Some bargain gifts on Temu come at the cost of quality

When NBC News tried out six products from the low-cost retailer that resembled name-brand counterparts, only half performed as expected.

Bargain hunters are driving this year’s holiday shopping season, but not every low-priced option offers the best value for your dollar.

While the price wars heat up among major U.S. retailers, consumers are also looking to overseas sellers for affordable gifts. More than 1 in 5 holiday purchases will be made on shopping platforms based in China or with ties to the country, Salesforce predicts. Those include Temu, Shein, AliExpress and TikTok, which offer super-low prices that U.S. rivals have raced to compete with.

For customers chasing cheaper alternatives to name-brand products, the cost savings can entail tradeoffs in quality. Some children’s goods sold on Temu and Shein, for instance, recently raised alarms among safety authorities; the companies have said they support efforts to improve consumer protections and are focused on complying with regulations. Both firms originated in China and have extensive operations in Southeast Asia, and they’ve each exploded in popularity among American customers over the past year amid major marketing campaigns.

While Shein mainly sells apparel and accessories, Temu offers a vast range of products and has become one of the largest Chinese-linked sellers in the U.S. But when NBC News tried out several Temu items alongside their name-brand counterparts, the results were uneven.

NBC News looked at six products — a health tracker, a smartwatch, a pair of running shoes, a juicer, a hairstyling tool and an espresso machine — that together totaled $180 on Temu, a small fraction of the more than $1,000 bill for their name-brand equivalents.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/bargain-gifts-temu-come-cost-quality-rcna182807

---