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[Misc] Has anyone used temu or Ali express?



Dave the OAP

Dave the OAP

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
46,711
at home
As probably most people, I get bombarded with adverts for these

there seems to have stupidly cheap prices on decent stuff


anyone used them?
 




B

BevBHA

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2017
2,323
We’ve used Temu. All goods seem to be ok. Just be wary of the scale for sizing in pictures. We’ve brought a few kids toys for the little one that look large and have come and been tiny (not complaining as the price often reflects) so just read descriptions more than we did!
 


M

maffew

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2003
8,988
Worcester England
Yes temu is ridiculously cheap, the kids get loads from there,stickers, beads, stationery, storage... it's not bad stuff to be honest. Eldest is doing OK reselling bracelets she makes and stickers etc to school friends, getting a decent ROI and making some good pocket money!
 








Official Old Man

Official Old Man

Uckfield Seagull
Aug 27, 2011
8,984
Brighton
Not sure if this is still true, but explains why an item can cost less sent from China than posted in the UK.
"....a little known international postal treaty that requires the Royal Mail to deliver packages that arrive from China at a fraction of the cost that it normally charges.

Under the agreement China is classed as a developing country alongside Gabon, Kazakhstan and Cuba and is entitled to a huge subsidy on the cost of delivering all packages. The exact amount of the subsidy is classed as "commercially confidential information" but it is understood that Chinese retailers are able to send lightweight packages within the UK for as little as half a pence each. The cheapest stamp for sending a letter in the UK is 56p.

The system is beneficial to Chinese retailers because it is based on weight rather than total number of packages. This means that they can send thousands of small and lightweight packages via China Post to the UK to fulfil online orders and pay per kilogram. The cost of this subsidy is paid for by UK consumers in higher stamp prices.
 


herecomesaregular

herecomesaregular

We're in the pipe, 5 by 5
Oct 27, 2008
4,610
Still in Brighton
Sorry, it's the Sun but even so:

www.thesun.co.uk

Shopping on Temu? Beware toxic materials in kids clothes & lack of safety checks

WITH bargain prices at massive discounts, Chinese online marketplace app Temu has taken the world by storm. Its products — which can be as cheap as £2.80 for a rucksack — are often a third of the p…
www.thesun.co.uk www.thesun.co.uk

My friend has bought all sorts of shite from Temu, mostly made with very thin, brittle plastic. Certainly wouldn't trust any electronics, kids items or dogs toys from the stuff of hers I've seen. Potentially dangerous. They also sucker her in with promos, "games" and special offers. She's almost addicted to the app.

Aliexpress, I've found better quality - used them for a Redmi phone years back and recently phone cases and a tactical torch. All decent.
 






dadams2k11

dadams2k11

ID10T Error
Jun 24, 2011
5,021
Brighton
I have spent loads with Ali Express and the better half has spent money on Temu.

I honestly can't complain with anything I have purchased from Ali Express. I purchased a Android touch screen for my Beamer and it works a dream, along with many tools and Annke vision CCTV for nearly a third of the price. All installed and works perfectly.

DHgate do good football shirts as well, but not purchased anything else from them.
 


Coldeanseagull

Coldeanseagull

Opinionated
Mar 13, 2013
8,279
Coldean
Use both regularly, for electronic components, garden solar stuff and 3D bits, plus other such items as hand tools and attachments, kitchen gadgets and general tat.
Can't fault anything I've got
 


S

Shropshire Seagull

Well-known member
Nov 5, 2004
8,733
Telford
Got a golf ball retriever and cleaning cloth from Temu for Fathers day presents - not used either in the field yet.

I do try to make a point of avoiding anything "made in China" but on price alone it's getting harder.

Bought 2 DFS sofas in Feb - made / built to order and shipped from China - I would imagine the boat fare was as much as I paid in full.
Arrived 17 weeks after date of order. Quality seems okay (so far).
 




Gabbiano

Gabbiano

Well-known member
Dec 18, 2017
1,691
Spank the Manc
Weren't there rumours of Temu being used as a massive data scrape for the Chinese government, particularly through the app which had a load of activity monitoring elements and security failings that an ordinary shopping app shouldn't have? Similar accusations have been thrown around for Shein and Huawei. And proven for the Chinese security tech companies like Hikvision.

I don't know how true it is or whether it's all just conspiracy theories. But the goods seem to be absurdly cheap, and Temu came from nowhere to be a huge marketing presence overnight, and we know that the Chinese government isn't beyond these tactics. I wouldn't trust them.
 


Justice

Justice

Dangerous Idiot
Jun 21, 2012
20,430
Born In Shoreham
Shropshire Seagull said:
Got a golf ball retriever and cleaning cloth from Temu for Fathers day presents - not used either in the field yet.

I do try to make a point of avoiding anything "made in China" but on price alone it's getting harder.

Bought 2 DFS sofas in Feb - made / built to order and shipped from China - I would imagine the boat fare was as much as I paid in full.
Arrived 17 weeks after date of order. Quality seems okay (so far).
Click to expand...
DFS are basically drop shipping. You could probably find the same sofa on DH gate at a fraction of the cost yourself. Or compete with DFS online.
 


Zeberdi

Zeberdi

“Vorsprung durch Technik”
NSC Patron
Oct 20, 2022
6,460
BN41Albion said:
Absolute shit, mostly shipped from China on order, environmentally awful. These kind of companies certainly play their part in the reason we've no chance of saving ourselves from climate change
Click to expand...
Indeed.

Ironic really that all those calling for JSO to campaign against China etc and not in Uk because they are the world’s biggest contributors to greenhouse gasses seem to conveniently forget that over 26% of China’s CO2 emissions are from manufactured goods destined for the export market and China is the UK’s largest importing partner.

It’s always someone else’s problem isn’t it.
 




BadFish

BadFish

Huge Member
Oct 19, 2003
18,007
BN41Albion said:
Absolute shit, mostly shipped from China on order, environmentally awful. These kind of companies certainly play their part in the reason we've no chance of saving ourselves from climate change
Click to expand...
I watched a photographer guy on youtube talking about Macro tubes for cameras (Basically spacers to get your lens closer to the subject with more magnification). He suggested that you buy a few different sets from cheap sites like these and then simply keep the best and then throw away the ones you won't use.

Ironically I bought a set from a more reputable site and one of them doesn't work.
 


Happy Exile

Happy Exile

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Apr 19, 2018
2,101
I've used Aliexpress a lot and never had an issue. Most generic branded stuff on Amazon is resellers of Aliexpress goods with a massive markup. I've never bought electronics but bags, stationery, hobby stuff etc have all been great. I like to use a fountain pen and have some relatively expensive ones but one of the best and nicest to use came from Aliexpress for less than a fiver.
 








Coldeanseagull

Coldeanseagull

Opinionated
Mar 13, 2013
8,279
Coldean
Look, if European sellers could produce the same goods for the same price, more people would use the more local sites. Why should I pay four times the price for something just because a bunny hugger say China is abusing the planet?
It really pisses me off when people go all Thunberg on issues like this....I'll become more environmentally aware when the alternative is financially viable
 


schmunk

schmunk

VAR is a net positive
Jan 19, 2018
10,258
Mid mid mid Sussex
Justice said:
DFS are basically drop shipping. You could probably find the same sofa on DH gate at a fraction of the cost yourself. Or compete with DFS online.
Click to expand...
The more expensive DFS sofas are (or at least were a few years ago when I met their Finance Director) still made, or at least assembled, in the UK.
 


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