Temu is literally modeled after a casino so it would not surprise me. You "win" every time and at checkout a new lottery pops up telling you that you "won" and just need to add $20 with of stuff for $200 off! ( Given to you in 20000 seperate coupons of 1cent off - limited 1 coupon per order that all expire in 3 days )
AliExpress is no nonsense, I do think Temu is good for like... Cheap Plastic Tupperware containers, if you don't mind Chinese chemicals seeping Into your food.
This is true. I do have Temu and bought a few things. This is what I can attest:
- Men's shirts, if they are 100% cotton, are surprisingly well-made. I buy fandom related ones and while the ink will fade quickly, the material is thick and durable. Women's clothing tends to be acrylic or polyester; it's hard to tell whether it's the type that is soft or the stuff that itches. I got one top for dirt cheap as part of those promotionals and I lucked out. It's like a bathing-suit style halter top meant for the summer.
- Pens. Your basic pens with Sanrio characters are well done, too.
- Notebooks/journals. They have some gorgeous art deco ones with more variety than Amazon.
- Costume jewelry. I got this one necklace I adored and one of the rings the lobster claw hooks on snapped off (another wasn't even attached). As they are dirt cheap costume jewelry (I paid $5 or so for them) I fixed them with rings I had leftover when I used to make beaded jewelry of my own. They do have some fancier, higher end costume jewelry such as pearls with witch hats - they're supposed to be ghosts - that are absolutely adorable. If you want actual freshwater/akoya/keshi pearls, eBay does have a few sellers that have pieces under $100.
- Charm bracelets. I used to get them off eBay from a few Chinese sellers; they were Pandora knockoffs. They used to be $6 back in 2018 and are now over $30. Some are under $10 and some over.
- Blankets there are roughly the same ones you find on Amazon. Sometimes even the same brand. Just examine the thread count and fabric and you should be fine.
Fashion wise, they had a few nice coats that looked better than the ones I've seen in Walmart or other department stores. Just be sure to look at the material and compare. Also, be sure to look at the materials of these jewelry pieces, as one necklace I got from eBay I later got a warning saying the piece had cadmium in it. I had to dispose of it.
Other bits I've gotten from Temu are:
- Nendoroids. They have Resident Evil and Elden Ring ones and they are also well-made. I used to get them elsewhere, but one website shut down. Other figurines I've gotten from eBay.
- Stuffed animals/plushies. These really don't make a difference as the makers and materials are the same there as they are on Amazon, albeit without the huge markup.
- Some posters are there that are also pretty cheap. if you want good quality ones, eBay is where I go to get mine; they also jacked up the prices there, but if you want 'em, they're worth the money.
Furniture, I mostly get from Wayfair because the prices there aren't dissimilar from Temu. I've gotten some new bookshelves because my old one (really, wood pieces on a bracket because we couldn't afford one at the time) had water damage. All the shit is made in China anyways, so it doesn't really make a difference where you get it. I got some bed sets there and sheet sets when they had them on sale.
Edit: bookends! Temu actually has some really good ones. They're not flimsy either but 3D printed.
