TEMU has boomed in popularity thanks to its cheap buys – but one shopper was left disappointed when their ‘bargain’ item arrived.
The shopper had been delighted thinking she had snapped up a grey £10 rug from the online retailer.
4
4
However, while the photo showed the rug filling the space alongside a bed, what arrived was rather disappointing in size.
The woman took to her @sagamuhairvendorstylist account to show the expectations vs reality.
She wrote on the video, which has gone viral with 33,000 likes: “POV you ordered from Temu.
“I can’t get over this.”
The woman filmed herself unboxing the rug when it arrived, and to her dismay the package looked tiny.
Unfolding it, she realised she’d accidentally bought a small rug that more resembled a bath mat.
The shopper insisted that the mishap wasn’t her fault, and said: “And I read the description well.”
It’s not the first time someone has been left shocked at their Temu delivery.
We recently shared how one woman was initially excited after spotting a bargain item for the beach on Temu, which was reduced to £1.
TikTok user @travel_mouse83 showed how she had bought a pink camping chair that had been reduced to £1.13 down from £7.
While the item looked like the photo when it arrived, she had made a massive mistake with her purchase.
Instead of buying a full-size camping chair, she had accidentally bought a tiny chair that would fit a Barbie doll.
She wrote: “POV when you buy your camping chair from Temu.”
4
To show the scale of her comical error, she zoomed out on the miniscule chair to show it next to a normal size one on the beach.
She said she had been “all excited” for her camping chair and what arrived was “not what I expected.”
Many people were left highly entertained at the shopping fail.
One said: “No stop ittt.”
4
Why is Temu so cheap?
TEMU exploded onto the scene in late 2022, with people all over social media raving about the low prices.
The company is a Chinese-owned digital marketplace – essentially an online shopping app where people are connected to the retailer directly while the app takes care of the shipping element.
The frenzy over the app is not completely unfounded either as it offers a wide variety of products, including fashion, make-up, electronics and furniture.
According to a report from the US House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Temu takes advantage of a trade loophole that allows the company to ship duty-free goods directly to the US.
The loophole is called the de minimis exception and it means they can ship goods valued up to $800 (£643) to the US without it being inspected or taxed by US customs.
Temu connects customers directly to manufacturers and only manages how the items are sent to customers.
It means Chinese vendors can essentially sell their products directly to customers and ship it without building a network of warehouses across the globe.
By doing this, they cut down on huge costs and ensure the product itself isn’t marked up extra.
While many of the products seen on the Temu app are from brands with extensive, original collections, many more are dupes of designer brands.