How serious is Temu? 5 things you should know before you order

A smartwatch for 15 euros, sneakers for 8 euros, Bluetooth headphones for 2 euros – anyone who is currently on Facebook or Instagram can hardly avoid “Temu”. Through aggressive marketing, the shopping platform from China tries to sell products at bargain prices. “Shop like a billionaire” is the official slogan. The offer ranges from women’s panties to kitchen helpers and electrical gadgets. Obviously there is nothing that doesn’t exist, you think as you click through the thousands of offers. Bargain hunting or gambling? We asked around.

Is Temu a fake shop?

No. Temu really exists and anyone who orders there will in most cases get the products they want delivered. “It is a Chinese provider similar to Ali Express, Shein or Wish,” says Anita Eckmaier from the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor in an OÖN interview. Temu forms a sales platform for dealers who can sell their offers there. “That’s where the problems begin. You don’t know who you’re actually concluding a purchase contract with,” says the consumer advocate.

• Article on the topic: Online trading: half of sales go abroad

Why is Temu so successful?

Mainly through aggressive online marketing. Whether on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok – advertising pops up everywhere. Anyone who uses social media can hardly avoid the ads. The marketing budget is likely to be immense. Once you have ordered, you will be bombarded with newsletters and the app will send out countless push notifications every day. “Especially for younger consumers, the dirt-cheap, colorful and funny gadgets can be tempting,” says Eckmaier.

• You might also be interested in: The tricks of internet fraudsters

Why is Temu so cheap?

The goods are sent directly from the manufacturers, meaning Temu saves on warehouses and middlemen. Imports under 150 euros are also duty-free. However, anyone expecting branded goods or high-quality products will be disappointed. “Most of them are cheap plagiarism,” says Eckmair. Manufactured under questionable conditions, the goods do not always meet EU minimum standards. In the worst case, this can be dangerous: Electronic items without CE marking, for example, pose a risk of fire, and clothing or toys can contain harmful chemicals. “If you’re ordering for children, you should really think about it very carefully,” says the expert. Anyone who imports counterfeits also faces high penalties.

What do consumers have to consider?

If you still decide to order from Temu, you have to take long waiting times into account. Delivery from China can take two to eight weeks. “The goods often arrive in Austria poorly packaged or even damaged,” says the AK expert. But what if you are dissatisfied with the product or something wrong was delivered? “Returns will be difficult,” says Eckmaier. Although there is customer service, it often fails due to language barriers. If contact is still successful, a return to China is often more expensive than the product itself.

The terms and conditions are also vaguely worded. The Finance Ministry’s security portal also warns about Temu. In principle, consumers in the EU have a 14-day right of withdrawal. “The requirements are violated several times at Temu,” it says. For example, the return of “clothing items that have been freed from packaging” or “items that are marked as non-returnable” is excluded from the right of withdrawal – an exclusion that is actually not legally possible.

What about data protection?

Rather bad. “The suspicion is that Temu is trading personal data and violating data protection regulations,” says Eckmaier. She sees the Temu app as particularly problematic. It cannot be ruled out that security gaps will be exploited. Once downloaded, the application requires, for example, access to the address book, microphone, camera and location – permissions that a shopping app generally does not need to function. “You should pay attention and not grant these permissions,” the expert appeals to users to check the app settings.

Conclusion

• Temu is in line with well-known online shops from Asia such as Shein or Ali Express.
• Sustainability and quality: none. Anyone who orders from Temu receives cheap goods from China.
• You often have to wait several weeks for deliveries; the goods are often poorly packaged and, in the worst case, damaged.
• Returns are extremely difficult and rarely profitable.
• Experts express concerns about data protection.

info By clicking on the icon you can add the keyword to your topics.

info
By clicking on the icon you open your “my topics” page. They have of 15 keywords saved and would have to remove keywords.

info By clicking on the icon you can remove the keyword from your topics.

Add the topic to your topics.