Our Editors' Complete Guide to Temu: 5 Tips to Help You 'Shop like a Billionaire'

If you frequently shop online, chances are you have come across an ad for Temu. They claim you can “shop like a billionaire” by browsing their catalog of thousands of home, beauty, and lifestyle items that are offered at seriously low prices. Their prices are surprisingly low, but are they too good to be true? 

As someone who has personally ordered from Temu, I can confidently say…yes and no. In this article I’ll share the items that I have bought from Temu and how they’ve held up. I’ll also recap everything you need to know about this popular retailer and share our editors' top five tips for shopping Temu like a pro.

What is Temu?

Temu is an online marketplace, similar to Amazon, that sells a huge range of products at wildly low prices. The company is operated by Chinese e-commerce company PDD holdings, and most goods are shipped directly to consumers from China. Selling directly to consumers helps them cut out the middleman and offer the lowest prices possible.

Is Temu Legit?

Yes. Temu is a legitimate website and not a scam. However, it may be important to manage your expectations when it comes to the quality of the items on the site. Shopping the site is a little bit of a gamble, and the quality of the items you receive may not be the best. Our editors recommend you do your research and follow our tips at the end of this article to increase your chances of getting quality merchandise from Temu.

Does Temu Accept Returns?

Yes! One of the best parts of shopping on Temu is that they do accept returns. They will accept returns on most items for free, with no shipping or handling fees, within a 90-day return period. In my experience, returns have been easy and convenient, but some users have reported complications with their process.

My Experience with Temu & What I Bought

While it may be true that you get what you pay for, some of these Temu items have really surprised me. Some have been expectedly cheap, but I found that many of them have been on par with Amazon quality.

Although I’ve heard that the shipping times at Temu can be rather long, that hasn’t been my experience. The orders I have placed have arrived within a week or a week and half. I’ve placed two orders so far, and I didn’t have any issues with missing items or broken merchandise. 

Enamel Pins

For my first order, I ordered a lot of enamel pins to adorn my Fjallraven pack. I was able to find many unique styles, like my new prized possession, this “Van Gogh Away” pin. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of all of these. While they’re not metal, they are a very thick plastic and have held up quite well, even with the abuse that my Fjallraven is frequently subjected to.

Cutesy Office Supplies

I also purchased fun office supplies, like these cute astronaut-themed pens. They actually write quite well, but they are very flimsy. My pack of four quickly dwindled to two because of faulty springs, but I am not entirely upset because I only spent $1.72 on the pack. The ones that have lasted seem to be going strong, and the gel ink writes really well. It glides and doesn’t bleed or run like you would expect from a cheap pen.

Claw Clips... Lots of Claw Clips

I have bought a TON of claw clips off of Temu, and I think it may be the only place I go to buy them from now on. Claw clips seem to be notorious for breaking no matter where you buy them from, but most of mine have held up well even with my thick hair. They've also managed to face the bite of my French Bulldog and come out relatively unscathed. The small flower clips are my favorite for French twists, and I wear one almost daily. I picked up a pack of four for around $3, and a similar pack is selling on Amazon for $8.

A Graphic Tee

I have only purchased a few apparel items from Temu, but my experience has been positive enough to make me want to purchase more. I purchased this graphic tee about eight months ago for $7. It’s been worn almost weekly. I’ve washed and dried it, and it still looks really great. I went about two sizes larger than my normal size with this one, as I really wanted an oversized fit. I'm glad I did. The sizing on Temu is very inconsistent, and I would recommend reading the reviews before making any purchase.

Kawaii-Inspired Cow Slippers

If you haven’t already noticed, I obviously make a lot of serious adult purchases. I picked up these cow slippers to wear around the house, and they have lasted me months, even after my Frenchies confiscated one and attempted to turn it into a chew toy. They’re comfortable and look just like the picture. I went with my regular size on these, but I wish that I had sized up. They’re just a little snug. Sizing up seems to be the way to go with Temu merchandise, just to be safe.

A Mini Astronaut Projector

Rounding out my sophisticated purchases is this little astronaut projector lamp. Honestly, this thing kind of rules. Similar projectors are selling for $15 on Amazon, but this little guy only cost me $8. The projector is vibrant, colorful, and works just as described. It’s a fun addition to movie nights for my husband and me. If you’re not an adult child like me and have an actual child, I can imagine this being great at bedtime.

Our Top 5 TEMU Shopping Tips

Because things on Temu are so inexpensive, you may be tempted to add everything to your cart. But to get the most out of your Temu hauls, we reccomend spending some time and doing a little research before you buy. Here are our top five tips when it comes to shopping from Temu.

1. Read the Reviews & Look at Review Pictures

This advice is especially important when it comes to apparel items. Since quality can vary so greatly, it's important to carefully scan the reviews for comments about quality and fit. To play it safe, we’d advise only buying products that have review photos attached. Buying products sight unseen is a bit of a gamble with Temu, but they do have a rather generous return policy if you end up really unhappy with your purchase.

2. Stick to Fun, Cheap Items

Shopping on Temu is the most fun when you shop for unique items like weird enamel pins, home accents, or accessories. We also recommend them for things you typically replace no matter where you buy them from (like my extensive claw clip collection). Because quality can be so questionable, buying items that will get a lot of everyday use may not be the safest bet. We don’t recommend buying higher ticket items like vacuums or furniture from Temu.

3. Buy in Advance 

If you’re planning to buy things for a specific event like a birthday, or maybe Christmas stocking stuffers, we recommend placing your order as early as possible. While we’ve typically received our order within 10 days, we have heard stories about very long shipping times. Since the items come from overseas, it’s best to buy well ahead of time so you’ll have them when you need them.

4. Use Filters & Specific Search Terms 

There is so much to look at on Temu and you can quite literally lose hours of your life by browsing. To save time, use a specific search to narrow down the items. For example, if you know you want a new water bottle, try a search for “pink 40oz tumbler with handle” instead of just “water bottle”. This will help you view items that you’ll actually like instead of stifting through thousands that you don’t.

5. Search for “Local Warehouse” Sellers to Get Your Items Faster

You can now filter your search on Temu to only include items that are at a local warehouse. These items ship from a warehouse that is relatively close to you, so you can expect to get them within 4-7 business days. These items typically cost a little bit more than some of the items coming from elsewhere, but they’re still often less than similar items on Amazon. Shopping Temu in this way gives you a little more peace of mind if you’re concerned about long shipping times.

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