Carolyn J. Braden • 4 Minute Read
Before You Shop Temu, Read This + Temu Fashion and Beauty
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I was first very skeptical of Temu, just like you may be. I saw the low prices and thought it must all be complete junk. I had an awful experience with Wish (the product arrived broken and was not what I even ordered, but they did give me a refund), so I assumed Temu would be the same. By mid-2023, I was getting more curious.
I kept getting comments on my Bogg Bag vs. Simply Southern article and YouTube video review from people about how they got an almost exact copy of the bag I talked about for $13 on Temu. I finally decided to place an order to see if the women were right about the Temu bag being so similar to the name brands. I ordered a cute clear green organizer and the knock off plastic beach bag, crossed my fingers and hoped it was all legitimate.
I love Temu hair bows
A couple of weeks later, my Temu package arrived and everything was surprisingly great. The organizer became a beautiful home to my perfumes and the bag was taken to the beach immediately and was, in fact, a great budget-friendly alternative to Bogg Bags or Simply Southern Totes.
I started browsing the app again, and well, Temu is now one of my favorite shopping apps. Read on to learn about some of my favorite fashion and beauty items and some tips I’ve learned from shopping on Temu. I also will discuss the Temu affiliate program and the Temu influencer program.
The Temu clip in hair bows are among my favorite products
Temu Pros and Cons
Temu Monetary Browsing Awards
As far as any complaints I’ve seen about Temu, I have not seen a lot. I’ve seen their business model (did you know they are currently based out of Boston, MA for the US?), which is to basically sell directly to a consumer from the manufacturer, so that’s how they keep their prices low.
I also clearly saw there is some psychology behind their business model, as they did a $0.02 app “reward” which applied to my account each time I opened the app for the first couple of months. This reward has now ceased for me, as I’m sure I met their app sign on quota. It’s a great sales tactic to get shoppers used to browsing a new app every day, as I usually got $0.06 a day by doing this, which covered some tax of my purchases.
I always receive compliments on my Temu google eye hair tie
Temu Spinning Wheels
I am not a fan of the spinning wheels on Temu, but I assume they did this because many people like to gamble or like a “gaming” factor. They have definitely done the research into the psychology of brains of those that like to shop, play games and more. A friend told me her friend is addicted to Temu, and because the spinning wheels are similar to gambling, I could see where this could happen.
Shopping is truly all about a delicate balance of marketing and psychology. What happens to your brain when you see ads is something I studied in high school and it is fascinating (and something you should be aware of!). Read more about how retail therapy is a “thing” that could be problematic to some people in an article by the Cleveland Clinic here.
My Temu onesie is super comfy
Temu Shipping Timeframe
The long shipping time frame has been a complaint by some Temu app users. Because the items are mostly sent from China, it does take a long time compared to sites like Amazon. But it’s worth the wait to me if something is considerably cheaper in cost than another company is offering it for.
I am not sure if many of the price points will stay low on Temu forever, but I do hope so. I think they have a great opportunity to sell to those who are looking to save money, as prices of clothes, food, houses and more just keep going up and up (yet many people’s paychecks sadly stay the same). I can also see some Amazon sellers lowering their prices to match Temu, which is a win for customers!
Temu Brands
Temu doesn’t have a lot of name brands…yet. That could be a deterrent for some shoppers, but I have seen some name brands, such as Fenty (a beauty brand by Rhihanna) and forsee that practice increasing as it gets more popular. Name brands can become sellers on Temu and as more and more people use it as a primary shopping app, I foresee more name brands listing on there as they have started doing on Amazon. Many brands also do this for places like TJ Maxx and Ross.
This oversize Temu sweater is so soft and comfy
Temu Pros
Pricing Research
Temu gives consumers a new app to research the cost of things. I wrote an article about money saving tips at Target that explains how I often use the Target app to compare prices to other companies. I now use Temu to do this before making a purchase as well. Many of the products I used to order on Amazon are now often found at a lower price on Temu. This is not always the case though, so research is necessary if you are trying to get the best deal. You should actually do this on all purchases if you can.
My dog, Johnny Cash, helping me model a Temu sweater
Makes Shopping Fun
Temu is fun. I love to find new products that can help make my life easier. Discovering new products that are budget friendly is actually enjoyable to me. If I find something I needed an love, I usually pass it along to my followers on social media or here.
Temu Affiliate and Influencer Programs
Temu has an affiliate program and Temu has an influencer program. I joined both and slowly learned all about them (as again, I was skeptical!). I have earned some money by sharing some of my Temu loves on social media and would recommend joining if you are a content creator like me.
Their support team sent me lots of communication emails during the process, which were helpful. Not all their education is clear about how to post, etc, and I’m very picky about that as I am a former teacher and Learning Designer, but I’m sure it’ll get better over time. They seem to want to get things right.
This pink sweater is great for weekend errands
Temu Affiliate Program
Link to the Temu affiliate program by clicking here. Their affiliate program works similar to others. You post an affiliate link to a product and if someone uses the link, you earn a small commission from the sale. You also currently earn $5 for each app download, which is really easy money! The person doesn’t even have to order anything for you to earn that.
Temu Influencer Program
Link to the Temu influencer program by clicking here. The influencer program gives you “seed” money to order products from a certain campaign. They send you the products and you create posts for YouTube, Instagram or TikTok (or all three) to earn more seed money. Free stuff is nice IF you find things in the campaigns you would use or need. I have done several campaigns that have gone decently and have helped me earn affiliate money too.
Creators should get paid for featuring brands in their content (it’s advertising and marketing work) and I am thankful Temu understands this. Paying creators can be cheaper than making a national commercial campaign.
I styled the pink sweater with jeans and a button down too
Temu Products I Love
Temu Hair Tools
If you only utilize Temu for one thing, or at least want to try Temu (it’s pretty awesome!), and you want to shake up your hair game, start with their hair products. If Temu had been around when I was a kid, I would have spent some of of my hard-earned house cleaning and babysitting money on hair bows because they are really affordable. The prices actually remind me of prices I saw when I was kid in the 1980’s, which is great. As an adult, I still love hair bows, especially ones that don’t hurt my head.
See my Temu ouch-free hair clip tutorial in my one minute video below:
I ordered a banana style bow clip from Temu and love it. It clamps my hair up via a v-shaped clamping comb and I can wear it all day in my half hair-up style and it does not fall or hurt my head. I also love Temu metal clip in bows.
They look really cute with a ponytail in half pulled up hair. At bows and hair items starting around $0.89, you’d think that they would not be good quality, but they are pretty great. I love their google eyed $0.89 hair tie and if I had a kiddo, I’d order them one in every color.
I’ve only had an issue with one of their small rubber band hair tie packs, which broke after one use, so I’ll stick to my Goody hair ties for now. I’ve ordered many bows and hats from Temu and they’ve all been great. One hat had a pearl that came unattached during shipping, but I glued it right back on. For the price, it was expected.
Though bright, this pink sweater is cute!
Temu Fashion
I love lightweight sweaters, and Temu has been a great resource for this. I am on a pink kick right now and found a rose gold loose knit sweater recently that is so comfortable. The bubblegum pink sweater I found is great for weekend errands, but can be dressed up for a casual work day. Their rainbow color block sweater makes me happy just to look at.
See me put some Temu fashion looks together in my short video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
I wanted a short onesie in 2022, but most I found were $30 or more. When I saw one on Temu for $13.99, I ordered it and absolutely love it. It’s pink, fuzzy, cozy and has a hood with cat ears which took the cute factor up even more. I normally wear a size medium, but I ordered a size large in this (I love oversize things to sleep in) and it was perfect.
I’ve ordered other sweaters and have loved them all. My husband ordered a pair of 1990’s looking pair of printed sweatpants and they fit him perfect. Temu has size charts which are very accurate, or at least have been in our experience.
See some of our Temu home loves in our YouTube video below:
Temu Kitchen + Home
I’ve ordered kitchen supplies and more things that I’ve wanted, but put off because of the price, but Temu often hits my price point just right, and with free shipping, I have ordered things that have helped me cook with ease. I love my hands free strainer so much!
My craft game has exploded into something great too as many of the craft items are very well priced too. We ordered my husband a magnetic tool wristband (as his got destroyed during our Hurricane Ian experience) which was exactly like his old one and cheaper!
So, if you haven’t ordered anything from Temu yet, we cannot promise you’ll have exactly the same great experience as us (things happen, but their customer support is great!) but we truly have enjoyed saving money and having fun looking at cool products.
The next time you are looking for home décor, clothing, kitchen tools, hair products, makeup or more, download the Temu app and try it out! They also offer free returns, price adjustments, are working towards using sustainability practices, so it’s all risk-free!
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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.