Personal Finance Tips

What is Temu? Is it legit in the UK and how does it work?

Gert Svaiko

06.11.23 (updated more than 1 year ago)

Read time 3 minutes

If you shop online and love a good bargainit’s likely that you’ve heard of Temu.

Temu is an online shopping app which has become super popular in the UK and in other countries including the USCanadaAustralia and New Zealand. Temu offers goods of all kinds shipped directly from Chinese factories and warehousesat heavily discounted prices.

But with prices so lowit’s only natural to wonder - is Temu legit and safe to use? As with anything where it seems too good to be trueit’s sensible to be cautious before handing over your card details. In this guidewe’ll look at what Temu is and cruciallyhow safe it is to use.

Table of contents
What is Temu? Is Temu a legitimate site? How does Temu work? Is Temu safe to buy from in the UK? Does Temu really give free items? Does Temu ship purchased items to the UK? How long does Temu take to ship items to the UK?

What is Temu?

Temu is an online shopping marketplaceavailable both on the Temu website and dedicated mobile app.

It’s based in BostonMassachusetts in the US,¹ but also has a headquarters in DublinIreland.² The company is owned by PDD Holdingswhich was founded by Chinese billionaire Colin Huang.¹ In the UKTemu’s legal entity is called Whaleco UK Limited.³

Temu is an ecommerce site like any otherexcept that products all come directly from China and prices are super low.

Is Temu a legitimate site?

Temu appears to be a legitimate sitewith real products that will arrive if you order them. Product quality may varylike with a number of other discount retailersand you won’t find name-brand tech products listed on Temu.⁴

Howeverthe company has been embroiled in a few controversies since it started to become popular. Over in the U.Sthe government has accused Temu of posing a potential data riskand has also alleged that the company isn’t complying with laws over forced labour. So for some shoppersthere may be an ethical quandary about using the site.⁴

How does Temu work?

From the shopper’s perspectiveTemu works just like any other retail website. You browse categories or search for a particular productadd it to your basket and check out. Temu sells a vast range of productsso you can buy everything from car accessories to clothingelectronics to furniture.

HoweverTemu is a little different to other similar retailers out there. It connects customers with manufacturers rather than brandsand they ship products directly from Chinese warehouses and factories to customers in the UK. This is one of the reasons that Temu’s prices are so low. The only snag is that sometimes it can be difficult to get detailed information on who you’re actually buying from.

Is Temu safe to buy from in the UK?

Temu should be safe to buy fromas it offers the following security features:

HTTPS encryption on the Temu website
Safe payment methodsincluding Google PayVisaMastercard and PayPal⁵
Temu Purchase Protection Programwhich offers a full refund if your item isn’t deliveredisn’t as described or arrives damaged.⁶

Like other companiesTemu does collect customer data. Soyou’ll need to check its data and privacy policy carefully to make sure you’re happy with how it uses your data.

You can also check out Temu’s reviews on sites like TrustPilotwhere it has a current score of 3.3 out of 5 based on over 8,500 UK reviews.⁷

📚 Read more: Virtual debit cards you can open in the UK

Does Temu really give free items?

Along with a number of discounts and special offersTemu also offers the chance to win free items. The offers for Temu free items can varybut generally involve promoting the app on social networks and getting others to sign up.

Does Temu ship purchased items to the UK?

Yessellers on Temu do ship to the UK. What’s morestandard shipping is free on almost all orders. If you want express deliverythere’s a fee of £9.⁸

As items are being shipped from as far away as Chinayou will need to wait a little longer compared to ordering from a UK-based company. We’ll look at average shipping times with Temu next.

How long does Temu take to ship items to the UK?

Temu delivery isn’t quickdue to the distance involved in shipping items from China all the way to the UK.

Standard shipping takes anywhere between 6-14 business days. If you pay the £9 fee for express deliveryyour order will arrive between 3-8 business days. There’s also the option to choose Click & Collectwhere your order will arrive at the collection point between 6-11 working days.⁸

Once your order has been confirmedyou’ll receive an estimated delivery time from Temu.

And there you have itan at-a-glance guide to what Temu ishow it works and whether the shopping app is safe to use in the UK.

We’ve looked at everything from who owns the company to what security measures it uses. Soyou should have all the info you need to decide whether Temu is right for you.

And when shopping anywhere onlineit’s always smart to take precautions to protect yourselfyour money and your data. For exampleyou can use virtual cards to help you shop safely online - like the Wise digital card.

Please see the Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise fees & pricing for the most up-to-date information on pricing and fees.

Sources used for this article:

The Standard - What is Temu?
CNBC - Tech giant PDD Holdings moves headquarters from China to Ireland
Temu - Terms of use
ZDNET - Is Temu legit? What to know before you place an order
Temu - Temu’s Story
Temu - Purchase Protection Program
TrustPilot - Temu.com
Temu - Shipping info

Sources checked on 23-Oct-2023.

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