Is Temu Legit? [2024] Review after spending $100 | Elisabeth McKnight (2024)

Have you ever wondered if Temu is legit? Looking for Temu reviews? Today I’m talking about my experience shopping on Temu and giving you all the tips on how to get things that are awesome. This post is not sponsored, but it may contain affiliate links.

Is Temu Legit: My shopping experience

Here’s what I ordered from Temu:

Just two weeks after I ordered my items a few of these have already sold out (especially the ones that were on flash sales). I have linked what is still in stock at the time of writing this. My whole order was about $100 with a discount code I found (by googling Temu discount code for your first order).

Lots of kids and baby clothes/ bubbles/ rompers:

• Blue ruffled baby outfit: so cute, would order again
• two piece baby shirt + shorts set: it runs big and baby will need to grow into it
• girls running shoes: they’re fine – will report back after my daughter has worn them
• girls “mamas girl” sweatshirt – better than the women’s sweatshirts but not fantastic
• 80 piece bow hair tie set – happy with this one
• 40 piece bow clip set – LOVE this set
• baby sunglasses – SO cute! and under $2

Women’s fashion

• Sunglasses – nothing exciting (although they did ship with my regular order even though they said “pre-order”
• no-show socks – these are fine – I won’t reorder but they’re fine
• ankle socks – these are fine – I won’t reorder
• Paris baseball hat – seems very cheap (not as good quality as Shein hats I’ve ordered)
• California sweatshirt – horrible
• crewneck solid sweatshirt – horrible
• women’s casual sneakers – not awesome but will wear them and report back

Some household items:

• cupcake liners – they seem fine but haven’t used them yet
• vegetable cutter set – smaller than expected but excited to use these for kids lunches
• heart shag rug – very cheap, would not recommend

Toys/ Kids items:

• animal stickers – these are cute and fine but hard for kids to get the backing off
• 3D sticker sheets – LOVE these, will reorder (great for keeping kids occupied on the airplane, goodie bags and additions to birthday gifts)
• plant stickers – fine
• wooden multiplication puzzle set – my son LOVES this, it is smaller than anticipated but it works and is very cute
• human anatomy puzzle set – smaller than anticipated
• pop-it crossbody bag – my daughter loves this and i love it for the $2.50 price tag (will reorder)

It took under two weeks for the items to arrive. Everything arrived together in one package (with lots of tape around the bright orange bag).

First impressions:

One of the first things I noticed was the smell. The shoes and some of the clothing items have a strong chemical smell. Some of the clothing items didn’t.

Some of the items were also much smaller than I was expecting. I should have been a little more diligent about reading the descriptions.

What I like about Temu:

The app and the website feel a bit like treasure hunting! After spending 20 minutes searching I ended up with 39039 tabs open and lots of things that had caught my eye.

I really like Temu for discovering new products. I found some fun kid toys I didn’t know we needed but we LOVE. There are lots of cute little organization things at much cheaper prices than you’ll find at Target.

I love the prices and the ease of seeing other suggested products when I find something I like.

I was also pleasantly surprised with the baby clothes. After it arrived, I washed everything before I put my baby in them. They are cute, comfortable, and SO affordable. The big winner was probably the full set of bow clips that would be 4x more expensive on Amazon.

I also appreciated their quick shipping time. When I placed my order the estimated delivery window was between the 8th – 16th and the package arrived on the 6th.

Is Temu a Chinese company?

Temu is incorporated in Delaware, headquartered in Boston, and owned by PDD Holdings, a Nasdaq-listed, multinational commerce group with its principal executive offices in Dublin, Ireland. While PDD Holdings also owns Pinduoduo, a social commerce app based in China, PDD Holdings itself is also not a Chinese company.

Temu is a US-based marketplace that allows global manufacturers, brands, and suppliers to sell directly to consumers around the world.

Is Temu Legit?

I know, a vegetable cutter for 50 cents seems like a scam. And a cute baby outfit for under $5?

Temu is able to offer products at lower prices because of its Next-Gen Manufacturing (NGM) model, which allows merchants to better match supply and demand. With better insight into consumer preferences, merchants are able to create more tailored products with the right specs and quantity. This allows for multiple areas of cost savings from production, inventory management, and marketing, which are all passed onto consumers in the form of low prices.

When it comes to Temu, you are usually paying for lower-quality, mass-produced items.

I think it can be great for things you don’t need to last forever. For example, I do NOT need a super high quality vegetable cutter to make cute shapes out of cucumbers for me kids (the 50 cent version works just fine). I also don’t need a $100 baby sweatsuit for the three months my daughter can wear it. But the sweatshirt I ordered? That I would like to be higher quality.

**I did pick the very cheapest adult clothing items to order so I might give them another shot and order a few things that are not the least expensive things on the site.

Temu Shipping

Temu is connecting Chinese businesses (or other global retailers) with American consumers so products are shipping from overseas. I placed my first order with Temu on March 29, 2023 and it arrived at my home in California on April 6, 2023.

Here is my Temu timeline:

• order placed on the 29th
• email received the 31st that my order was being packed
• email received 1st that my order was packed and awaiting shipping
• email received 1st that my order shipped
• package received 6th

How long does Temu take to ship?

Temu provides an estimated shipping time of 7 to 15 days for its products. This takes into account the time required for products to clear customs and inspection. These are just estimates and not guaranteed arrival times.

Where does Temu ship from?

Temu ships directly from global manufacturers.

Temu Sizing Guide

Because Temu is a marketplace for different manufacturers, it is important to read the individual sizing guides for each product. I ordered a variety of clothing items and the sizing was NOT consistent across different products.

For example, I ordered a few different baby items in the 9-12 months and some were much larger than others. It is similar to ordering baby clothes off of Amazon (different brands are different sizes and you need to know you correct size in each brand).

Okay, so TEMU is a legit site, but, how can you find really great items? With tens of thousands of items to choose from across so many categories, how do you find something you’ll love?If you’re looking for dresses, I went through and found the best dresses from Temu to order. For other things, follow these tips:

1. Read the Temu Reviews:

The BEST thing you can do to improve your experience with Temu is to read the reviews of items before you purchase. It is helpful not only to see if it has positive reviews, but to check the review’s comments about sizing, quality, material, and color.

You can find out if something is better quality, running small, or has issues with the quality upon delivery from the reviews. It is also helpful to look at the images uploaded and compare those to the product pictures. Sometimes colors are a little off from product images to the customer reviews are a must-check.

I’d generally caution against ordering something without a review – you can always try it but you won’t be sure what you’re getting until it arrives.

That said, you get some peace of mind with Temu’s Purchase Protection program, which actually offers full refunds if your items do not match the photos or descriptions, arrive damaged, or do not arrive.

2. Pay attention to the materials

If you’re ordering clothes, I recommend checking the type o fabric. If you’re ordering a toy, check to see what the material is (sometimes the images look like you’re getting a nice wooden toy and the thing that arrives is a cheap plastic). I don’t think you can always trust the product images so be sure to check the descriptions as well.

3. Stick with the Temu sizing measurements

Even if you’re usually an XS and you think the size guide must be wrong because on this top it’s telling you to order a L, believe the sizing guide. And remember, the sizes aren’t consistent across the site so keep your measuring tape handy and check the measurements for each item you add to your cart. It’s also helpful to check Temu’s reviews from customers about sizing.

Conclusion: Will I order from Temu again?

Yes, for some things.

I will steer clear of any women’s fashion items. Everything I’ve ordered from Shein has been better than the women’s clothes/shoes I got from Temu.

I will definitely be looking at little baby sets again. I’m already thinking about goodie bags for my daughter’s birthday party and think the little sunglasses would be a darling addition. Or maybe the pop-it purse as part of a birthday present for some upcoming parties we have? I will definitely be ordering stickers from them again and am open to trying some household organization things in the future.

Temu FAQ

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