Future Publishing/Contributor/Getty Photos
As Temu stays on the primary spot for high free apps within the Google Play and App Retailer, the app faces extra scrutiny from customers and lawmakers alike. Youthful consumers take to TikTok to submit Temu hauls and discover cheaper duplicates of fashionable objects they might not be capable of afford.
Additionally: Is Temu legit? What to know earlier than you place an order
For customers on a good price range, Temu’s ridiculously low costs is usually a tempting, inexpensive choice. However how and why is every part Temu sells so low-cost? There are a number of solutions to that query.
1. The de minimis exception
In keeping with a report from the U.S. Home Choose Committee on the Chinese language Communist Occasion, Temu depends on the de minimis exception to ship items on to U.S. prospects for a low worth. A cargo under the de minimis worth of $800 is not inspected or taxed by U.S. Customs.
Temu and one other Chinese language-owned e-commerce platform, Shein, are answerable for round 600,000 (about 30%) of all packages shipped under the de minimis worth to the U.S. each day. Consequently, every cargo evades taxes and inspections from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
Additionally: I attempted 4 tech merchandise from Temu. Here is the way it went
The Choose Committee’s report says that these firms depend on the de minimis provision to maintain their enterprise fashions. Nonetheless, by counting on the de minimis provision, Temu can evade compliance with the Uyghur Compelled Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and different legal guidelines in opposition to compelled labor.
In keeping with the Choose Committee, the Chinese language Communist Occasion, which is the ruling political get together in China, has subjected the Uyghurs, a minority ethnic group in China, to compelled labor practices. In consequence, the U.S. is making an attempt to reduce the importation of Chinese language merchandise produced from compelled Uyghur labor. Thus, the UFLPA prohibits delivery merchandise into the nation that the U.S. authorities believes had been made by Uyghurs.
But, merchandise shipped underneath the de minimis provision permit Temu to supply inadequate information to U.S. Customs and keep away from UFLPA compliance.
In keeping with the report, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol accepted greater than 685 million de minimis packages in 2022, leaving the federal government unable to confidently decide whether or not Temu and Shein complied with the UFLPA.
2. Low manufacturing prices
In keeping with Wired, Temu loses about $30 per order as a result of the corporate is making an attempt to dominate the U.S. market by providing lower-than-low costs. Temu loses between $588 and $954 million a 12 months due to its cost-cutting practices, in response to finance firm China Retailers Securities.
Moreover, Temu pressures its producers to decrease their costs even additional to appease discount-seeking prospects, leaving these producers with little to no revenue in return. Wired reported that Temu bears a lot of the firm’s worldwide delivery prices, however depends on American customers to regularly order from Temu to make up for cash misplaced.
Additionally: Temu vs. Amazon: Which purchasing web site is finest to your shopping for wants?
Temu’s producers can design and supply supplies to supply Temu with stylish objects rapidly, which helps Temu promote merchandise which can be in excessive demand. Though some producers wish to record their merchandise at increased costs to make a revenue, Temu makes the ultimate resolution and recurrently cuts costs.
3. Knockoff merchandise
Virtually each product on Temu is a knockoff or “dupe” of an actual, brand-name product. Most objects bought on Temu are unbranded and manufactured en masse by producers in China.
Additionally: I purchased some off-brand geeky stuff from Temu (and wasn’t mad about it)
Yow will discover “dupes” of many fashionable merchandise on Temu, from Stanley insulated tumblers to AirPods Max headphones — each for lower than $15.
Temu says it has direct entry to suppliers, eliminating the necessity for a intermediary between consumers and sellers. This financial mannequin is the one cause Temu acknowledges the way it retains its costs low, however a mixture of cheaply made merchandise shipped and manufactured at little to no price could possibly be a extra affordable rationalization.