About Temu

Temu has been heavily promoted in the U.S. recently. It is essentially Pinduoduo’s U.S. version, focused on low-priced, good-value products. At the moment, Temu does not have warehouses in the U.S., so orders are generally shipped directly from China to the United States. Because of that, shipping does take some time. However, warehouses are reportedly being built, which should significantly reduce shipping times later on.

During this promotional period, Temu is also offering many perks for new users. Here’s a quick introduction.

Sign-up bonus

Right now, if you sign up for Temu through our referral link, you can receive 4 perks including coupons worth $100.

  • Free gifts
  • Within 1 hour of downloading the app, you can use a 30% off coupon
  • Flash sale

Shopping, shipping, and returns

Temu offers an enormous variety of products—far more selection than what you typically see on Amazon—especially kitchen tools, auto accessories, phone accessories, and more. Clothes and shoes are also inexpensive and come in many styles. Of course, when shopping on Temu, it’s best not to focus too much on brands; instead, judge product quality based on reviews and price.

I randomly clicked on a car seat cover set, and the price was $12.98. A similar-looking item on Amazon costs $26. That makes sense: on Amazon, many products like this are sold through FBA or stocked in U.S. warehouses, so shipping is faster, and Amazon also charges merchants substantial fees and storage costs. Temu, on the other hand, generally ships directly from China after you place your order, and Temu sets the pricing itself (which can vary depending on quantity and shipping), so the discounted price can be lower than on Amazon.

As of March 1, when I clicked to purchase this item, standard shipping was estimated to take 1-2 weeks and did not require a shipping fee.

If you choose Express shipping, delivery takes 4-11 days. If your order total is relatively small, you need to pay $12 for shipping; orders over $129 qualify for free shipping.

From a shipping and shopping-experience perspective, Temu is a good fit for items you do not need urgently, especially things that are hard to find in the U.S. or much more expensive here. If you care a lot about brands, then it is probably better to spend more and shop in physical stores. As mentioned earlier, Temu is also preparing U.S. warehouses, so presumably some popular items will be stocked locally in the future, which would greatly shorten shipping times.

As for returns, Temu is actually similar to Pinduoduo in that if there is a problem with the product itself, many cases are refund-only with no need to return the item.

Payment methods

Temu currently supports payment methods including credit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay. However, we do not recommend paying directly with your credit card. We have previously seen reports in groups of credit cards being used fraudulently after purchases on Temu. You can use services such as Privacy.com to generate virtual cards, which can help reduce the risk of unauthorized charges.

Referral rewards

Temu also has a referral program you can join. Referrers can earn $5 and 20% commission, and there are also extra tasks that can unlock additional rewards.

Sign-up links

Right now, if you sign up for Temu through our referral link, you can receive 4 perks including coupons worth $100.

Temu also has a referral program you can join. Referrers can earn $5 and 20% commission, and there are also extra tasks that can unlock additional rewards.