Pro Tip: Check Temu

[james.hendrickson]

Guys,

Here is a pro tip:

If you are shopping on Amazon - first, find the item you want, then check Temu. The prices on Temu are often 1/10th of what you'll find on Amazon for the SAME item.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I bought an ebike on eBay for $589. On Temu it is $389. My jaw hit the floor. But cannot cry over spilt milk.

[kork13]

Yeah, that's still a hard no for me. First .... Quality matters, and just because something looks the same doesn't mean it is made the same. Second, anything directly out of China is suspect, and I'm not willingly opening up my phone/computer/etc. to Chinese servers or systems.

90% of what you get from Temu is gonna be crap that doesn't last, or doesn't work as well as the authentic product it was cloned from.

[james.hendrickson]

Yeah, that's still a hard no for me. First .... Quality matters, and just because something looks the same doesn't mean it is made the same. Second, anything directly out of China is suspect, and I'm not willingly opening up my phone/computer/etc. to Chinese servers or systems.

90% of what you get from Temu is gonna be crap that doesn't last, or doesn't work as well as the authentic product it was cloned from.

Kork, I mean its the SAME product. Not, it looks the same, its the same. Temu sells direct, Amazon uses distributors.

[ua_guy]

Hard no.

"Temu exploits U.S. customs and import regulations loopholes to ensure that its goods enter the United States with minimal scrutiny. Moreover, Temu has no mechanism to ensure compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)"

https://www.csis.org/analysis/lookin...20Act%20(UFLPA).

[james.hendrickson]

Hard no.

"Temu exploits U.S. customs and import regulations loopholes to ensure that its goods enter the United States with minimal scrutiny. Moreover, Temu has no mechanism to ensure compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)"

https://www.csis.org/analysis/lookin...20Act%20(UFLPA).

Fair points. And I bet you dollars to doughnuts Amazon is doing the same thing.

[riverwed070707]

I wish I had documented "what I ordered vs what I got" on the swimsuits my mom ordered from Temu She got 6 of them since they were so cheap and not 1 fit (spoiler alert, they looked like they belonged in a body building competition aka barely covered any skin), but it wasn't worth the time or hassle to send them back after they took a month to arrive. Beyond the quality and labor exploitation points, I think its also important to recognize how valuable Amazon 2 day (or less!) delivery is and how easy it is to return things when its not what you expected.

[ua_guy]

Fair points. And I bet you dollars to doughnuts Amazon is doing the same thing.

I don't defend many of Amazon's practices, either. When I do shop on Amazon, it's for name-brand products through reputable sellers. And that is getting harder to do. Knockoff goods permeate their site now, and foreign sellers have grown exponentially. But it is worth pointing out that Amazon's core model is different from Temu. Temu is direct-from-manufacturer (China), although Amazon has launched a beta service called Haul which operates similarly. But Amazon's core business is being a middleman in business-to-consumer, and warehousing/distribution.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Temu's $7 shoes, $8 jackets or shirts, $15 swim fins, $25 full body wetsuits, $7 surf gloves, $7 bike seats and posts, $100 12 volt power inverters, bike accessories (ie, bells, mirrors, tubes, lights, tires, etc) are some of the best deals I've found. One caveat is $20 minimum spend in order to get free shipping and wait times can take 1 month but no biggie for me. Side note used to be $10 minimum for free shipping.

[QuarterMillionMan]

James I like your thinking on Temu, cryptos, gold/silver, etc. All of which I have similar interests. Great minds think alike.

[james.hendrickson]

Thanks QMM, my brother gave me this tip. He gets yoga gear and likes Temu's prices.

[ua_guy]

I believe the 10% additional tariff on Chinese goods is still real as of today, so watch the prices. Sadly, for you Temu enthusiasts, this kind of skirting import law and dumping of foreign goods in US markets is exactly what the current administration would like to target and curtail.

[kork13]

I believe the 10% additional tariff on Chinese goods is still real as of today, so watch the prices. Sadly, for you Temu enthusiasts, this kind of skirting import law and dumping of foreign goods in US markets is exactly what the current administration would like to target and curtail.

Yep. And honestly, it's the kind of trade loopholes that SHOULD be closed, because it's anticompetitive toward, oh, I dunno .... Legitimate American design/production, for example?

But instead, we contract a Chinese sweatshop to build our innovative new thing, then "coincidentally" another "totally legitimate" Chinese company just happens to start building a virtually identical copy & selling it back to Americans while ignoring international intellectual property rights law & American import regulations .... Meanwhile, the original designing company that got their product ripped off is getting undercut & out-sold, ultimately fails, and never creates another innovation again.

Yeah sure uh huh. Tell me again how supporting/promoting Temu & it's way of business is definitely in the best interest of consumers?

[ua_guy]

Yep. And honestly, it's the kind of trade loopholes that SHOULD be closed, because it's anticompetitive toward, oh, I dunno .... Legitimate American design/production, for example?

But instead, we contract a Chinese sweatshop to build our innovative new thing, then "coincidentally" another "totally legitimate" Chinese company just happens to start building a virtually identical copy & selling it back to Americans while ignoring international intellectual property rights law & American import regulations .... Meanwhile, the original designing company that got their product ripped off is getting undercut & out-sold, ultimately fails, and never creates another innovation again.

Yeah sure uh huh. Tell me again how supporting/promoting Temu & its way of business is definitely in the best interest of consumers?

We actually agree on a lot of things!

[ua_guy]

https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/shein-temu-amazon-haul-set-price-hikes-us-shuts-trade-loophole-2025-02-04/