Temu legitimate website or scam?

[QuarterMillionMan]

Used the black unit and works fine with no beeping sounds. Had to have been the loose and disconnected cable. Haven’t tried the red unit but I’m confident it’ll work fine just as well.

[disneysteve]

Noteworthy on the cheapness of the disconnected red wire from the alligator clip was that it was not originally soldered and only crimped originally. The best connection is a soldered connection and not just crimped. But I'm okay with cheap China crap because the McGyver in me can fix things.

Whether or not I'm able to repair the item, I'd still be pretty unhappy if I bought a brand new item and had to work on it myself to get it to do what it is supposed to do. I'd be returning it for a refund.

[QuarterMillionMan]

The red $105 unit (w/the loose/disconnected alligator clip) was free (refunded) due to Temu's tracking system indicating that the item was never delivered, but it was delivered and I left a good review for that seller. Being that it was free, no need to return it for a refund.

[QuarterMillionMan]

The black power inverter unit came with cables with holes on the ends but no alligator clips. So on eBay I ordered a pair of alligator clips for $2 from China which I just received on Saturday. USA eBay sellers have the same alligator clips for $7. It took a few weeks longer to get it from China but I could wait and no rush. Tonight I cut off one end and I soldered the bare wire to the alligator clips using my stove and the solder with the flux worked wonderfully and the solder melted and flowed like a charm. Will order heat shrink tubing later for better insulation. On a side note I posted a pic of the inverter and microwave oven inside my car on my What's app profile page. One of my girlfriends asked if I use my microwave inside my car and it blew her mind that I can use a microwave inside of my car.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I keep getting amazed at how good the power inverters work. I used to have to run a 100' extension cord from my apartment to my car to vacuum it (exactly 5 car stalls away). I figured instead of unrolling then rolling back up my 100' extension cord to vacuum the interior of my car since I have the power inverter to give it a try. Viola, it works like a champion. When you're good, you're good.

[QuarterMillionMan]

This is the exact shop vac that I use, it's ancient but still works good.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Good ole Temu selling fake $100 bills to mess us up.

[kork13]

Well shucks, look at this ... They're finally going to do something about Chinese junk-factories (Temu & all of the cheap knock-offs on Amazon) that are exploiting the US's de minimis import exemption to undercut legitimate companies with their low-quality crap. Without significant reforms & restrictions, it probably won't actually change anything ... But I can dream my idealistic dreams.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Kork this is the condensed version of that which came on FBN just now.

[ua_guy]

Glad to see someone finally doing something about these junk sellers. They undermine our country and our economy but the people who use them just look the other way.

[kork13]

It's seriously gotten to the point that I often have a hard time sorting through the Chinese junk to find normal, decent products. The all-caps company name is often the easiest indicator, or the poorly done stock photos, atrocious spelling/grammar in the product descriptions (laced with stars & other symbols), or images that hail the most random of qualities about a product. But they're so dominant on Amazon that it'll take wading through 10+ product listings before I finally find a respectable company. It's driven me away, and at this point I only use Amazon when I can't find what I need elsewhere. It's out of hand.

[QuarterMillionMan]

On eBay I paid $589 for an e-bike. On Temu a similar one cost $346. Tonight I’ll post pics (unable to post pics on my phone). If I knew about Temu before I bought the eBay $589, I could have saved $240.

[disneysteve]

On eBay I paid $589 for an e-bike. On Temu a similar one cost $346.

"Similar" being the key word here. If you aren't comparing identical products, you can't compare prices. Is the Temu one the exact same bike that you got on ebay? I'm guessing not. Cheap crap is cheap for a reason.

[ua_guy]

Amazon has really fallen, Kork is right. I can still find certain things on there, but when I want to browse for something, I have to wade through listing after listing of fake, knockoff garbage. It's not fun anymore, I kind of loathe using their site.

It's also getting harder to tell what's fake and not. I just went looking for a replacement head for my shaver (Braun). Both eBay and Amazon have fake listings that show actual Braun branding and images, but if you read closely, it's imitation. And the seller is usually located in China. And the reviews confirm it, and they're sellers that have popped up in the last month. I'm sure Amazon is playing whack-a-mole with the imitators.

As for bikes, basically, most eBikes come from China. When I buy one, I'll be buying from a reputable brand that's been around forever like Specialized or Cannondale, or maybe even a store brand with a good reputation (REI, for example). I'd rather spend $1-$2k on a "cheap" eBike with US-based warranty and support, with components which will have replacement parts available for some time to come. Think Shimano, Bosch drive units and batteries, companies that stand behind their products. Never know what you're going to get with some shady-brand battery on board.

My last bike (A US-made Cannondale) lasted for 19 years before it was stolen (RIP). While I don't expect an eBike to last that long, I'd like to get at least 5 years out of it, if not more.

[QuarterMillionMan]

As promised here's the pics, both 500W ebikes. Temu may be 24" (doesn't say in the description). Ebay purchase was 26" in Dec 2022. But I would have settled for 24" w/Temu in Dec 2022 if I knew it at the time especially to save $240.