Deciding Between Amazon and Temu: A Head-to-Head Review
This article was published for the first time March 2023. It is now a little more than one year later (June 2024) and many things happened. Temu has changed. My impression of Temu has changed. I have decided to leave the article as it was initially, but add a section: 15 months later. If you are only interested in the update, click here to be taken directly to that section. Otherwise, enjoy the article!
Everyone knows what Amazon does, and I doubt there is one person on this Earth who is not aware of the Amazon brand. After all, it is one of the most valuable brands in the world. Forbes.com lists it at number 4 in The 2020 World’s Most Valuable Brands after Apple, Google and Microsoft but before Facebook, Coca Cola, Disney or Samsung. And for a very good reason. Amazon is a real powerhouse with over 500 billion dollars in revenue last year (yes, billions) more than Apple (390bn), Google (270 bn) and Microsoft (70bn).
Amazon however is no longer only the online retailer everyone loves (or hates), it has also many other lucrative businesses. The retail business generates only about 1/3 of Amazon income, i.e. 140bn (estimate) for 2022. Compared to the closest competitor I could find (walmart.com, 70bn sales 2022) Amazon is clearly the leader when it comes to online sales.
Or is it? Recently I noticed a lot (and I mean A LOT!) of ads in every game, on Facebook, on Google and everywhere I look for temu.com. “Shop like a Billionaire” seems to be their motto, and indeed the ads are catchy. The prices shown are great, and the product range they offer seems extremely wide. Moreover, I read on CNN that the Temu app is the most downloaded app in the US nowadays. Temu is definitely spending a lot of money to make its brand known in the USA.
Is it working?

Who is temu.com?
According to Wikipedia Temu is a Chinese owned new startup in the US which allows Chinese manufacturers direct access to the US market without the need (for the manufacturer) to maintain costly US warehouses or to deal with US shipping. Frankly, I do not think it really matters that Temu is Chinese owned or that the Chinese manufacturers try to access the US market directly. Most things are manufactured in China anyways, including most things sold on amazon.com, walmart.com or elsewhere. Removing the middleman should translate into lower prices for customers, right? I decided to test this assumption and this article summarizes my findings.
From temu.com site, their own description:
Temu (tee-moo) connects you with millions of sellers, manufacturers, brands and logistic partners around the world to empower you live your best lives. Temu is committed to offering the most affordable quality products to enable you fulfill your dreams in an inclusive environment. At Temu, you can enjoy wholesale prices anytime, anywhere, and in any quantity from top suppliers and brands in the world!
First, I am very pleased by the performance of amazon.com. I have been a Prime member for close to 5 years now and I buy most of the supplies I need for my sewing on Amazon. I am maintaining (infrequently) a list of favorite items on Amazon here: Ageberry’s Amazon Page. I never had problems with subpar merchandise, or better said, when I received subpar merchandise, I could easily return it for a full refund. In my article 35+ awesome gifts for your favorite seamstress I have recommended the Prime membership to my US readers, this membership has really changed the way I shop. Deliveries are dependable and only rarely I had to return the merchandise.
Second, what follows is not the absolute truth. It is only my opinion, based on my experience with Amazon and Temu. Your mileage may vary!
How does Temu compare for shipping?
Well, Temu also has free shipping, and you don’t need a costly membership to get that. True, Prime membership gives you more than free shipping (for example, free movies, and I am taking advantage of that), but the reason I became a Prime member was mainly the free two day shipping. Kudos to Temu for realizing that free shipping is a big plus. Unfortunately, many Temu items come directly from China and my orders have been delayed two or three weeks so if you need something fast, Temu is not an option.
Many people complain that Temu orders are delayed, incorrect items shipped, etc. This was not my case, I always received all the items ordered and shipping time was within the window estimated when I ordered.
Does Temu have quality items?
The answer is: it depends. I have bought items that are excellent, I have bought items that are ok for the purpose, and I have bought items that are unusable. Let me give some examples.
I bought the shoes in these images, I paid for them under $10 each. My husband is wearing them daily and he is very, very satisfied with them.


They are exactly as shown, they are already a couple of weeks old, comfortable and – until now – still look relatively good. Very good value.
I also bought a number of small backpacks like the one below. This is how the item looked on the Temu site; quite nice, right?

Unfortunately this is what I got, all wrinkled, and the wrinkles seem to be permanent because the vinyl is not recovering despite my best efforts. They are also poorly made with threads coming out of seams. Quite unusable, really.
Moreover, the size of these backpacks is really small. I put my wallet near them (see the image) and you can see that they are about the same size as my wallet. But they looked like a good size on temu.com. The size was clearly specified on the site though, it is my fault I did not pay more attention.

I bought a ruler for my sewing hobby and I had the surprise to receive an item that was used previously (it was scratched all over) and even broken! Image below, notice the crack in the plastic. This item was refunded without any problems. They allowed me to keep the item (I recycled it), I guess shipping back would have been more expensive than the item.

Therefore my conclusion is: you may get very good things, you may get crappy things. The good part is that they are cheap 🙂!
What about items for sewing?
I have bought many items for my hobby: sewing machine feet, rulers, notions. Most if not all of them were good, I had a surprise with some manual needle threader which was much smaller than I imagined it but it is still usable.
My conclusion is that for small sewing stuff Temu is a very good option. Below is a collection of images of items I bought for sewing on temu.com: I bought more small items, this is only a selection to give everyone an idea of what Temu offers.












For example, I like very much this stretchy ribbon lace – it’s an excellent find! It does not look like regular lingerie lace and appears more like a fabric. Its width and the addition of silver threads make it even more unique and special. This ribbon can be used for creating decorative accents on clothing. I think it might be ideal for creating unique and comfortable yoga pants.

Does Temu describe its items correctly?
In general, yes. I did not find any obvious examples where the items were misrepresented in a way that would suggest intent to mislead. Even the small size for the backpacks is more my fault than Temu’s. However I was surprised to find out that some items (electronics) intended for the Chinese internal market only have instructions in Chinese. That is in fact normal, and will perhaps change in time if Temu becomes a permanent presence in the US market.
The images and description of the item are correct from what I have experienced. The sizes are shown, and all items for which I needed details, those details were provided.
Does Temu accept returns?
Temu’s return policy seems to be excellent, they promise (sort of) a 90 days return window. You can find the return policy following this link.

I did read the full return policy and was a little taken aback by the wording:
If you are not satisfied with what you bought on Temu, you may be eligible to return it and get a refund by following the simple procedure set out in this Return and Refund Policy.
I was not expecting the “may be eligible”, which seems to suggest that in certain cases (unspecified) the return may not be available. However, I only returned one item (the broken ruler, mentioned earlier) and indeed I had no problems doing that. It is possible the “may be eligible” is just a misunderstanding.
Temu also offers free return shipping only ONCE per order. I understand this to work as follows: If you had, say, 10 items in the order and decide to return one, shipping for that return is free. But if a couple of days later (within the 90 days allowed) you decide to return another item in that order, you may need to pay for shipping back.
Does Temu have an app? Does it work?
Indeed Temu has an app on both Google and Apple stores (Google link, Apple link). There seems to be a marked difference between the two apps because as of the writing of this article (March 12, 2023) on Google Temu has a rating of 3.1 (very bad) with about 40% of the users giving it one star. On the Apple store Temu has a rating of 4.6.
I am not familiar with the Apple version but I have to say that I do not agree with the 3.1 rating. I have used the app and it does what it says it does, the “search” function works, images are clear and the page structure is good – I had no problems using the Android Temu app. It did not crash on me and I was able to leave things in the cart on one device and continue on another.
Nevertheless, if 40% of the users are not satisfied, there must be something wrong with the app, no matter that I can’t see what. I guess I am not that picky 🙂!
Here is a screenshot of the app on my phone after I searched for “sewing machine foot”. I find the result to be presented properly, all items shown are relevant and the sort options are good. In my opinion the app does what it is intended to do and does it well.

✅ Note: Always limit permissions for an app to the minimum necessary for it to perform its functions. The Temu app does not need any permissions, so do not grant it any.
Is Temu safe?
A valid question. Temu is a Chinese company at its core and, while registered in the US, it probably shares data with its parent company. Even if it does not share the data as a matter of policy, your name, address and payment methods are necessary for order completion so they have to be shared. If, in turn, the parent Chinese company sells, or shares further the data, this is anybody’s guess but I personally would imagine that any Chinese company will always do whatever it is told to do.
Apple, Google (and probably many other US companies) complied with the Chinese government’s requirements in order to do business in China, as the following articles claim: Google: Dark day for internet freedom if tech giant accepts China’s extreme censorship, Apple Complied With 100% of Chinese Government App Store Takedown Requests in 2020: Report. It would be childish to believe Temu will not comply with all Chinese government’s requests.
You need to consider that whatever Temu knows, the Chinese government knows. Now; if it is relevant for the Chinese government to have my name and address (which are public after all), that is a different question. You should always restrict the app access to minimum necessary and monitor your credit card expenses.
Does Temu have unique items?
From my experience, no, Temu does not have unique items. I was able to find the same items (or very similar) on eBay, amazon.com, walmart.com or target.com. I will give some examples in the next section where I will compare prices on Temu and Amazon.
Note: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. This means I will receive a commission if you order a product through one of my links. I only recommend products I believe in and use myself.
How does Amazon compare with Temu for prices?
Surprisingly, I was able to find on Amazon similar merchandise for similar prices!
Backpacks at Amazon: (please note that the Amazon backpacks are slightly larger than the ones I bought from Temu). The Amazon small backpack is above 10” high while Temu’s is under 7” (25cm and 17cm respectively). I paid about $5 for the small backpacks (each) on Temu while Amazon prices (at the time I write this) are between $9 and $10, again, for a bigger backpack.
Mesh shoes at Amazon: I paid around $10 for one pair of mesh shoes on Temu. Amazon sells similar below for prices between $12 and $16 (at the time I write this).
✅ Note: click on the images below to see the latest price on amazon.com, they change frequently
Needle threader. I paid about $1 on Temu for the 5 small plastic threaders. As you can see below, Amazon has similar items, priced about the same.
Ribbon. I paid between 30 cents and $1 per yard on Temu. Below are similar items from Amazon, priced similarly. However it is quite difficult to compare prices since the items are not identical.
My conclusion here is that yes, you CAN find similar prices on Amazon for almost everything Temu sells. When it comes to decorative trims though you may not be able to find the exact item and I really liked the ribbons I found on Temu.
Which is better? Temu or Amazon?
My conclusion is: with Amazon, you get slightly higher prices for some items, but a fast / reliable delivery and a good return policy. With Temu, you get a lower price sometimes and some items are really good, some are really bad to the point of being unusable. Frankly, it’s a crapshoot, pardon my French, and the old saying “you get what you pay for” comes to mind. Many items sold on Temu are already sold on eBay, and eBay is really prioritizing the buyers’ interests over the sellers’.
So while Temu may take a bite of Amazon’s pie, I personally doubt it will be a serious menace at least in the short term. Again, my own opinion. But from my experience, if you have the time to look for unusual items on temu.com, you may get good deals.
Update: 15 Months Later
Many things have happened since this article was published. Temu has increased prices (sometimes, quite a lot), it has diversified its merchandise, Amazon seems to be pretty much unaffected by Temu . And my opinion of temu.com has changed dramatically.
I will start first with justifying the statement “Amazon seems to be unaffected“. From Amazon quarterly financial results I get the following gross sales increase (percentage, compared to the same quartewr previous year): 2023: Q1 9%, Q2 11%, Q3 13%, Q4 14%. 2024: Q1 (the only available) 13%. Does not look like they lose business!
temu.com does not publish financial results separately in the US, but there are statistics. The company experiences tremendous growth, which was expected, they started after all from scratch. But their sales are still small compared to Amazon: temu.com had about $15 Billion in sales last year (source: Temu Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)), compared to amazon.com $574 Billion worldwide, ~$400 Billion US only (source: Amazon.com, Inc. – Annual reports, proxies and shareholder letters).
Second: temu.com has diversified its merchandise range. One year ago you could find on Temu a lot of small items, most of them inexpensive. Some electronics. This year I see (to my surprise) large items like “Health & Fitness Premium Treadmill with Auto Incline” or “5×4 FT Resin Outdoor Storage Shed“. I see computers (Laptop Computer with 16GB DDR4 RAM), phones (Samsung Galaxy A15 5G) and many other items.
Temu no longer has low prices! Yes, despite their advertising “90% off” (we’ll talk about it later), they have in fact prices very much in line with other retailers for most of the items. I find this normal.
And for some items they are actually more expensive, and below I found two examples. Conclusion: always shop around. The fact that Temu advertises and is perceived to be low in prices does not mean they always are.
For example, a 5×4 plastic shed (and note that Amazon has an extra $20 coupon!):
Another example: a vinyl fence panel, temu.com compared to homedepot.com. Beware, the Temu price is for a two pack of 6×6 fence panels while the price on homedepot.com is for one 6×8 feet panel, which makes the difference even more striking:
Temu also seems to have established a local warehouse network in the US since many items I see now are advertised as “in the local warehouse”:

One thing has not changed though. Temu.com advertises aggresively in all media, on all sites, on all social networks, in games, etc. Their advertising is as active as it was last year. The message has changed: “Shop like a Billionaire”. Well, I personally doubt billionaires shop at temu.com (or at amazon.com, for that matter) but I guess the PR company thy hired determined that would resonate with the US audience. To me, the slogan sounds ridiculous.
But despite all advertising, or perhaps because of that, my opinion of temu.com has changed dramatically. I consider their tactics at least unethical, if not borderline illegal. This is of course my opinion, I am not qualified in any way to judge the legality of their actions. But consider: I see in some apps images like the following:

This is an image that appeared on my own tablet during a game. Remember, this is an ad which stays on screen for one second, if that. The small print “New app users only” will probably be overlooked, but $1.89 is clearly there and catches the eye.
I looked for the exact same item on the web site; I found it:

Quite a difference, wouldn’t you say?
The ads are in fact not for merchandise, they want to entice users to download the temu app. But reliance on the human tendency to see what it wants to see and ignore what it would rather not know, while probably an effective advertising technique, makes it at least unethical in my eyes.
What they should have said is the following: “if you download the app and therefore you give us some of your personal information we will send you a one-time coupon with discounts up to 90% off retail price“. Because this is what they do: you download the app and you get either a one-time coupon (single use) or a freebie in certain instances.
I have downloaded the app more than one year ago, so I do not qualify for this offer therefore I can’t really check if there are other conditions attached in the small print; they probably are. No, I do not like at all the fashion Temu advertises.
Update September 2024
I have seen an ad (on Facebook I think) for a free, if you download the app, 151 piece tool set. I had a brand new device, never logged in on it to Temu and the device (it is an Android device) also uses a different Google account than all my other devices. I decided to see if the ad (free tool set) is misleading or not.
So I downloaded the Temu app, created a new account with the new, never used, email address, and I used my neighbor’s address as shipping address. If you think “it’s dishonest”, I believe it’s not. I did not order anything and I had no intention to order anything. I just wanted to see if I can get the free tool set as advertised.
I did not do this myself, I set my husband on the trail for the tool set. He spent the whole evening trying to find the advertised item, to no avail. Conclusion: the ad was eye catching, but did not advertise something the user could get.
Another conclusion is that Temu has extremely low quality items. A pair of sandals I bought thinking I will wear them around the house and when I walk the dogs proved to be so bad (they hurt my feet, material stiff, badly finished) that I had to throw them away after 15 minutes. Also, an insect zapper which I bought for my entrance quit working after – surprise! – two days.
Did you find this tutorial helpful? If so, save this pin (see below) on your sewing board so you can come to this article later when you need this information on Temu, and follow me on Pinterest for more tips, tutorials, and inspiration!

Sources:
Amazon Revenue 2010-2022 | AMZN | MacroTrends
Microsoft Net Income 2010-2022 | MSFT | MacroTrends
Apple Revenue 2010-2022 | AAPL | MacroTrends
Google revenue 2002-2022 | Statista
amazon.com: E-Commerce net sales from 2014 to 2022
Walmart By The Numbers | Walmart 2022 Annual Report
Temu: The online shopping upstart that’s become the most downloaded app in the US | CNN Business
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As stated, most everything from Amazon or Temu is made in China anyway and, as you found, prices are comparable (except pay for prime). My choice is to continue with American shopping through Amazon. China is quickly becoming a combatant to our country and our freedom. I will not support Temu.
@Mary, I agree. In addition, AMZ provides JOBS in this country and shipping is only a few days. Not only is China is as you say, but the US owes more $$$ to China than we do to any other country and their gov is not a friendly country.
This was my conclusion also, and sometimes on Amazon I can even find US made products in the same price range.
Great article. I’m a reluctant Amazon/Chinese merchandise shopper. I prefer to support the local quilt shops near me. I am very fortunate to have many to support. I am able to touch and see the merchandise.
I am not that lucky; while I lived in New Jersey, I had indeed many local stores and even shopping from Amazon did not really appeal to me. But after moving to a rural Florida area, things changed – the closest JoAnn is 25 miles away and it is impractical (and expensive) to drive there often. And I think many of us living far from a large city are in the same boat.
Thank you for providing this thorough research. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into it. I too have seen numerous ads for Temu and wondered about them. But with your review, I no longer wonder! Thank you.
Thank you!
I use both Amazon and Temu. Some items from Temu are not good quality. The prices could be why. They really should fix the instructions to English if they’re going to flood our market.
I expect Temu to do both of these, if they will last: get better quality merchandise (because otherwise they will be flooded with returns) and increase prices. I bet for the moment they operate at a loss to get market share, but they can’t do that forever. For now though, Amazon is still the better choice even if slightly more expensive.
This is enlightening to me. I saw a YouTube video labeled something similar to Temu vs. Amazon. The way it was labeled sounded like one of those WISH comparisons, and I thought why buy from someplace where you know you get cheated. Now I know Temu is somewhat legit, like Ali Express. My daughter’s family & I share an Amazon Prime account (they DO allow this) so I use Amazon, sometimes a lot & sometimes hardly at all. I guess it depends on when taxes are due.
As far as China is concerned, my sewing machine was made there, so any add-ons for the machine (feet, hoops, bobbins, spool caps, etc.) seem like they should be made there, and the ones the dealers sell are, just labeled and priced higher. You also pay for the storage space on the dealers shelves for the time between when they order it and when you buy it. So your decision is whether you want to save money or keep your dealer in business. My dealer had 2 stores, and closed the one near me. Now they are too far away for me, so they forced me on-line.
I watch YouTube videos of sewing machine stores that sell almost all the brands of machines and wish there was one near me. Last time we had one like that in this area was in the 1980’s.
I just wanted to mention your use of the expression “pardon my french.” I worked with a woman from France, and she always said “do people think all the French do is swear?” I realize you did not actually curse, but it reminded me of the dear woman.
Well, I did not invent the phrase … It is what it is, right ? I looked the phrase up in the Merriam Webster dictionary here and it is indeed a common phrase. For its origin I found an interesting article here.
Thanks for your in depth research. Have seen Temu everywhere I browse also lately and honestly I did not even know what it was. I’m a Primer and get way to many deliveries. Have taken advantage of your recommendations!
Thanks again for the article.
Thanks for this great info about Temu. I’ve long wondered about their reputation. Have noticed some very different items I’ve not seen b4 but hesitated to order from them, because some items are very cheap.
I have had bad experiences from overseas companies too — Dearonces is one. What looked like a gorgeous shirt was not at all like the picture advertised—fabric, design were ugly & size was wrong. Return policy is long & lousy so I cut up the shirt for scrap.
I too am an Amazon fan. Have ordered from them for 8-9 years. But last month 8 items, 6 different shipments, did not show up. I got notifications w a picture that said typical “delivered”. But the picture was not of my home nor any neighbors. After a few days each time received a refund but no Attentive action until: one representative was appalled at my experiences & reported this to the delivery location.
Lo—next shipment arrived perfectly and has since.
As for your sewing notions, try WAWAK! Their catalog selection is amazing. Pricing is offered in one-to-bulk/ea. I found them quite by mistake but later learned from friends & family that they have known of & ordered from WAWAK for years.
Pricing is the same or cheaper than big-box fabric stores. Unfortunately they do not sell fabric. Shipping is $6.95 for orders under $60 but always on time or early. One of the representatives even called me to say that due to storms
in northern states, my order (FedEx) could be delayed! It wasn’t!
Ok … you have answered my question about Temu. I hope other info from me is useful to your subscribers too.
Thank you for the info on WAWAK. I was not aware of them.
Thank you for the great article. I had similar experience but all positive.I started seeing ads so thought I would try a small order and it was great. I live in Canada near the Washington State border have excellent service through US Mailboxes Intl for buying online US products. With Temu the shipping is free on everything so I just ordered to my door in Canada. I could not believe how fast and efficient the service was going through customs it was extremely fast and I am happy with everything. I order lots from AliExpress but now their shipping is sometimes way more then the cost of the item and usually takes about 6-8 weeks.I think Temu is a great service!
@Nancy Sherman, I should also add that I do support my local businesses,spend lots here and in the US.
I think Temu works at a loss for the moment, to gain market share. Let’s see how it is going to be after a while.
Oops, I was writing more but your site went down.
So — I also now refuse to purchase from China. But my sewing machine was made there—I did not realize that. When we moved a box of my sewing items wasn’t shipped here…unfortunately included the electrical cord & foot pedal attachments. Was only when I ordered these items I learned the mfg location. Noticed the serial tag on the machine said MADE IN VIET NAM, yet replacement parts came from China (?)
Again, thanks for the great article and follow ups from everyone.
Thank you. I have received lots of comments and mails on this issue, I will write a summary soon.
Thanks for your research! I, like others who commented, was wondering what Temu was. I got FB ads, etc and even an email! What I want to know is how they even got my email?? I didn’t like that at all and marked it as spam since I never offered my email address to them. This is not a respectable way to get customers. I think they are simply fleecing the US market directly cutting out the Amazon middle men. However, at least Amazon has warehouses (providing communities/states with property tax income) and employs people within the USA (who also pay taxes). I agree that with all the $$ we owe to China the last thing we should do is to support a direct marketing strategy. Good prices are not always in our best interest. I am saddened by all of the small businesses that have been forced out by even the US big box stores, Amazon, and direct on line sales. I will not be supporting Temu.
Things are not always clear in the realm of commerce. Personally, I do not think there is a big difference between Temu and Amazon. Or should I say, long term, if they want to succeed, they will have to have local warehouses and their own delivery, like Amazon has. Because I do not see US buyers waiting 3 weeks or more for delivery to save $2.
Thanks for the article! Good to know the return policy. My first order was a spray/mister bottle. Excellent. My next order I spent about $60, returned about half. I read that to get free shipping on had to sign up with an email. No problem. Then for the second order, I ended up using another email, or I would have to pay.
I ordered a men’s “leather” wallet. Terrible quality. There were two other items of faux leather, also returned.
You get what you pay for, as far as that goes. The other items were fine. We’ve had Prime at least 10 years. Returns are so easy! I would order from Temu it if was something I knew I would keep.
So true. Exactly my experience, quality is chancy. However small cheap items I would order from them again.
I’ve only had 2 issues with Temu, so far, is everything comes in a tightly packed bag. You’re backpacks probably would have been fine if delived in box. I ordered back side car window sunshades that sticks to whole window, they came folded in a bag. 2nd issue is you’ll be very lucky if you get directions/instructions on things. I ordered a soft clay to do granddaughter’s hand/foot prints for for mother’s Day gift, it’s their 1st one, all I got was a ziplocked bag of clay. I don’t know if I have to mix or knead or how long it takes to dry. Other than that my daughter says I need to delete app because I spend to much money and my granddaughter has enough stuff to last her a couple years.
I guess like with all retailers, some things will be bad, and some good. If they manage to satisfy most buyers, they will probably be here long term. If not, there are many companies who went out of business.
I really appreciate the information-I see so many ads for Temu, and didn’t know anything about the business. I live in the middle of nowhere, so online shopping is my go to, and sewing gadgets are my addiction.
I’ve ordered from Amazon for years. I’ve only returned a few items (all after the pandemic) due to damage. Amazon’s return policy is very convenient. Many online retailers charge to return items if you don’t like it. Amazon doesn’t. I ordered several items from Temu. Two were damaged and unusable. I had to upload two photos showing the damage before I was told not to return it. My card was credited immediately. I found it difficult to read reviews with Temu. Their website is cluttered and item descriptions not detailed. Amazon’s site is clean, and all reviews are posted (both good and bad). Temu is offering many products at lower prices than Amazon is for the same items. No doubt that this will stop once Temu builds up their customer base. As for delivery, my order was not packed in a box, just wrapped in orange plastic. Delivery took almost two weeks. Label indicated that the ship-from address was in a city 10 miles from me.
I believe in the end Amazon will have an edge on Temu because indeed the experience is much better on Amazon. And I see lately Temu [prices going up, often Amazon sells at the same price or even lower than Temu but it has many more choices.
Looks like the author gets incentives from Amazon.
I’ve been Amazon customer for last let say 25 years and now switched to Temu. Why? Because of pricing.
Temu’s prices are so low that Amazon: is excluding its new competitor Temu from its price searching algorithm that checks if products sold on its platform.
So don’t say they almost have the same price, it’s not true.
Besides they have 10 days delivery window if they missed that window you will get $5 credit.
Temu also has a very good affiliate program, and is way more generous than Amazon for the moment. Incentives do not come into play here, and I gave Temu credit where credit is due. Not everywhere. Shipping delays are one thing. Temu is not always cheaper. Example of Amazon being cheaper: bobbin holder $9/4 pieces at Amazon, $3/1 piece at Temu. The Temu link above might not work, search instead for “bobbin holder” on temu.com
What is sad about the American consumer is that this excessive need to buy cheap goods is contributing directly to the demise of the American economy. And looking at gen z on TikTok they don’t even care!! It’s a buy buy buy mentality. What a shame to see. Meanwhile American consumers are supporting slave labor in China and chipping away at jobs in America because as efficient as Amazon has become, even they cannot compete with predatory pricing subsidized by the Chinese communist party. The sellers on temu and Shein steal ideas directly from American small businesses and creators especially creators on Etsy. Then they sell these products back to us at a loss which is subsidized by the Chinese government. Hence continuing to destroy American jobs, side businesses and the opportunity to be an entrepreneur. Absolute shame on the people who support these predatory Chinese companies.
Temu sellers steal from many American small businesses. Mine included. I employ 9 people here in America of which I pay good wages too. People that support Temu do not support the American economy. Choose wisely. People in America complain they want a liveable wage. When they choose companies like Temu they are a part of the problem of not supporting liveable wages.
This is a thorny subject. Yes we exported jobs to China, sometimes entire factories. Don’t forget that we exported some of our problems too, like pollution. But this was a political decision, free trade benefits the consumer at large even if does not benefit the workers affected. A similar job exodus happened in the 70s and 80s to Japan, that has ended when Japanese things were no longer cheaper. I suspect this will happen with the Chinese things too, and it is already happening. Temu has increased prices to almost double what they had last year. Items I bought for $5 are now $12, for example.
🤡 I ‘m sure many people have no knowledge of amazon. There are people who don’t have electricity. And they’re not bad dirty people.
You are probably correct; however everyone reading this site has Internet already and speaks English, and Amazon has sites in most if not all English speaking countries. Temu is also expanding in Europe, my husband has seen ads while in Europe for Temu. So probably the subject is of interest for most of the readers of this site,
I actually heard a Temu ad on TV I think it was right after the Super Bowl, and surprise, surprise, They pronounced it Teh-mu (short e, as I was taught to say.) I, too, have the shoes. They are like slippers with a sole. However, even expensive brand name mesh shoes are cold in the winter in Denver.
I, also, have had problems with sizes of certain items. I wanted over-the-door hooks to hang my ironing board. The hooks are much smaller than they looked. There are about 10 to a package, and it don’t need that many. I can
use a few to hang clothes, like my towel wrap top, in the bathroom. with the cheap prices, I am too lazy to return.
About the shoes, you will also find out (as my husband did) that the rubber of the sole wears out after a couple of months. But they are comfortable in summer. And yes, I agree – some items (not all) are low quality, smaller etc. What can you do. Low price has a penalty attached I guess.
Thank you for sharing your research.
You answered many of my questions and concerns.
I have used Amazon for many years and they have a great customer service staff.
No complaints.
Hi Olga
Love your site. Thanks for the review on Amazon vs Temu. I agree with your conclusions and would also like to note that I have found some indications that they shop your data with negative results for the friends that mentioned this to me. Sometimes just cheaper is not a good incentive to purchase.
I truly urge everyone to avoid Temu at all costs. The company uses forced labor (children, sweatshops, underpaid and overworked staff) and puts its employees in unsafe working conditions that are otherwise illegal in the US. Because of this, all of its products are going to come as imports from other countries and be made as cheaply as possible to maximize profits. It’s an unethical and unsustainable business to support.
Amazon sells a wide variety of things, some from American-made businesses and others from places similar to Temu. The biggest problems with Amazon are how they treat their employees and how much packaging they waste/is going into our landfills.
Both business models maximize profits with no regard for environmental or ethical social impacts. When possible, shopping at a locally owned or secondhand brick-and-mortar store is always preferred. Although sometimes it’s hard to avoid getting things off of Amazon (hard to find in-person, don’t have time to shop, etc), there’s absolutely no good reason to support Temu.
I will never buy anything on Temu. My life is already too full of products made in China, so why would I want to give China even more money by eliminating the middle man (eBay or Amazon). The more money we can keep local (American) the better.