An app you may have heard of recently is Temu. It’s become something of a darling on TikTok and is quickly establishing itself alongside Shein as the go-to place for fashion bargains. The question is whether Temu is legit and safe to use.
What is Temu?
Temu is a shopping app that offers products at prices so low they seem too good to be true. Its tagline – Shop like a Billionaire – might be a little optimistic, but there’s no doubt that many of the products found on Temu will be affordable for most people.
There are some pitfalls, of course. While you can buy, say, a five-pack of hair clips for just pennies, there’s a minimum order value (£10 for those in the UK).
One of the reasons Temu is so popular with kids and teens is its gamification, offering even cheaper prices and free stuff when they share on social media and get their friends to sign up. You can’t use the app for very long before you see mini-games (spin the wheel, for example) to earn Temu Credit, which makes it more appealing to those on a pocket money budget.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Is Temu safe to use?
As long as you’re happy dealing with China-based suppliers, with potential shipping delays and the hassle it could cause with returns, Temu is pretty much the same as other online retailers.
It is often compared to Wish, AliExpress and Shein, other Chinese shopping portals. Temu offers a wide variety of products though, covering a much wider selection of categories than the fashion-focused Shein.
At the time of writing, Temu has an overall rating of 3.9 (out of 5) based on 276 customer reviews on Trustpilot. Many are positive about the inexpensiveness of the products, while others complain about a disparity between the images on the site/app and what they actually receive. Others complain about the quality of the products themselves.
It stands to reason that if you’re paying rock bottom prices, you’re not getting a premium product in your mailbox. Part of the problem is that so many products are knock-offs of expensive Western brands, disappointing those who don’t realize they’re not the genuine item.
If you’re not satisfied, Temu says you can return the goods for free and receive a full refund if you do so within 90 days. Temu also offers credits for deliveries that take too long. You can check the details on the Temu Purchase Protection page.
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Does Temu take my data?
Again, like most online retailers, the apps will store some data about you. This may include payment details (so you can check out quickly the next time you shop), your app activities, and your device ID. These last two could be shared with third parties in order to serve you advertisements. It’s still pretty standard stuff. Parent company PDD Holdings got into trouble with Google a while back over another of its shopping apps, Pinduoduo, wanting too much information.
This led to its temporary removal from the Play Store. Temu doesn’t have the same problem, with its permissions deemed “less aggressive” by analysts.
Where is Temu based?
The origins of Temu are a bit complicated. Its parent company PDD Holdings was originally called Pinduoduo Inc. and was located in Shanghai, China. This was changed to PDD Holdings and the head office moved to Dublin, Ireland. This is not uncommon, as many foreign companies register in Ireland in order to take advantage of the low taxes they have to pay, in addition to having a gateway to the EU market.
There are also offices in America and Canada as the company continues to expand. It seems likely that PDD Holdings’ oversight and decision-making will remain in China, as will the majority of the products it sells, but official documents say otherwise.
Are the products sold on Temu ethical?
Let’s be realistic. Cheap products sold in bulk and shipped around the world will never be good news for the environment. This is as true for Amazon as it is for Temu. While companies can certainly try to reduce their impact on the world, there’s not much you can do with this business model.
However, the environment may not be the biggest concern. A Channel 4 documentary aired in October 2022 exposed the inhumane working conditions at the factories that supplied Shien with goods. These sweatshops are one of the main ways to sell goods at such a low price, and things are unlikely to be any different among Temu’s vendors.
Temu has a Third Party Code of Conduct document that outlines how any partner should ensure their employees are treated with respect, paid fairly and can work safely. There are also bans on companies using hazardous materials in products or during the manufacturing process.
Sure, Shein has similar policies, but they don’t prevent poor working conditions or, indeed, toxic chemicals from ending up in clothing and other products.
On top of that, just look on the Temu app to see how designers and brands get their products copied, almost certainly without permission or credit.
How can I get Temu?
It is primarily an app for Android and iOS, but you can also access the site through a web browser when you visit www.temu.com.
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