty impressed! Just will be avoiding all the referral stuff and extra discounts, just buy what I need :)’
She also told another user who said she’d landed on £100 and asked what the spin means:
‘I am not getting involved with any of the gaming bits. I think that is what makes it addictive x’
However, there are other things you may want to consider…
Does Temu produce its products ethically?
According to Retail Insider, Temu’s business model helps the company decrease waste by more accurately gauging customers’ desired products.
Temu’s Third Party Code of Conduct stresses that the company has a zero-tolerance policy for sellers that use forced labor to manufacture products.
All Temu vendors must comply with local wage and hour laws, and their working conditions must be safe and non-abusive.
However, the US government published a report saying there is an ‘extremely high risk’ that Temu uses an online shipping loophole to avoid requirements of forced labour screenings.
How is everything so cheap?
The items on Temu are incredibly cheap because of the Temu business model. They don’t actually own or make the products they sell – they just handle the shipping of items to customers.
Temu stores data on its customers (which is quite common practise now amongst online brands) and sends directly to suppliers.
Temu has a parent company, PDD Holdings, which owns another successful e-commerce platform called Pinduoduo that operates in China. As a result Temu gets access to PDD Holdings’ vast network of retailers to share with Temu.
Temu relays customer feedback directly to manufacturers, alerting them to the products that consumers want and when to produce the desired items. This is apparently how the company can keep prices astonishingly low.
Check out some of the deals we’ve seen on Temu
Note: We sharing these to highlight what’s on offer. These products and prices may no longer be available.
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