We used to head to department stores if we wanted to shop for everything from clothes to household goods and games. As the internet makes it easier to shop from home and gives us access to more products at better prices, sites like Shein have become incredibly popular.
But now there’s a new store on the block. Temu launched in the US in September 2022 under PDD Holdings and hit a promising start; achieving #1 in the Google Play Store in just a few weeks. PDD Holdings is one of the largest multinational commerce groups, handling 61 billion orders in 2021.
Temu has access to PDD Holdings’ incredible network of over 11 million suppliers, so you may be wondering if they can offer you a better experience than Shein. Let’s compare the 2 sites so you can decide which one should be your go-to shopping app or site this holiday season.
Temu vs. Shein: Range of Products
Let’s start by comparing their range.
Temu adds thousands of curated new products every day across hundreds of categories at seriously impressive prices. As we said above, Temu is part of PDD Holdings, so Temu has access to its network of 11 million small business suppliers.
Shein offers clothing and household goods, with a few other things like stationery thrown in. You won’t find any furniture or other more substantial items in their product listings. They reportedly have around 600,000 items and 200 suppliers, so their range is much smaller than Temu’s.
Temu vs. Shein: Where Products are Sourced
Both sites sell products made by partner suppliers, so it’s good to know which products are being sold by which supplier so you can buy from the ones you like.
Temu links to the supplier on the product page, right below the product’s name. It also tells you how many other people have bought the item, and how many products that supplier has sold through Temu overall. Each merchant on Temu has their own store page.
Shein does not tell you which supplier sells a product.
Temu vs. Shein: Shipping
Temu offers free standard shipping on almost allorders, plus free express shipping on all orders over $99. Free shipping on any order means it’s cost-effective to just grab those few little things you need from time to time.
Shein also offers free standard shipping, but only on orders over $29. They also offer free expedited shipping on orders over $129.
Temu vs. Shein: Late Delivery Policy
Temu has a great late delivery policy, which is pretty unusual for any company. If your standard shipping delivery is late, they’ll give you a $5 credit which you can use for your next purchase. For express shipping deliveries, they’ll give you a $13 credit if your order arrives late. Not bad!
Shein does notoffer any late delivery credit.
Temu vs. Shein: Returns
Knowing how a company handles returns is an important consideration before you buy, as you don’t want to be stuck out of pocket because they don’t allow returns or make it inconvenient for you to make a return.
Temu makes it easy to make a return, offering your first return on any order for free within 90 days.
Shein offers a free return within 45 days.
Temu vs. Shein: Care for the Environment
We all know that there are pros and cons to buying things online, but getting the product from door-to-door requires a lot of energy, and that creates carbon emissions which negatively impact the planet.
If you’re an environmentally conscious person, you’ll want to ensure you’re doing your part for the planet, and if that’s the case, Temu is the only smart choice for you. Temu is one of the first companies to offset carbon emissions for every delivery made on their platform.
Shein does not offset carbon emissions for their deliveries.
For me, there’s a clear winner here – Temu! They’ve got a great range of products at great prices. They care about their customers, and they are finally marrying low costs and convenient products with more eco-friendly practices. Ready to shop there for yourself? Click here to try Temu now, or download the Temu app on your phone.
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