Gaurav Rathore
His write-ups blend creativity, personal experience, and tailored technical advice, meeting reader needs effectively.
Don’t you agree that we all often shop online and put in extra effort to find the best deal possible? But, will you agree to the fact If I ask you to choose affordability over quality?
One of the most popular online marketplaces with such a reputation is Temu. Since its inception in 2022, this e-commerce platform has rapidly gained traction, offering everything from daily essentials to beauty products at surprisingly low prices.
Considering the fact that it is extremely cheap, there’s a never-ending debate on the topic, “Is Temu safe?” That said, let’s find out if Temu is safe and how can you ensure a safe shopping experience.
Is Temu safe??
— E.Muhammad (@chinkyface_) October 17, 2023
Quick Answer
Temu is viewed skeptically and considered unsafe because it is not accredited by BBB and offers products at surprisingly low prices. However, by following a few safety tips and staying alert, you can shop safely.
Temu is an online marketplace that offers a variety of products at affordable prices. The e-commerce platform has been growing rapidly since its reception in 2022. Moreover, it operates like any other e-commerce website like Amazon, i.e., you can shop from its official app or website and pay online.
The platform offers everything from daily household items to beauty products. What shoppers find exciting is that Temu offers all kinds of products and keeps the price surprisingly cheap.
Temu is owned by a Chinese company called PDD Holdings. Though Temu claims that it is based in Boston (US), the location of its parent company tells another story. Moreover, PDD owns several other similar sites, and one of them is Pinduoduo (I’ll come back to this later).
One of the reasons that contributes to both the popularity and disrepute of Temu is the price tag on items sold. I can give you two facts stating why Temu is so cheap. First is the fact that its manufacturing operations take place in China, the production is on a large scale, but the labor charges are pretty low.
Second, the corporation leverages the De Minimis Tax exemption law to save on taxes, which helps in keeping the products cheaper than other platforms in most cases.
Now, coming to the elephant in the room, is Temu a legit site or not? To answer this in short, I’ll say that it’s a legitimate platform. However, if I go into the details, a few concerns may raise an eyebrow.
Take a look at these points:
All-in-all, Temu is a legit website, but it totally depends on the quality of the product you receive and your experience.
Temu Controversy
Temu’s parent company, PDD Holding, also owns another similar site called Pinduoduo. A report by CNN stated that Pinduoduo spies on data stored on Android devices. Though the information was used to create a positive impact on sales and marketing, Google removed it from the Play Store. On the other side, the makers blamed a team of developers and fired them.
Some reports even state that these fired developers are now working with Temu.
Everything around Temu goes well until it comes to data-gathering practices. Many experts have claimed that after you install the app, it harvests more data than it needs to operate.
Michael McPherson of Reliaquest said:
“Not only the data you share, your personal data, but also the data that could be scraped from your computer.”
However, Temu guarantees the user’s data protection and uses the following safety measures:
The Purchase Protection Program offered by Temu is a refund system that you can consider if you’re unsatisfied with a product and would like to return it. Just make sure you return the item within 90 days, and you’ll get a full refund. Moreover, this program is pretty useful if your order:
Temu provides standard website security options when it comes to shopping online. But, by standard, it means the security factor would be the same as any other online marketplace like Amazon or eBay. All pages are HTTPS, and TLS and SSL are the encryption protocols used to process transactions.
Temu provides effective tips to stay clear of payment scams, phishing messages, cash app scams, and even on creating strong passwords.
However, if you’re still concerned about data theft and need more information about the data collected by the Temu store, proceed to the next section.
Yes, Temu collects user data, but it is accessed for crash logs and app diagnostics. So, once you install the Temu app, it will seek permission to give access to your:
The app itself states that the data used is for enhancing its functionality and is listed as “optional.” So, there’s no need to be worried about the data collection, but considering that Temu is owned by a Chinese firm that has a history of alleged privacy infringement, you must consider a few safety tips.
If you’ve decided to use Temu, but want to ensure your data’s security, you can consider the following tips:
First of all, you can read Temu reviews. Each vendor selling on the platform can receive reviews as per the services they offer. So, before placing the order, read the reviews. Also, if any vendor has a few reviews and all of them are positive, chances are high that those reviews are fake, and it’s best to avoid them.
Considering its reputation, Temu is known for its affordability rather than the product quality it offers. So, buying an affordable water bottle would be a better option than burning a hole in your pocket and buying a gaming console.
Having an account on Temu is mandatory, and as it involves online payment, using a strong password is highly recommended to keep your account and identity secure. When creating a password, make sure it is long, has at least 10 characters, and includes numbers, letters, and symbols.
It is better to avoid using credit/debit cards for Temu shopping. Instead, you must use trusted payment interfaces like PayPal for all transactions. You can even seek assistance from banks that offer one-time virtual cards that you can try so that no one can steal any information from your account.
It is advised to stay updated with Temu’s latest update and be aware of what’s going on with the e-commerce platform. Make sure that you’re alert enough to know all the new scandals or negative revelations revolving around this app.
Temu is totally worth it if you don’t need something urgently and are willing to purchase something affordable. Well, I suggest not going on a shopping spree and purchasing some expensive electronic items that you may regret later.
It’s not like the app is completely ignored by people, it has 39% 5-star reviews on Trustpilot. Nevertheless, comparing the prices and quality of other apps is always a beneficial option.
Yes, Temu is safe to use but lacks accreditation by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and is known for affordability, not quality.
The app uses your data to provide you with suggestions, but there’s no literal proof that it tracks you.
No, Temu is not a scam; it is a legit online shopping site that ships worldwide.
Yes, Temu is owned by a Chinese company PDD Holdings.
According to reviews, Shein offers better quality products than Temu.
