Shoppers looking for major deals have been flocking to Temu, a newer e-commerce website that offers products for notably low prices.
Temu’s growing popularity has led to many questions about the company and its legitimacy. Below, we’re answering some of the most common questions about Temu.
What is Temu? What do they sell?
Temu is an e-commerce platform that sells products on their website and app.
“Temu offers products from merchants and manufacturers around the world in multiple categories, including fashion and jewelry, home and kitchen, sports and outdoors, toys and games, and many more,” the Better Business Bureau reports.
The BBB is a nonprofit that describes its mission as “advancing marketplace trust” through setting standards for marketplace trust, “celebrating marketplace role models,” and other actions.
Temu looks a lot like the inexpensive e-commerce website Wish.com, if you remember it. Much like Wish, Temu constantly promotes a variety of deals.
Is Temu legitimate? Is it safe to buy from Temu?
Temu is a legitimate company that opened their business in 2022. Customers shopping with Temu have successfully ordered and received products.
However, there appear to be mixed customer reviews about the Temu shopping experience.
When looking at Temu reviews on the BBB’s website, about half of customers report good or decent experiences, while others report bad experiences.
On the good side, customers say they’ve successfully purchased products listed at inexpensive prices. Some people reported that the company also successfully refunded their purchases when necessary.
In several of the positive reviews and reports, customers state that they knew what type of quality to expect from the site, and felt they received products of the expected quality.
On the other side, many customers report that their Temu accounts/apps were hacked and/or incorrectly charged for products the user did not purchase.
Some customers report not receiving their order, or receiving products of extremely poor quality. Others report that the products they received were nothing like what was advertised on Temu.
There have also been reports of: hidden shipping costs; refunds being withheld; excessive emails from Temu; poor customer service; and more. Click here to see reviews on the BBB’s website.
Temu is not considered an accredited business by the BBB. The nonprofit has rated Temu at a C+ -- a score of 77-79.99 out of 100 -- based on the amount of complaints made against the business in comparison with how long the business has been operating. The BBB has reportedly received over 860 complaints about Temu as of Aug. 30.
To assign a a rating, the BBB looks at how transparent the business’ practices are, any advertising issues, licensing and government actions, and more.
“BBB ratings are not a guarantee of a business’s reliability or performance,” the nonprofit’s website reads. “BBB recommends that consumers consider a business’s BBB rating in addition to all other available information about the business.”
Where is Temu located?
Temu is listed as a Boston-based company, though it is said to have multiple locations.
“It appears Temu is an online marketplace and the company name is WhaleCo, Inc. which is registered in Massachusetts as a Foreign Corporation through Delaware,” the BBB says. “It appears items ordered are typically directly shipped from manufacturers in China and other countries.”
The business doesn’t operate any brick-and-mortar retail locations in the U.S. Shoppers solely buy items from the company either on the Temu website or app.
Are the products just junk? How are prices so low?
This is a subjective question, so it’s difficult to offer a definitive answer.
Customer reviews show a mix of satisfaction and dissatisfaction when it comes to Temu products. But, because products are manufactured and shipped from multiple locations outside of the U.S., the quality of the products likely varies.
It is important to note, however, that the products are manufactured in China and elsewhere overseas, and sold at significantly low prices. Some products cost less than $1.
Money and shopping experts say that when products are offered at such low prices, that likely means they’re also manufactured at low prices -- i.e. cheaply made.
Local 4′s Hank Winchester purchased a variety of products from Temu to see how good (or bad) the quality would be. There were some positives and some negatives about each of the products. Watch his report below.
How fast is Temu shipping?
The company says shipping can take anywhere from 7-15 days once an order is placed.
Customers have said their purchased products typically take a few weeks to arrive. Our Hank Winchester also says his order took a few weeks to come in.
Many of the complaints made to the BBB about Temu claim that the shipping on their order was extremely delayed, or that they never received the products they purchased.
You can see the complaints made about Temu on the BBB’s website here.
How do I pronounce Temu?
The company says it’s pronounced tee-moo.