Temu: the Amazon of cheap shit people don't need but will buy because cheap prices

crash_davis · April 11

China deserves all the shit they get. But one thing is for sure, China mass manufacturing keeps prices low, except when asshole corporations inflate the fuck out of prices because some assholes need their $40M annual bonus. I've never purchased anything from Temu. I see their ads all over the net, especially on Instagram. I've perused the site every now and then. They offer fantastically cheap prices for shit that most people don't need but will buy just because it's so cheap. Hence this article...

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/temu-victims-parents-kids-bargain-shopping-ca25ef93?st=tmpfgz0vuohmywu&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

LaTonya Mullins-Mobley was surfing the web for Arizona Cardinals gear when she stumbled across an ad for Temu, the Chinese online-marketplace app known for ultra-discounts. She couldn’t believe the low prices.

These days, Mullins-Mobley, who is 53 and works for a cellphone carrier, jokes that she’s “having an affair” with the app. She buys clothing, including T-shirts with Bible quotes for her daughter. She started a sunglasses company, picking up pairs from Temu for $3 and selling them for around $15.

Her 19-year-old-daughter, Angeline Mobley, isn’t impressed.

Angeline recently made a TikTok in which she begged viewers to take the Temu app away from her mother, actually, any mother, “expeditiously. ASAP. Stat.” She hit a chord. “My mom bought 57 of the same spatulas bc they were .03,” one commenter commiserated.

The app is a particular hit with older shoppers—a development that is spawning a new genre of family friction. Gen Z’ers are roasting their moms, dads, grandmothers and uncles as “Temu victims,” saying they are buying cheap and sometimes useless stuff from the site.

In March, Temu’s fastest-growing demographic was the 55 to 64 set. Sales attributed to that age group grew 271% since last March, according to Earnest Analytics. Temu is expected to spend nearly $3 billion on advertising this year, according to JPMorgan.

As in most bargain shopping, Temu regulars say part of the appeal is stumbling across items they—or anyone—could probably do just fine without.

“You’ve lived your life without that pasta spoon rest, but then you see it and you’re like, ‘Wow, that’s genius and it’s only 98 cents, and it’s cute,’ so you need it,” says Chaunda Thompson, a 44-year-old marine shipyard painter in Newport News, Va.

Nice Guy Eddie · April 11

I see weird ads for Temu on mainstream sites like ESPN. The weirdness of it probably say more about me and my browsing history than them.

Brisketexan · April 11

3 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I see weird ads for Temu on mainstream sites like ESPN. The weirdness of it probably say more about me and my browsing history than them.

This. I look at my Temu suggestions on ads....then think of my browsing history......and, ummmm......

gofuckyourself · April 11

There's some sort of gamification on there also right?

Wife and mom both use it. Wife says it has wheel spins or some shit during shopping or checkout or something.

She did "win" a defecating dog Christmas ornament, which naturally now my favorite ornament. So I can't complain.

Samson's Wig · April 11

I've always assumed it was just a Chinese data mining racket. It sounds like it's just a modern QVC and taking advantage of housebound elderly folks. Probably both, I guess.

Sawbonz · April 11

Come to think of it I could use some spatulas

BrickHorn · April 11

6 minutes ago, Sawbonz said:

Come to think of it I could use some spatulas

Homercles · April 11

@Mitch Cumsteen

crash_davis · April 11

8 minutes ago, Homercles said:

@Mitch Cumsteen

Is that a pic of his wife when she was 4?

Mitch Cumsteen · April 11

28 minutes ago, Homercles said:

@Mitch Cumsteen

Please God no.

Trey3216 · April 11

I bought some gardening stuff from there for a boatload cheaper than I could get it at Lowe's or HD. Not massively important stuff, but important enough that saving $50 or so was ideal.

gsoda3 · April 11

it's an online flea market, i hate it until i need something from there. and then i hate myself after i buy 6 more things in addition to what i needed.

Mrs Whiggins · April 11

3 hours ago, crash_davis said:

I've never purchased anything from Temu. I see their ads all over the net...

----------------------

~~As in most bargain shopping, Temu regulars say part of the appeal is stumbling across items they—or anyone—~~could probably do just fine without.

1. Same here with your first two sentences.

2. The joy of the bargain is short lived and an elusive high. The cost saved is passed forward with interest to the heirs who pay with their time and emotional energy to clear out the estate.

Blotto · April 11

I like that they have a lot of flexible financing options. Sometimes I dont have immediate access to the change in my couch.

miguelito · April 11

My wife has spent plenty on Temu shit. "Look how much I saved!"

I think she personally financed the commercials Temu aired during the Superbowl.

UT_OB1 · April 11

I bought some stretch bands for working out, cheap kids size sparring gloves and “helmet”, and some hiking boots for doing yard work type stuff. Probably spent $40 total.

ultimaton · April 11

It's become my wife's go-to for basic art supplies now. To be fair a lot of it seems to literally be the same cheap Chinese stuff that makes up 90% of Amazon's inventory nowadays, but priced more appropriately. At least when it comes to knock off Copic markers and shit.

Edited April 11 by ultimaton

hornbri · April 12

5 hours ago, Samson's Wig said:

I've always assumed it was just a Chinese data mining racket. It sounds like it's just a modern QVC and taking advantage of housebound elderly folks. Probably both, I guess.

It’s just ultra cheaply made Chinese goods. These things are coming straight from the factory to you and avoiding import taxes (by direct shipping).

The quality is going to be low but at those prices most people don’t care/accept that as part of the cost.

atomheartbevo · April 12

Do they sell insulin? Asking for an aunt.

GoPokes83 · April 12

Wife ordered me a ton of multi tool blades for a ridiculously low price. I knew they’d be weird size or plastic fakes or whatever. Turns out for cheap blades they weren’t that bad. Harbor Freight throwaway quality for less than a tenth of the cost.

UT_OB1 · April 12

45 minutes ago, GoPokes83 said:

Wife ordered me a ton of multi tool blades for a ridiculously low price. I knew they’d be weird size or plastic fakes or whatever. Turns out for cheap blades they weren’t that bad. Harbor Freight throwaway quality for less than a tenth of the cost.

I use wire strippers just enough to need them but never find the pair I bought the last time I needed them. They have some for $10 and I’m pretty tempted to get about 12 of them.

JMFP · April 12

It would be nice to have a pair of strippers around for when you really need them...

Blotto · April 12

11 hours ago, UT_OB1 said:

I use wire strippers just enough to need them but never find the pair I bought the last time I needed them. They have some for $10 and I’m pretty tempted to get about 12 of them.

1 hour ago, JMFP said:

It would be nice to have a pair of strippers around for when you really need them...

Probably not a bad idea to pick up a couple of hoes while he's at it.

Deej · April 12

19 hours ago, gofuckyourself said:

There's some sort of gamification on there also right?

Wife and mom both use it. Wife says it has wheel spins or some shit during shopping or checkout or something.

She did "win" a defecating dog Christmas ornament, which naturally now my favorite ornament. So I can't complain.

New Surly logo?

texasdago · April 12

My dad was about to buy some lithium rechargeable battery charger for under $4.00 and I told him to keep away from that Temu garbage unless he wants to have the charger burn the house down.

Captainant · April 12

10 minutes ago, texasdago said:

My dad was about to buy some lithium rechargeable battery charger for under $4.00 and I told him to keep away from that Temu garbage unless he wants to have the charger burn the house down.

Yeah you shouldn't be buying anything that will charge your other devices from temu or AliExpress, or even Amazon if the vendor is shady enough. An under or out of spec charger can overheat quickly and become a serious fire risk, or it could just fry your device

Edited April 12 by Captainant

crash_davis · April 12

34 minutes ago, BeardIP said:

I think this is part of a broader conversation (what forum am I in, what can I say politically?) about Chinese governments incentives to over-manufacture and flood markets with goods. Janet Yellen tried to rein this in a bit last week on her visit to China, folks are mad China is compressing prices on things, etc.

I get being protectionist (and China isn’t paying $20/hour minimum wages and healthcare etc), but some things are good to be price compressed like solar panels helping folks (as discussed in climate thread)

Disposable plastic goods is disposable plastic goods. I'm not the least bit mad that China, whatever the motives, is keeping downward pressure on those products.

I'll pay extra money for quality on the more advanced, technical shit, but for disposable crap, I'm usually going cheapest.

Thetexashammer · April 12

21 hours ago, crash_davis said:

China deserves all the shit they get. But one thing is for sure, China mass manufacturing keeps prices low, except when asshole corporations inflate the fuck out of prices because some assholes need their $40M annual bonus. I've never purchased anything from Temu. I see their ads all over the net, especially on Instagram. I've perused the site every now and then. They offer fantastically cheap prices for shit that most people don't need but will buy just because it's so cheap. Hence this article...

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/temu-victims-parents-kids-bargain-shopping-ca25ef93?st=tmpfgz0vuohmywu&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

LaTonya Mullins-Mobley was surfing the web for Arizona Cardinals gear when she stumbled across an ad for Temu, the Chinese online-marketplace app known for ultra-discounts. She couldn’t believe the low prices.

These days, Mullins-Mobley, who is 53 and works for a cellphone carrier, jokes that she’s “having an affair” with the app. She buys clothing, including T-shirts with Bible quotes for her daughter. She started a sunglasses company, picking up pairs from Temu for $3 and selling them for around $15.

Her 19-year-old-daughter, Angeline Mobley, isn’t impressed.

Angeline recently made a TikTok in which she begged viewers to take the Temu app away from her mother, actually, any mother, “expeditiously. ASAP. Stat.” She hit a chord. “My mom bought 57 of the same spatulas bc they were .03,” one commenter commiserated.

The app is a particular hit with older shoppers—a development that is spawning a new genre of family friction. Gen Z’ers are roasting their moms, dads, grandmothers and uncles as “Temu victims,” saying they are buying cheap and sometimes useless stuff from the site.

In March, Temu’s fastest-growing demographic was the 55 to 64 set. Sales attributed to that age group grew 271% since last March, according to Earnest Analytics. Temu is expected to spend nearly $3 billion on advertising this year, according to JPMorgan.

As in most bargain shopping, Temu regulars say part of the appeal is stumbling across items they—or anyone—could probably do just fine without.

“You’ve lived your life without that pasta spoon rest, but then you see it and you’re like, ‘Wow, that’s genius and it’s only 98 cents, and it’s cute,’ so you need it,” says Chaunda Thompson, a 44-year-old marine shipyard painter in Newport News, Va.

Have you ever had a $40 million bonus? It's pretty awesome.

crash_davis · August 27

Is losing $50B in market value good? I guess selling cheap and counterfeit shit is not a long term growth business model.

https://fortune.com/2024/08/26/temu-pdd-stock-plunges-government-scrutiny-amazon-rivals/

China fast-fashion retailer Temu soared like a rocket for two years—in just a few hours, its parent company lost more than $50 billion in market value

The stock of PDD Holdings, parent company of the fast-growing Temu shopping app, sank more than 30% on Monday, losing more than $50 billion in market value, after the e-commerce giant posted disappointing revenue results and executives warned of rapid competition and nonbusiness challenges that may dampen growth and profits going forward.

The Nasdaq-listed company, which is technically headquartered in Ireland but employs most of its workers in China, runs the Chinese online shopping giant Pinduoduo as well as Temu, the discount shopping app that has taken the U.S. and other Western markets by storm since it launched in 2022. But Temu has also faced intense scrutiny by governments, including that of the U.S., over issues ranging from its use of import trade loopholes, to the quality and origins of the products its sellers hawk through its online stores. And those pressures seem to be affecting the company’s outlook.

PDD is still scaling incredibly quickly both in China and in other markets, with revenue growing 86% in the second quarter to more than $13.6 billion, but analysts had been expecting more than $14 billion in sales. On top of that revenue miss, PDD executives spooked investors by painting a cloudy picture of future quarters.

“Looking ahead, revenue growth will inevitably face pressure due to intensified competition and external challenges,” Jun Liu, PDD’s financial chief, said in a press release. “Profitability will also likely … be impacted as we continue to invest resolutely.”

Amazon officials in China recently told merchants there that the U.S. e-commerce giant would soon launch its own low-price storefront. Temu also competes with other e-commerce giants with deep China ties, including fast-fashion titan Shein and TikTok’s rapidly growing Shop marketplace.

Though PDD Holdings does not break out Temu’s financial results, executives warned on a call with analysts of “significantly greater uncertainty” in the company’s global business unit, which houses Temu.

“Our operations [have] also become increasingly affected by nonbusiness factors,” said co-CEO Lei Chen. “And meanwhile, the competition we face is growing stronger. Competition is here to stay and is expected to intensify in our industry.

“These factors combined will inevitably cause fluctuations to our business,” Chen added. “As shown in this quarter’s results, high revenue growth is not sustainable, and a downward trend in profitability inevitable.”

Chopper · September 13

The tariff loophole that's helped Temu, Shein and other Chinese companies to flood the US market with cheap Chinese products is on the way to being fixed. A new regulation proposed today in the Federal Register would exclude a wide array of goods from being able to claim the so-called de minimis exemptions to avoiding tariffs, which extends to shipments of less than $800 in value. The proposed regulations would also make claiming duty free status more complex. The article indicates statutory changes are also necessary and that the Biden administration will try to get Congress to amend the law, as well.

https://www.ft.com/content/2f07510b-d2c6-4bae-bae3-aa5dfa8bd796

crash_davis · September 13

2 hours ago, Chopper said:

The tariff loophole that's helped Temu, Shein and other Chinese companies to flood the US market with cheap Chinese products is on the way to being fixed. A new regulation proposed today in the Federal Register would exclude a wide array of goods from being able to claim the so-called de minimis exemptions to avoiding tariffs, which extends to shipments of less than $800 in value. The proposed regulations would also make claiming duty free status more complex. The article indicates statutory changes are also necessary and that the Biden administration will try to get Congress to amend the law, as well.

https://www.ft.com/content/2f07510b-d2c6-4bae-bae3-aa5dfa8bd796

So....load up on cheap (cost and quality) shit now before it gets too expensive to buy cheap shit.

Gatorubet · September 14

On 8/27/2024 at 9:16 AM, crash_davis said:

Is losing $50B in market value good? I guess selling cheap and counterfeit shit is not a long term growth business model.

https://fortune.com/2024/08/26/temu-pdd-stock-plunges-government-scrutiny-amazon-rivals/

China fast-fashion retailer Temu soared like a rocket for two years—in just a few hours, its parent company lost more than $50 billion in market value

The stock of PDD Holdings, parent company of the fast-growing Temu shopping app, sank more than 30% on Monday, losing more than $50 billion in market value, after the e-commerce giant posted disappointing revenue results and executives warned of rapid competition and nonbusiness challenges that may dampen growth and profits going forward.

The Nasdaq-listed company, which is technically headquartered in Ireland but employs most of its workers in China, runs the Chinese online shopping giant Pinduoduo as well as Temu, the discount shopping app that has taken the U.S. and other Western markets by storm since it launched in 2022. But Temu has also faced intense scrutiny by governments, including that of the U.S., over issues ranging from its use of import trade loopholes, to the quality and origins of the products its sellers hawk through its online stores. And those pressures seem to be affecting the company’s outlook.

PDD is still scaling incredibly quickly both in China and in other markets, with revenue growing 86% in the second quarter to more than $13.6 billion, but analysts had been expecting more than $14 billion in sales. On top of that revenue miss, PDD executives spooked investors by painting a cloudy picture of future quarters.

“Looking ahead, revenue growth will inevitably face pressure due to intensified competition and external challenges,” Jun Liu, PDD’s financial chief, said in a press release. “Profitability will also likely … be impacted as we continue to invest resolutely.”

Amazon officials in China recently told merchants there that the U.S. e-commerce giant would soon launch its own low-price storefront. Temu also competes with other e-commerce giants with deep China ties, including fast-fashion titan Shein and TikTok’s rapidly growing Shop marketplace.

Though PDD Holdings does not break out Temu’s financial results, executives warned on a call with analysts of “significantly greater uncertainty” in the company’s global business unit, which houses Temu.

“Our operations [have] also become increasingly affected by nonbusiness factors,” said co-CEO Lei Chen. “And meanwhile, the competition we face is growing stronger. Competition is here to stay and is expected to intensify in our industry.

“These factors combined will inevitably cause fluctuations to our business,” Chen added. “As shown in this quarter’s results, high revenue growth is not sustainable, and a downward trend in profitability inevitable.”

$50 billion…. is that a lot?

52-80 · September 16

these near-direct-to-consumer platforms reveal how insanely cheap manufacturing can be. almost magical, really.

imagine you want to buy a pair of pliers: someone had to mine the ores, refine it, distribute it, it goes to a factory that stamp/cast/forge/shape it into pliers, its sanded, polished, grooves cut into it, pin affixed to it, some colored rubber sleeves applied to it, (fake) brand name etched into it. it gets packaged, shipped across the globe to your door in nebraska, with (pennies) of profits allocated to the supplier, the factory owner, the reseller, the selling online platform, the shipper, and so on...

...and it cost the consumer all of $3b. thats a fucking miracle.

TwiceHorn · September 16

2 hours ago, 52-80 said:

these near-direct-to-consumer platforms reveal how insanely cheap manufacturing can be. almost magical, really.

imagine you want to buy a pair of pliers: someone had to mine the ores, refine it, distribute it, it goes to a factory that stamp/cast/forge/shape it into pliers, its sanded, polished, grooves cut into it, pin affixed to it, some colored rubber sleeves applied to it, (fake) brand name etched into it. it gets packaged, shipped across the globe to your door in nebraska, with (pennies) of profits allocated to the supplier, the factory owner, the reseller, the selling online platform, the shipper, and so on...

...and it cost the consumer all of $3b. thats a fucking miracle.

Well, when all that labor involved gets barely subsistence wages and no workplace or environmental protections, that's the way it go.

Captainant · September 16

2 hours ago, 52-80 said:

these near-direct-to-consumer platforms reveal how insanely cheap manufacturing can be. almost magical, really.

*Overseas and offshored manufacturing, earning dollars per day. There's a reason the executive class moved those jobs out of the US - can't have workers taking home money meant for the shareholders and execs

22 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Well, when all that labor involved gets barely subsistence wages and no workplace or environmental protections, that's the way it go.

Basically what he said.

52-80 · September 16

3 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Well, when all that labor involved gets barely subsistence wages and no workplace or environmental protections, that's the way it go.

$50 for a single pair of knipex is also, considering the function, an incredible deal, and you're free to buy as much of it as fits your conscience.

i have multiple sets of them.

honolulu horn · September 16

The only stuff I’ve ever bought off temu is lingerie for the wife. Get 6-8 things for the price of one thing at VS. It’s led to some pretty great fashion shows in the bedroom. It’s cheap and so if it doesn’t fit right then no big loss. But there have been some definite winners in there.

Samson's Wig · September 16

I always assumed TEMU was Chinese spyware of some kind. Do people actually buy things from that site?

Sbbruin · September 16

4 hours ago, honolulu horn said:

The only stuff I’ve ever bought off temu is lingerie for the wife. Get 6-8 things for the price of one thing at VS. It’s led to some pretty great fashion shows in the bedroom. It’s cheap and so if it doesn’t fit right then no big loss. But there have been some definite winners in there.

Last of the Big Time Spenders. Go get 'em, Romeo.

honolulu horn · September 17

6 hours ago, Sbbruin said:

Last of the Big Time Spenders. Go get 'em, Romeo.

aggie08 · September 17

11 hours ago, honolulu horn said:

The only stuff I’ve ever bought off temu is lingerie for the wife. Get 6-8 things for the price of one thing at VS. It’s led to some pretty great fashion shows in the bedroom. It’s cheap and so if it doesn’t fit right then no big loss. But there have been some definite winners in there.

So they come in bags that they recommend airing out for a few days before wearing?

honolulu horn · September 17

2 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

So they come in bags that they recommend airing out for a few days before wearing?

I'm not sure, but that would explain the rashes and unexpected permanent discoloration in her fun areas

Blotto · September 17

5 minutes ago, honolulu horn said:

I'm not sure, but that would explain the rashes and unexpected permanent discoloration in her fun areas

https://www.temu.com/vc---cream-moisturizing-lightening-lotion-for-body-private-areas--acid-vitamin-c---rejuvenates-underarm-butt-thighs-50g-g-601099641154314.html?refer_page_name=goods&refer_page_id=10032_1726548060948_dlz3h0ltfe&refer_page_sn=10032&_x_sessn_id=ydp5s5e1gh

honolulu horn · September 17

6 minutes ago, Blotto said:

https://www.temu.com/vc---cream-moisturizing-lightening-lotion-for-body-private-areas--acid-vitamin-c---rejuvenates-underarm-butt-thighs-50g-g-601099641154314.html?refer_page_name=goods&refer_page_id=10032_1726548060948_dlz3h0ltfe&refer_page_sn=10032&_x_sessn_id=ydp5s5e1gh

"Now, with 50% more Chinese heavy metals to speed up exfoliation"

honolulu horn · September 17

Another benefit to buying Temu lingerie is that it's much faster for my wife to take off, seeing as how she only has one leg and one arm now.

Deej · September 17

18 hours ago, Samson's Wig said:

I always assumed TEMU was Chinese spyware of some kind. Do people actually buy things from that site?

We have several women in our office who get 9 or 10 Temu packags each every day.

Sbbruin · September 17

I did just buy a cover for our bikes that I can throw over them during the winter. It was like $20, and would have been multiples higher elsewhere.

Deej · September 17

Well, in Texas, winter is the only time it's comfortable riding a bike. Do they sell a summer cover?

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Temu: the Amazon of cheap shit people don't need but will buy because cheap prices

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