What Is Temu? How Does It Work? Is It Worth Buying?

What is Temu, an e-commerce site that is becoming popular? Here is a practical guide to understand how it works and its policies on deliveries, returns, and refunds.

Temu is one of the most talked about online platforms of recent times. What makes it very interesting are its claim – “buy like a billionaire” – and its characteristics, which in some ways make it similar but at the same time different from companies already present on the market, such as Wish or Aliexpress. Let’s see what it is, how it works, and all the other most crucial information.

What Is Temu?

Temu is an e-commerce platform owned by the Chinese company PDD Holdings. Born only in 2022, Temu, whose name is an acronym that stands for team up, price down, literally “team up, and prices go down has quickly climbed the rankings of the most downloaded apps on both the Apple Store and Google Play since it allows you to make purchases at very competitive prices thanks, for example, to the coupons and discounts it makes available.

Many things have been said about it: some complain about the poor quality of the products, and some have raised doubts regarding the ethics of the prices. What everyone seems to agree on—for the moment—is the delivery resistance, which is equally valid. The products that can be purchased from China are very varied: electronics, household products, clothes, accessories, gadgets, etc.

Their main feature is the price; it often happens that the cost of the products available is significantly lower than the market average. For example, on Temu, it is possible to find smartwatches under 30.00 euros, while on other platforms, the price for this type of product is significantly higher.

How Temu Works

Temu is a platform based on dropshipping, meaning that those who sell on it are not necessarily manufacturers but can also be resellers who put products made by others on the market. Temu’s strong point is the ability to sell highly varied goods at competitive prices, so much so that they seem surreal. The rapid diffusion of the platform is also due to a combination of strategies and marketing moves that the company has chosen to make, such as those linked to diamonds and coins.

These can be obtained in multiple ways, such as through minigames occasionally available on the platform, and can be used to get coupons. Among those available, the simplest and most profitable method is inviting friends to sign up to obtain diamonds. These have no value in themselves, but once accepted, they can be exchanged for coupons that can be used to make “free” purchases.

To obtain diamonds, you must invite non-registered users, asking them to enter the temporary code you provide them. This is sometimes different; it changes every 24 hours. Furthermore, Temu’s strategy is based on increasingly lowering the prices of the most successful products. The more people buy a particular object, the more its cost decreases, making it even more potentially attractive. To pay, obviously, in addition to the vouchers obtainable on the platform, it is also possible to use other methods, such as debit and credit cards from the primary circuits.

Temu Delivery Times

Regarding product deliveries, Temu has specific policies in this regard. As stated on the site, order processing takes approximately 1 to 3 days. Once the order has been processed correctly, the time to receive the products may vary depending on the shipping method you have selected: standard shipping (which is free) takes from 5 to 14 days.

The express one, on the other hand, costs 6.90 euros but only takes 3 to 8 days to receive your order. This can be tracked from the time of receipt to delivery directly on the platform. If there is a problem with delivery, you can report it within 90 days of making your purchase.

How Temu’s Return Procedure Works

If the products purchased on Temu do not meet your needs, they can be returned following a simple procedure listed on the company website. To be returned, products must have been purchased within the previous 90 days at most, accompanied by the complete set with which they were sold, and, if they are clothes, must not have been worn.

Some products, such as freebies, are included in the “non-returnable” list; however, they are a minority. Furthermore, as stated on the site, making changes to purchases is impossible. If you select a product and want to replace it, you must return it and proceed with another order. To make a return, log in to your Temu account, go to the “Your orders” section, select “Return/More Help,” and follow the instructions.

After printing the return request, you can download the label from the site to apply to the box of the product you intend to return and send it. The first return for each order is complimentary, while the cost for subsequent returns is 4.00 euros. The label can be found in the “Returns” section on the platform. To ensure that the return is triumphant, it is necessary to send the relevant package within 14 days from the moment the request was made.

How Do Temu Refunds Work?

Once you have sent a product purchased on Temu to make a return, it is time to understand how you intend to receive your credit. This can be provided in two ways: through Temu credit, i.e., vouchers that can be spent on the platform, or through actual money, which can also be spent elsewhere.

For the first option, only a few minutes are needed, while in the second case, it can take 5 to 30 days; much depends on the credit institution you rely on. It is also necessary to remember that Temu requires sufficient time to carry out checks relating to the package that has been sent before obtaining the credit connected to the return.

Is It Worth Buying On Temu?

The right question to ask in this case is whether it is worth buying on Temu, but rather what is worth buying. As regards the question, given the meager prices, the answer is yes. However, since it is a vast marketplace where anyone can sell, it must be considered that poor-quality products may be hidden behind desirable prices on equally attractive products.

Of course, the possibility of requesting refunds and making returns is comforting; however, to save time and energy, it is advisable to carefully choose what you purchase, preferring, if possible, simple products that have a low price but are realistic at the same time, and avoiding, for example, hi-tech products that cost a few euros.

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