I just read Clark’s post about Temu. I have done a few (3, I think) orders, over past two years. Products well worth it. I had not thought about negatives, esp working conditions/ages (tho don’t we have that with migrant workers here?). One item I saw and bought five of (all total less than $30) was a small (about the sie of a cell phone, but a bit thicker) radio, to replace the one I had used for travel for oder 30 years. It is even better than my old one, in that it has a terrific speaker. I have given them to folks who appreciate a stand-alone, v peppy small radio.
But I have read Temu no longer gets de minimus tariff arrangement (no tariff if less than $800). I bought my old radio from Radio Shack but I couldn’t find anything like it, until Temu.
I thought TEMU was effectively dead anyway because they just closed the US Customs $800 de minimus small packages exemption window… and did they change International shipping rates from China, too? Crazy how it is cheaper to ship from China than ship across the street.
I am aware there are security risks. But same is true at my doctors office, hospitals and Hertz. All have been hacked. My info is on the dark web thanks to those businesses. Can’t Chinese companies go get my info there?
How is it a whole lot different than doing business with Amazon. I just bought some shaving soap from Amazon that had a label covering the made in China label. How do we know who made that soap and what health safety of use criteria was met. Same goes for neck lotion from Korea that I just purchased from Amazon.
All of my PII is all over the Dark Web. I could not case less at this point
There was really not much personal information I needed to provide to shop at TEMU. So if that was leaked, so be it. If I got junk mails because of that, I would just block the senders.
It’s good that Chinese are willing to work hard to do the jobs we don’t bother to do and only earn a tiny profit, so we can enjoy acceptable products at affordable prices.
I’m a little edgy about the security of the Temu app so I access Temu via my web browser, Brave. They keep tempting me with offers for free merchandise via the app and so far I have not played their roulette game for more free stuff or discounts.
I have been very satisfied with the products that I have received. In two cases they were defective and Temu promptly refunded my money and did not require any return of the defective items.
I’ve particularly saved a lot of money on bicycle and golf cart repair parts.
I have not been deluged with Temu emails.
Overall I’m as pleased with Temu as with eBay that I’ve been using for over 20 years now.
Many things are cheaper than you would expect.
For example, the VOIP service I use charges 1.5 cents a minute for me to call across the street (because the phone tariffs call my location International [something abouit having to use the underseas telephone cable I guess]). However, I can call from here to Canada or London for 7/10’s of a cent per minute. I also checked and I could call Vatican City for 3/10’s of a cent per minute.
Having used telephone service sine Alex Bell I was most familiar with the cost being tied to distance. Now it is more based upon what the supplying company has to pay to vendors and whether the phone company at a location is owned by that country’s Government or not.
I see some products on Amazon are definately made overseas but advertised as shipped from a US address. That is not unlike Amazon deos, stockpiling things at various locations hopefully close to those people who will be ordering them.
Purchases we have made were mostly low quality. I won’t use the word “Junk”.
The small,v portable radios I received we v inexpensive and have terrific speakers.