[imagesource:befunky]

Lately, my social media feed has been flooded with Temu adverts.

At first, I thought my algorithm must have had a stroke after reading one too many Fox News articles, but after Temu adverts reportedly ‘blitzed’ viewers during the recent US Super Bowl (brought to you by Taylor Swift), it seems I’m not the only one who is wondering whether the e-commerce site is legit, or just another scam.

Following the Super Swift Bowl, Temu’s app shot up to second place among the most downloaded free apps on Apple devices – according to Apple’s ranking this Monday. A very shallow internet-dive into the company will however reveal that there are some concerns about this seemingly bargain shopping site.

The platform sells competitively priced versions of everything from sneakers to jewellery to drones. However, Temu has faced concerns about customer dissatisfaction, data risks and lax oversight over the potential use of forced labour in its supply chain.

In a statement to Time Magazine in 2022 about its operations, the company said its low prices are made possible by a “deep network of merchants, logistic partners and [Pinduoduo’s] established ecosystem built over the years.” In the same year, they also claimed that they have “zero tolerance” for forced labour practices, so the prices are ostensibly not kept that low by using children to cut down on costs.

But with adverts like the one below, is it unreasonable to feel the tingle of a scam running up your spine when you’re scrolling through Instagram?

The last time I paid R64 for a pair of shoes was in 1987, so the only part of this ad that I believe is the ‘Unbelievable’.

Launched in 2022, Temu is a US-based offshoot of Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo, which boasts one of that country’s most popular apps, selling a wide range of products to more than 750 million users each month, according to a 2022 earnings report.

Since many of Temu’s suppliers operate overseas, the company offers standard shipping times of up to 23 days, but if Google reviews are to be believed, customers often end up waiting months for their goods to arrive, if at all. The Better Business Bureau also slapped Temu with a C+ rating, noting 1,625 customer complaints closed in the past 12 months. So far, no good.

Since Temu is privately owned, the company does not regularly disclose details about performance, such as its scale and revenue, but the company ships tens of millions of packages each year from roughly 80,000 sellers who list products on its website.

Perhaps the biggest concern is that despite its “zero tolerance” for forced labour practices, some of the 80,000 suppliers they work with operate in countries and regions that have a very dubious reputation when it comes to forced and child labour. And since it’s still a private company, finding out where your R18 genuine leather handbag was made is nearly impossible.

Despite the origin of their products, there’s also a concern about the ‘fast fashion’ the company sells, as well as paranoid reports coming from the US about ‘spying’ through the apps (Yup, Fox News vibes).

Despite the ‘concerns’, you’ll most likely receive the products you buy from Temu, albeit a bit late and not as sexy-looking as it seemed on their fit models. There are however ethical issues that need to be raised over online sellers like Temu and Amazon, especially if you want independent, smaller businesses to survive. These mega stores are, according to recent data, squeezing smaller operators to the point of collapse.

To answer the original question, no, Temu is not a scam. If you’re happy to order a pair of shoes without being sure whose tiny fingers did the stitches, go for it. But just remember, every time you hit that ‘order’ button, a small clothing store shuts down somewhere.

If you can live with that, then buy the R64 boots.

[source:abc]