Tried Temu

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Todd in PA

Todd in PA

Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2021
Messages
786
Location
Port Matilda, PA
After reading this article, which suggests Temu sells below cost and loses an average of $30 per transaction, I decided to take a look.

www.vox.com

Temu, explained

How the cheap, kitschy new Chinese shopping site came from seemingly nowhere and is changing the way we shop.
www.vox.com www.vox.com

I bought theee things, including this 7-tier nail polish display. My plan is to cut blocks of wood and drill holes to display my pens vertically.

IMG_9326.jpeg


One of the other items was junk and I "returned" it but the didn't want me to ship it back.gave me a store credit which is fine. I'm already thinking I'll get another tier display.

They email a lot and remind me I've got a credit to spend.Then a mystery coupon, and I end up wasting an evening shopping for stuff I didn't know I even wanted. With deals and coupons and credit, I got all this stuff in my mailbox today.
IMG_9324.jpeg

Crushed stones are real (I crushed some with a hammer upon receipt), and cost $1.51.
Watch parts, thin metal, $0.88, ea.
Peel/stick sanding disks $3.48/10.
Nitrile gloves $8.48. And I spent $13 on rolled sanding strips, which is $5 less than Amazon. By getting up to $40 I got a $15 coupon and landed at $26 total.

This isn't for everyone. They're aggressively marketing to gain market share. Who knows what the app is tracking. Can't be worse than TikTok. 🤪 Anyway, just leaving my experience here for folks. Have a nice day.
 
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My wife buys a lot of artificial floral greenery and little trinkets from Temu for her part of our small business and has always had good luck with the quality and shipping.
 
Two killers for me from the Vox article, I'm afraid.
"Temu's use of third-party sellers has elicited questions about the ethics of its supply chain. In June, the US Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party released an interim report alleging that there was an "extremely high risk" that Temu's supply chain uses forced Uyghur labor — prohibited in the US under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act."


"A Temu order can take weeks to reach a US customer, arriving at a snail's pace for anyone accustomed to Amazon's shipping speeds. But that slow shipping lets Temu avoid import taxes that could otherwise be prohibitive, and would likely be passed on to the consumer. Each customer's order is shipped out directly from the factory to the customer, so sellers don't have to keep bulk container loads of inventory stored in US fulfillment centers for quicker delivery. With no need for large shipments, sellers avoid current US law requiring duty on shipments over $800. US lawmakers have also argued that Temu's use of this exemption allows it to effectively evade customs scrutiny."
 
Darios said:
Two killers for me from the Vox article, I'm afraid.
"Temu's use of third-party sellers has elicited questions about the ethics of its supply chain. In June, the US Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party released an interim report alleging that there was an "extremely high risk" that Temu's supply chain uses forced Uyghur labor — prohibited in the US under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act."


"A Temu order can take weeks to reach a US customer, arriving at a snail's pace for anyone accustomed to Amazon's shipping speeds. But that slow shipping lets Temu avoid import taxes that could otherwise be prohibitive, and would likely be passed on to the consumer. Each customer's order is shipped out directly from the factory to the customer, so sellers don't have to keep bulk container loads of inventory stored in US fulfillment centers for quicker delivery. With no need for large shipments, sellers avoid current US law requiring duty on shipments over $800. US lawmakers have also argued that Temu's use of this exemption allows it to effectively evade customs scrutiny."
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I just haven't felt comfortable using them, now I know why. I've felt like something wasn't right. Ick!
 
Hippie3180 said:
I just haven't felt comfortable using them, now I know why. I've felt like something wasn't right. Ick!
Click to expand...
I mean, there's more than a little schadenfreude of watching this site do to Walmart did to manufacturers AND what Amazon did to brick and mortars, but given that I'm uncomfortable with they both operate to begin with seeing something that seems to take the worst of both and amp it to 11 is just too far /for me/.
edit - for me was emphasized because I'm aware of my luck in being in a position to be able to turn away from lower prices and go elsewhere because of whatever reason strikes my fancy.
 
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I bought some outdoor solar Christmas tree lights from them. 100 foot LED with 8 different modes of operation. Cost including shipping handling taxes whatever was just over $15. I couldn't even find an item like it anywhere else. Took a little over 2 weeks to get here.
 
my wife orders small inexpensive items from Temu. Quality is what she expects. Shipping can vary but they always give you an ETA. If it arrives after the ETA date they give her a $5 credit.

as far as the other issues, many of the items you buy here in the US are made in China or other countries with similar labor practices, or have parts from China, or are assembled in China, regardless of where you buy them from. Your lathe, tools, computer, phone, clothing etc, etc, etc. In addition, electronic waste (recycling) goes back. It all has the same issues as anything you buy from Temu.
 
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