TEMU experience

[junquecol]

Bought several items off TEMU. First was a corded router for a project. If it works, may one day upgrade to another brand. Not likely as it's a "I want to build it project," not an "I need it project." Bought RE magnets for another project, but they weren't as strong as the ones I bought from Lee Valley years ago, but they will do what I want. Bought a couple 1/4" mandrels for die grinder, disappointed with sturdiness. Bought an battery charger, similar to one I already own, just a smaller size (6amp vs 8 amp.) Six amp, around eleven bucks, and eight amp (from Amazon) over forty bucks. Both do the job they were designed to do. Bought a new wall clock for SS classroom. It works. Tonight looked at a float valve for Alaska Grow Buckets, and realized I could buy four oy Ebay for less per unit.. Bought a four pack of fuel lines for chainsaw and Honda tiller. No complaints. All deliveries have been quicker than expected, with nothing damaged.

 

[Pete-G]

FWIW, i think Amazon (and all online retailers for that matter) should be required by law to post where their products are made.

 

[ChemE75]

Temu takes data mining to a whole new level.
IMHO, the low prices for the items that they are selling are not worth the trade off for all of the information that they are stealing from you.

Temu: An In-depth Look as Data and Malware Concerns Spike - Grit Daily News

Learn about popular shopping site Temu as surrounding data collection and malware concerns leave some wary.

gritdaily.com

Frankly the amount of data is little different than using Amazon, Google, Facebook/meta, etc. Much of what is available is up to each individual to limit. Amazon, banking and utilities are the only sites I leave any credit cards on file. All my credit reports are frozen, I periodically run through the privacy settings in my various accounts to see if I missed any new changes or additions that I’ll need to limit or opt out of - most people are clueless that they do have some control. To be fair, it is not always easy to find the opt out and do not share or sell options and it’s tedious to deal with for every site and every app we use these days. This could be made significantly easier for users if there were not political and financial incentives to avoid action. But that’s a discussion for other forums.

 

[ChemE75]

I haven’t bought any tools yet since I don’t need any that I would trust to buy sight unseen like power tools that I would want to at least look over first. If I needed an odd hand tool or accessory then I might if savings were enough. I have ur phased a few things and all have been better than expected. My wife ordered a laptop travel tote which turned out to be too small for her laptop, she messaged vendor they shipped wrong model and asked for a return label, they gave her a refund and told her to keep it. I bought some led bulbs to replace halogens in some old fixtures on aliexpress, similar to Temu, been around longer, but shipping can be a lot slower unless paying a premium - anyway a 10 pack cost less than a 2 pack on amazon it just took about 4 wks. Parent company Alibaba sells case lots, pallet loads or bigger - a lot of what you find on eBay, Amazon and others comes from Alibaba and similar. Just gotta be careful and never save any important info on these sites, and always opt out of everything when possible.

 

[HITCH-]

Frankly the amount of data is little different than using Amazon, Google, Facebook/meta, etc. Much of what is available is up to each individual to limit.

We can agree to disagree on that.

The Temu app requires access to your contacts, pictures, call logs, and other information that Amazon does not gather.
In order to purchase some Temu items you are required to use the app rather than the website, which IMHO is just a way to force someone into allowing access to their data.

 

[ChemE75]

Have not used it in about a yr, but best I recall it never asked for access to contacts, photos, etc otherwise I would not have agreed. Meanwhile I may be looking at something online and sure enough some days later I’ll start seeing related ads on Facebook.

 

[bowman]

If you use the app, you have to agree to the permissions required for contacts, photos, etc. If you go to their website, you are presented with logging in via Google, Facebook, Apple, Twitter. Using any of these 3rd party, you agree to give permissions for Temu to have access to various items for each platform. You can register using your mobile number, they send a code, and your account is created. From there, you can fine-tune your account settings.

 

[Joseph Delfino]

I used the web site and paid with PayPal which keeps all my banking stuff private. I always use PayPal when I buy from any unfamiliar web site. I don't ever intend to install their app. With that said, there are a lot of apps I won't install on my phone. They all track to much info for my liking. I do have the Amazon app installed and hate having it, but it is a convenient one to have.

Temu is creative trying to lure you back to buy more though, it got me once but not a second time.

As far as tools, I got a couple of cheap squares which were not square. I also picked up a depth gauge that I thought was inches but turned out to be metric, and a lot smaller than I pictured. I knew it was a long shot going in and I'm out about $20 for those. I did also pick up a few jewelry making supplies for the grand kids that I think were a good deal along with a couple cheap kitchen utensils that seem fine for the money.

It was just an experiment for me. I doubt I'll go back and buy more because I like knowing what I'm getting and I am willing to pay a fair price but just wanted to check it out.

When it comes to tools I am mostly in the cry once buy once camp. Unless it's a one time use thing.

 

[ChemE75]

I never use 3rd party app logins. Generally use the websites if they are https. Most are now. With iOS there is at least a bit of do not track privacy.

 

[HITCH-]

I never use 3rd party app logins. Generally use the websites if they are https. Most are now. With iOS there is at least a bit of do not track privacy.

That is where Temu gets sneaky...
There are some items that they offer that can only be ordered through the app.
That should be a red flag right there. A reputable merchant should be willing to take your order through any method. The majority of the sheeple are probably oblivious to the risks involved.

 

[junquecol]

Used TEMU for several purchases. Rare Earth magnets weren't as strong as what I'm used to buying, arbors for die grinder were weak, wall clock was perfect, bungie ties for tarps were a lot smaller cord size, but the unassembled ones were the right size. Will be ordering more of the elastic cord, and restring my old ones. Trim router was what I needed for a jig, and priced right for my needs. FYI, plastic base wasn't square, but I don't need the base. Can't really complain, as I got what I paid for.

 

[WildDaisies]

I used Temu a few months ago to buy resin molds. You could tell they came from different manufacturers as some were decent quality and others super thin. I'd say about the same quality as Amazon, whereas molds bought from Hobby Lobby are more hardy.

A company I worked for last year sold on Amazon and the FBA (fulfilled by amazon) fees were about 30%. I'm guessing Temu is charging less for now to get sellers and market share. Having worked in finance, pretty much any company who wants to take market share will be willing to lose cash in the short term by selling cheap with a plan to increase the price once they have a seat at the table.

 

[ChemE75]

That is where Temu gets sneaky...
There are some items that they offer that can only be ordered through the app.
That should be a red flag right there. A reputable merchant should be willing to take your order through any method. The majority of the sheeple are probably oblivious to the risks involved.

FWIW, many mobile apps are nothing more than website front ends. Many simply serve up the same web data just in a mobile compatible format. Your situation could be due to the way they host vendors and many some vendors only have their store transactions only going through the mobile site. Temu like amazon, Walmart, target marketplaces and eBay hosts vendors who handle the transaction, shipping, return, etc. I’ve sold on eBay and you deal with me directly - eBay or the hosting service only steps in if there is a problem.

 

[ChemE75]

I just don’t see the risk of using Temu as any greater than any other online marketplace host with a US name plunked on it. The bigger risk is how a user controls their privacy and security. I went through my iOS settings and found nothing that the Temu app was accessing other than background app refresh which I turned off. Nothing is accessing my contacts, calendar, network, Bluetooth, photos, camera, mic, etc without my permission. Meanwhile the worst offender of using both direct and third party web services on my phone is aarp and next worse is my car company.

 

[coastiebob]

My Temu stuff has been better than expected...this grinder cutoff has been great very handy...some stuff is rightfully not as pictured...but over all i love thier stuff