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Pro Tip: Check Temu

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  • disneysteve
    replied
    Originally posted by myrdale View Post
    Even packs of trading cards you'd better be careful that the vendor hasn't weighed them ahead of time to pull the packs with foils.
    There are also a ton of counterfeit trading cards out there. If the price is too good to be true, they're probably fake.

    Leave a comment:


  • myrdale
    replied
    Well it all depends.

    Climbing gear for example, you should never buy from Amazon. Something as simple as a Petzl carabiner is a single forged piece of metal. But if you buy the "identical" item from China, you may end up with something that was cast. It's fine until it cracks and you fall 50 feet.

    Similarly cryto wallets you should only order directly from the manufacturer.

    Even packs of trading cards you'd better be careful that the vendor hasn't weighed them ahead of time to pull the packs with foils.

    If I wouldn't buy those items from Amazon, I certainly wouldn't buy from Temu.

    But for everything else it doesn't hurt to price shop. Thanks for the tip!

    Leave a comment:


  • ua_guy
    replied
    Originally posted by kork13 View Post
    You may recognize this tactic from when the Air Force tried it a couple weeks ago -- "malicious compliance" ... It's an oldie but a goodie, forged in the fires of crusty NCOs & teenagers everywhere ... "Sure boss, we'll follow your wildly vague & imprecise guidance to the letter to ensure that nothing slips past us." ... Then sit back & watch as the world burns.
    I think this one was more about true confusion and lack of clarity around process and policy. The decision to hold small packages was reversed overnight, citing increased cooperation from CBP to develop process around the tariffs.

    Plan, develop, test, then implement.
    Last edited by disneysteve; 02-06-2025, 05:04 AM. Reason: Politics

    Leave a comment:


  • QuarterMillionMan
    replied
    James, I think you'll like this. I just got my lates Temu order, $7 XRP to the moon, and $5.99 BTC iron patch and $7 collard shirt.


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  • kork13
    replied
    Originally posted by ua_guy View Post

    Of course, in epic circus fashion, now the USPS is holding all small packages from China because, trade war, and nobody thought about how to levy and collect the tariffs.



    If anyone had stuff on order from Temu, get ready to wait. Lol
    You may recognize this tactic from when the Air Force tried it a couple weeks ago -- "malicious compliance" ... It's an oldie but a goodie, forged in the fires of crusty NCOs & teenagers everywhere ... "Sure boss, we'll follow your wildly vague & imprecise guidance to the letter to ensure that nothing slips past us." ... Then sit back & watch as the world burns.

    Leave a comment:


  • ua_guy
    replied
    Originally posted by kork13 View Post

    Wow, that's fantastic. Though it sounds like that may only be a temporary step with Trump's tariff wars, vs. permanently changing the rule.
    Of course, in epic circus fashion, now the USPS is holding all small packages from China because, trade war, and nobody thought about how to levy and collect the tariffs.



    If anyone had stuff on order from Temu, get ready to wait. Lol

    Leave a comment:


  • kork13
    replied
    Wow, that's fantastic. Though it sounds like that may only be a temporary step with Trump's tariff wars, vs. permanently changing the rule.

    Leave a comment:


  • ua_guy
    replied


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  • ua_guy
    replied
    Originally posted by kork13 View Post
    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!

    Leave a comment:


  • kork13
    replied
    Originally posted by ua_guy View Post
    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?
    Last edited by kork13; 02-04-2025, 02:24 PM.

    Leave a comment:


  • ua_guy
    replied
    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.

    Leave a comment:


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

    Leave a comment:


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

    Leave a comment:


  • QuarterMillionMan
    replied
    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.

    Leave a comment:


  • ua_guy
    replied
    Originally posted by james.hendrickson View Post

    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.

    Leave a comment:

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