Temu review: shop like a billionaire – but with a catch
This Temu review was first published in April 2024. It was updated in July 2024 to reflect some big changes on the app.
Since its UK launch in April 2023, shopping app Temu has gone from a platform that no one’s ever heard of to one that’s seemingly ubiquitous in just over a year.
It’s not hard to see why. Huge sums of money has been pumped into advertising while a robust affiliate program* that’s open to everyone means “word of mouth” is equally rampant.
And then there are the ridiculously low prices.
You can pick up everything from clothes to homeware for a fraction of what you might find anywhere else. Some products cost just a few pennies, and some are even free (more below).
But there are complaints too, from poor quality products to bad customer service.
So what’s it actually like to shop on Temu? Here’s my review.
What is Temu?
Temu, pronounced tee moo, is an online shopping platform much like Amazon or Ebay that allows you to buy directly from manufacturers or retailers based in China.
Its parent company is Dublin-based PDD Holdings, which also owns sister e-commerce brand Pinduoduo.
Temu was actually launched in the US first, in September 2022. On its app, it says it was founded in Boston, Massachusetts.
After that, it launched in Australia and New Zealand in March 2023.
Its UK launch came in April 2023, where it’s registered as Whaleco UK Limited.
This coincided with its debut in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Since then, it’s spread to South America and the Middle East, and is now available in 70 countries around the world.
While most users shop via its app, you can also make purchases using its website*.
How does Temu work?
Like any other shopping platform, you’ll need to register for an account to shop on Temu.
For new users, it has generous sign up discounts or free gifts, especially if you’ve been referred by an existing customer (more below).
However, you’ll need to make your first purchase within a relatively short time frame to take advantage of these – some offers expire within a few hours – so it’s worth making a list of the products you want to buy before you sign up.
After you sign up and log in, you can browse and search for different products and add these to your basket. You can even search in different languages.
Once you’re done, just go to the checkout to pay. Temu will accept both credit and debit cards, though you might want to use a credit card for better financial protection.
The products you buy are aggregated in China before being packaged and shipped to you so you’ll get one or two big bundles rather than one from each retailer.
Since 2024, Temu has also opened to retailers that ship from local warehouses, which means delivery might be quicker.
Why is Temu so cheap?
There are a few reasons why Temu is so cheap.
Firstly, the cost of manufacturing in China is comparatively low so the prices will be lower anyway.
You’re also buying directly from the manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer in China, which means no middleman in the UK to pay.
You’ll find similar or even identical products on Amazon for example for significantly more.
There’s also the exchange rate factor.
One pound is the equivalent of nine Chinese yuan, so what would be considered a reasonable price within China would seem cheap in the UK.
But as Temu continues its global expansion, and more retailers join the app, prices are starting to creep up.
This is especially true in the case of furniture, a category that was recently added to Temu.
Is Temu legit? Is it safe to use?
Tacky adverts plus surreal prices mean Temu feels like a scam. After all, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
But despite outward appearances, and what many websites say, Temu is legit. That is, you will get what you purchased.
There are however some things to bear in mind when you shop with Temu, such as the occasional poor quality and long delivery time (more below).
Some people have also raised concerns about privacy and issues with malware.
It’s worth bearing in mind that both the Apple App Store and Google Play have stringent checks on the apps they list, so it should be considered safe to use and malware-free as long as it’s downloadable.
You can also check what permissions the app has on your phone, and change these as needed.
Temu does however collect an enormous amount of data on your browsing habits while in the app, which helps it to recommend products to you.
Again, you can decline some of this data collection in the app.
My Temu experience
I came to Temu via word of mouth.
Like everyone else, I had been bombarded by Temu ads for weeks and disregarded the site as a scam. But after hearing good things from other shoppers, I decided to give it a go.
It’s a clunky, time consuming shopping experience.
The number of retailers was overwhelming, and there were constant pop ups offering additional discounts or promotions.
Shopping with Temu in December 2023
In December 2023, I bought 33 items in total, split across two transactions, which came to £60.87.
All of these were small household items ranging from ear plugs to storage containers.
I would normally have bought these on Amazon or Ebay, but Temu offered the same items at a huge discount; some things were less than 10% of what I would have paid elsewhere.
There was a long wait for delivery – about 10 days for me – but all of the items arrived within the time frame Temu specified, despite the fact that I was shopping during the Christmas/New Year period.
They were also as described, but five were of poor quality. It was small things, like lids not closing properly on boxes or attachments falling off.
Shopping with Temu in June 2024
In June 2024, I spotted that Temu had made some big changes to the app and added many more product categories so I decided to try it again.
This time I got 10 items for £18.33, a mix of household, beauty and craft bits.
As it wasn’t the holiday period, my parcel arrived very quickly – about a week this time.
Again, there were a couple of poor quality items but nothing that was unusable. And the deals I scored made it all worth it.
For example, I got a set of four tweezers* for just 65p. For comparison, I had just returned a similar set from LookFantastic* because they were of poor quality, and that set cost me £7.99.
What I did feel was that Temu had improved its user experience.
It was much easier to navigate the app and find what I needed quickly.
However, prices were starting to creep up. I had a couple of items saved in my basket and about half of these were higher than when I added them.
Temu’s delivery costs and times
Temu offers free UK delivery on all orders over £15 – this was previously £10. Within the UK, it uses Evri to make the deliveries.
However, as the items are generally shipped from China, there’s a slightly longer delivery time.
Temu’s standard delivery time is six to eight business days after the order has been processed, which is almost two weeks when you factor in the weekends.
It might be even longer during public holidays in China, or if it takes a while for your order to be processed.
Once your order goes through, you’re given a delivery window. And if your order doesn’t arrive on time, you’ll receive some Temu credit as compensation, which can be spent on future purchases.
When I was shopping on Temu in June 2024, I spotted that Temu was also allowing some providers to ship from local warehouses.
For these, free delivery is offered when your purchase is over £35 but can vary from provider to provider.
This doesn’t seem to be prevalent yet – I looked through a bunch of categories and couldn’t see anything that didn’t say “ship from Temu” – but it’s definitely one to look out for in future.
Temu’s returns policy
Temu has a Purchase Protection Program*, which covers things like damaged goods, lost items and orders that don’t match their description. Basically you should be able to get your money back if things go wrong.
For returns, you have 90 days to decide whether you want to return an item.
Your first return is free, regardless of the reason, and is with Evri, Yodel or Royal Mail. If you need to return something else later on you may have to pay for that separately.
Temu gives you 14 days in which to ship your items once you initiate a return, and refunds are made within a few days of the item being shipped.
Temu’s price adjustment policy
Something that’s little known – because it wasn’t well advertised until recently – is Temu’s price adjustment policy.
Temu says it will “provide the price difference in the currency that the order was paid in if the list price of the item purchased was reduced within 30 days of purchase in the same country or region”.
You can request this refund through the “Your Orders” section of the app; look out for the price adjustment button.
If the item is on clearance, part of a promotion or no longer available then it’s not eligible for the price adjustment refund.
I’ve tried this and it works. The refund is saved in my Temu account as credit though, so I have to spend it on the app.
Getting a refund from Temu
I wasn’t happy with the low quality items I received.
When I first shopped on Temu, I was actually writing a negative review for one of these when it suggested via a pop up that I could also request a refund.
I hadn’t thought about it because the items were so cheap that I was just going to cut my losses.
To get a refund, I had to submit a form with photos of the defects, which took a few minutes to do.
However, Temu got back to me almost straight away with details of the next steps.
On lower value orders, it simply offered a refund and told me to keep the items.
On more expensive orders, I had to return the items using a prepaid label, but the refund was issued soon after.
The verdict on Temu
Temu hasn’t had great reviews on Trustpilot but for me it’s been a pretty painless experience.
Some of the products I received were low quality, but getting my money back was quicker and more straightforward than some retailers based in the UK.
I would certainly consider buying from the app again and it seems that since my last purchase, it’s added lots of other product categories.
Temu is also incredibly good at offering you suggested products – things that you didn’t even know you need – so don’t be surprised if you walk away with more than you bargained for.
Finding cheap deals on Temu
Temu is already pretty cheap, but recent updates mean you can now sort the items by price, which makes it easier than ever to find great deals.
The cheapest items are always ones where there are multiple retailers offering identical products, like storage boxes.
Look out for ones featured in flash sales too, as the prices can often be discounted by 50% or more.
Also check the coupons section and your offers for any special discounts.
For items where there are only a handful of retailers, the prices are actually comparable to what you might pay on Amazon or Ebay so you might want to shop there instead for the faster shipping time.
Temu referral code
Temu has three offers for new users at the moment:
If you follow any of the above links, or enter the code aad71639 in the referral box, you’ll get the special offers that are only available to new users.
Full diclosure: I’ll get some Temu credit if you do decide to sign up.
As mentioned earlier, some of the coupons expire quickly so make sure you have a list of what you want to buy before you sign up – getting to the £10 threshold for free delivery is surprisingly difficult.
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