Temu is a relatively new online shopping platform that has quickly gained popularity, especially among Gen Z shoppers. It is known for its ultra-cheap prices on a wide variety of products, from clothing and accessories to home goods and electronics. However, Temu has also been criticized for its long shipping times, poor customer service, and quality issues.
What is Temu?
Temu is an ecommerce company similar to Amazon in many ways. They have a lot of independent sellers just like Amazon who list their items for sale. Unlike Amazon and closer to the Ebay model, sellers can have their own listing even if the product is the exact same and several different vendors sell the exact same item. On Amazon you only have 1 master listing and there could be several sellers under that listing.
CLAIM $100 Coupon on First Temu Purchase Here
Temu launched in September 2022. It is owned by PDD Holdings, a Chinese e-commerce giant. Temu offers a wide variety of products, including clothing, accessories, home goods, electronics, and more. The majority of products on Temu are shipped directly from China, which allows Temu to offer such low prices.
I personally first heard of Temu a few months before the Super Bowl of 2023. It just started popping up all over the place. Then once the Super Bowl ads came out with the Shop like a Billionaire message it started blowing up.
Is Temu legit?
Temu is a 100% legit. I’ve ordered several times from there and chances are half your friends have ordered from there as well. I know great grandmothers who use temu, I have a sybling who buys nearly all their clothes there because you can get 3 pairs of shorts for $5 bucks. I know mothers who order a lot of their kids clothes off Temu because they can get things new for cheaper than near any consignment shop.
Temu has not just millions of sales but ten’s of millions of sales. It’s as legit as things come.
Temu has received mixed reviews from customers regarding its customer service. Some customers have reported that they have had difficulty getting in touch with customer service or that they have not received satisfactory resolutions to their problems. I have not had a reason to contact yet so I can’t personally speak to the customer service end.
There have been some reports of quality issues with products purchased from Temu. To me this seems like a no brainer but let me go into some details for you.
When you buy 3 pairs of shorts for $5, what kind of quality do you expect? Don’t get me wrong, there are super fantastic deals and great value but you have to be realistic.
I sell items online and sometimes a customer says, hey this figurine you sold me looks cheap or looks small. If you pay $10 for a figurine, you have to expect you get $10 worth and not some museum quality piece. A lunch box I once sold for $5 was similar. Yhea, it’s $5 bucks, you can’t expect it to be that good.
If you buy 10 things off Temu, chances are 2 of them you are going to not even use. That is just the nature of how Temu is. At the same time 3 to 4 of those 10 things you will feel super fantastic about and feel you got a great deal. The rest are likely so so. It’s just the nature of things.
Expect clothing not to fit perfect, expect some cheapness to anything you purchase, don’t be surprised if you buy let’s say a broom for $1 when stores sell them for $20 that it breaks in a few months.
What I worry more about is electronics and things not certified for the US. I bought a lighting speed charger for something like $2. The thing works fantastic. For the money it’s a great purchase. That being said. There isn’t a US certified gov or agency inspection on the device. Is it possible it might catch on fire? This is where I think more people need to take caution.
What are the pros and cons of shopping on Temu?
Here are some of the pros and cons of shopping on Temu:
Pros:
- Ultra-cheap prices As in JAW DROPPING prices
- Wide variety of products
- Easy to use mobile app
- Free Shipping on nearly all orders.
- Subsidized shipping and pricing on things while Temu attempts to gain market share in the US
Cons:
- Long shipping times ( It comes from China so expect 9 to 21 days)
- Poor customer service ( Listing here but personally I’ve never gone through support.
- Quality issues (Again, these very low cost items, I think you just need to adjust your expectations down)
Is Temu worth it?
100% it’s worth buying from. The question is what do you need to buy that can be cheap.
Temu says shop like a billionaire and they are not joking. $100 bucks if done right with all the coupons and discounts along with incredibly low prices can get you things that would cost $1000 in the US.
It’s simply insane right now how affordable Temu is.
Tips for shopping on Temu
If you do decide to shop on Temu, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Keep expectations low for what you are buying. If you are fine with something cheap and like the price then go for it.
- I would not buy anything high end electronic or items that are going to take a beating
- Shipping will take a while. It comes from China, just expect it.
- Be sure to take advantage of the deals and discounts available to first time and new customers.
Temu vs. Amazon
Temu is often compared to Amazon, as both are online marketplaces that offer a wide variety of products. However, there are some key differences between the two platforms.
One of the biggest differences is that Temu ships most of its products from China, while Amazon ships most of its products from within the United States. This means that shipping times from Temu can be much longer than shipping times from Amazon.
Another key difference is that Temu does not combine the same product in the same listing as Amazon does. I talked about this already.
Finally, the prices on Temu are generally lower but the quality may not be as good.
Personal experience with Temu
I have personally ordered a few items from Temu, and I have been mostly satisfied with my experience. The shipping times were long, but I was aware of this before I placed my orders. The quality of the products I received was mixed. Some of the items were of good quality, while others were not.
Overall, I would say that Temu is a good option for people who are looking for cheap, trendy items and who are willing to wait for shipping.
Christmas on Temu
All I’m going to say is ORDER EARLY. As in Before Black Friday just to be sure the item you get will work and isn’t too cheap. You can likely order 4-5 things for $30 bucks and chances are 2 will be very decent and make up for anything that is sub par.
CLAIM $100 Coupon on First Temu Purchase Here
Temu Affiliate Program
I’m an affiliate. If you click the links on this page and purchase, I might make money.
If you are an influencer or blogger like me that has a bit of a social presence online then 100% I’d recommend trying out the Temu affiliate program.
There isn’t tracking which really sucks so you can’t run any paid media or test out what kind of posts work better for promoting products on Temu.
That said, they have a very generous 20% affiliate program for first time buyers, they also have different contests that run each week allowing you to claim bonus money. They also pay $5 per new app install and you get 20% commission off the first 10 sales.
It’s likely one of the best affiliate programs out there currently so I’d highly recommend you check it out.