Is Temu Safe?

With the tagline "Shop Like a Billionaire" Temu has certainly given itself a lot to live up to. Designed to imply that prices are low enough that you can buy whatever you want without feeling the impact on your wallet, the phrase has garnered plenty of interest. Not all opinions have been positive, however, and many have been left wondering about the legitimacy of the site.

The intrigue was heightened by Temu's massive advertising push when it burst onto the scene, and it certainly managed to quickly get a lot of eyes on the platform all at once. This led to what was both a controversial and interesting debut, but the question remains, can it back up the promises it's making?

Temu is one of the newest discount online retailers to pop up, debuting in the U.S. in September 2022. This online marketplace promises cheaper, faster online shopping, spurring its quick growth. Claiming to be headquartered in Boston, the Chinese retailer has expanded into markets including Canada, the UK, Australia, Mexico, Japan, and more. 

Since its launch, Temu has developed a bit of a reputation and the response has been quite divisive. It is also arguably one of the most controversial shopping sites circulating at this point in time. Having said that, the platform continues to skyrocket. It was the No. 1 free shopping app (on Google Play and Apple) in July last year, surpassing Amazon, Walmart, and Shein.

Promising low costs and fast shipping, Temu does somewhat live up to its tagline, but that doesn't mean it's all sunshine and rainbows.

Temu has copped a lot of heat for the data it collects and the fact that its parent company, PDD Holdings, is based in China. In fact, some have claimed the app is designed as spyware rather than an online shopping platform. We won't comment further on the specifics of these claims, as we're not legal professionals in this area. What we will say, however, is that the same can be said for many popular apps.

The biggest concern here is multiple reports of banking or credit card information being sold or leaked after use on Temu. People have taken to social media to warn others after noticing unfamiliar charges or withdrawals.

If you want total privacy, it's probably best to steer clear. Temu requests the same permissions as many other apps, and while this is quite invasive, whether or not it's a red flag is up to the individual.

Significant concerns have also been raised about the number of complaints placed regarding orders never arriving, as well as the quality of goods that do arrive.

In terms of whether or not your order will arrive as described, Temu certainly falls into the buyer beware category, but that's no different from any other bargain basement online retailer. As long as you check the reviews and follow our tips for shopping “like a billionaire,” your order should show up how you're expecting it to. This is still not a guarantee, of course, and it's important to remember that you get what you pay for. 

The platform also offers reasonably fast shipping given the price point, and could be a good choice if you're looking for an extra guarantee in this regard. This is because Temu promotes that it will give customers a credit if their parcel arrives after the stated time, so you usually don't have to worry about when things will arrive.

The pricing on Temu may appear too good to be true, but generally the price advertised is what you'll pay. Promises of free items, however, always come with a catch, and can be quite hard to achieve, so take these offers with a grain of salt. The built-in games also take a lot of time and effort to get anywhere with, so it probably isn't a good idea to pin your hopes on scoring the massive discounts that it promises.

Having said that, the platform regularly offers discounts which bring pricing down even further than face value, and those can usually be trusted. These discounts are often significant, but it should be noted that they come with a time limit, and are clearly designed to create a sense of urgency and get you to place an order quickly. 

Of course, as is the case with Shein, it’s important to consider the ethics of a platform like Temu. It likely follows the same rule as some other online retailers—that is, for a product to be priced so low, something (be it Temu's workers or the environment) is possibly being exploited.

It is also worth noting that Temu has a minimum purchase amount which, in our research, appears to go up with each order, so this is something to be aware of when shopping. The standard initial minimum seems to be either $10 to place an order or $20 to get free shipping—we think it's a good idea to not exceed this too far on your first order so you can get a feel for the types of products you'll be receiving.

If you decide the potential risk is worth the savings, follow our tips for safer online transactions before you start "shopping like a billionare."

1. Limit your expectations. While products are generally quite cheap, you certainly get what you pay for. In most cases, expecting high quality goods is going to leave you disappointed, although most items are reasonable. Products are generally sourced direct from whoever makes them, but there are also plenty of options on the site that appear to be knockoffs of well-known brands. The jury is still out online as to whether these products are genuine, but it is safest to assume that they're not. 
2. Check the reviews. Reviews are your best friends and you'll want to check them closely before committing to a purchase. If buying clothing, we strongly recommend checking measurements rather than selecting garments based on size, and choosing a size slightly larger than you need is advisable.
3. Use a safer form of payment. We've seen enough rumors about people's financial info getting into the wrong hands after shopping on Temu, that we recommend using a temporary virtual card number (most credit cards and even some banks easily supply these). These temporary numbers make it easy to track where data got hacked and it protects your actual funds from being accessed. You could also use a service like Afterpay, that lets you buy now and pay later.
4. Deliver to a safer location. You can ditch porch pirates and scammy websites by using a delivery locker depot or a P.O. Box for delivery instead of your home address. That helps you share less personal data that could be leaked, sold, or used to steal your identity. 

So, is Temu a scam? That really depends on what you consider a scam to be.

As long as you're OK with sharing the data that the app requires and can grapple with the site's potentially questionable ethics, you can get cheap goods of reasonable quality in a relatively quick timeframe.

There are definitely more security-conscious options out there, but it comes down to personal preference as to whether it's worth having a look at what Temu has to offer.