Should you buy from Temu? Here's what happened when I ordered 6 super-cheap items
PLUS: Early Prime Day deals that are actually worth your time, like a Fire HD 10 tablet over 50% off and a 43-inch Fire TV for $99.99 (with invitation).
DISCLAIMER: Some of the links included herein are affiliate links (usually those in bold type), meaning if you make a purchase via one of them, I may get a small commission. I promise you, now and forever, that I won’t choose deals based on whether there’s an affiliate option available.
Happy holiday weekend, everyone! Here’s wishing you a safe and festive Fourth of July surrounded by friends and family. I’m grateful for the ones I have, and I’m grateful for all of you as well!
QUICK HITS
📱 Remember last week when I said Amazon tablets are a great value? This is what I’m talking about: For a limited time, Amazon Prime subscribers can get the Fire HD 10 (in Denim, Lavender, or Olive) for just $75, a 50% discount that matches the largest on record. Even better, if you pay with an Amazon Prime Visa card, you’ll get 10% cash back, effectively bringing your cost down to $67.50. That’s unreal for a tablet of this size and capability. Do I like the Fire OS interface? Not especially. Can I live with it? I can.
📺 Speaking of insane early Prime Day deals, Prime subscribers also have the option of requesting an invitation to buy an Amazon 43-inch Fire TV Omni Series for just $99.99. There are limited quantities available at that price, and I believe it’ll just be a random pick of who gets to buy, but it’s definitely an amazing deal. I like the lottery option better than the inevitable sold-out-in-60-seconds that typically accompanies these kinds of, er, Fire sales.
👨💻 People keep asking me when this deal is coming back, so I’m going to keep sharing it when it does: For a limited time (but obviously not the only time), StackSocial has the Microsoft Office Professional 2021 lifetime license for $29.99 — still the best deal I’ve ever seen for this suite. But there’s a new bundle option that’s arguably even better: Office Pro 2021 lifetime license, Windows 11 Pro, and Degoo Premium 1TB Lifetime Backup Plan (which effectively replaces the OneDrive storage you don’t get with the Office license), all for $79.99.
Temu review: Amazing bargains, questionable practices?
Last week I told you about Temu, a China-based online marketplace that’s lousy with cheap goods. To see what all the fuss was about, I ordered half a dozen items, fully expecting to wait 3-4 weeks for them to arrive.
They arrived in six days. From China.
Interestingly, the company promises a $5 store credit if your order isn’t delivered within the specified window, which in this case was about 10 days. I received regular shipping updates via email, and in the end the parcel arrived earlier than those updates had indicated. Pretty good, Temu, pretty good.
But let’s talk about the stuff I bought, then talk about the company itself. Discussion is warranted.
3-in-1 Fast Charging USB Cable ($3.49): I find I can’t have too many of these things, and this looked unusually substantial, even a little industrial. And it is! Really meaty cable, little LEDs on each tip, cool color. Very happy with this so far. Verdict: Would definitely buy again.
Glow-in-the-Dark Pebbles 100pcs ($1.98): Neat little addition to the garden, I thought, but they’re nowhere near as large as they look in the photos (see my actual photo, above); they really are pebbles. You’d need a lot of them to create any kind of substantial glow-in-the-dark path or border. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to properly test these (because reasons), so no verdict. Hard to argue with $2/bag, though.
Portable Rechargeable Blender ($8.99): This looked a lot like the BlendJet 2 I reviewed a couple weeks ago, but for a fraction of the price. Guess what? A $9 blender performs like a $9 blender. It’s small, underpowered, and just about useless. I decided to return it (see below). Verdict: Awful, would not buy again.
Solar Firework Outdoor LED Light ($8.49): I’m a sucker for stuff like this, and the product didn’t disappoint — though I did have to take some time bending the wires into a symmetrical “firework” arrangement. I like the eight different lighting modes and unique look of the thing. Very cool. Verdict: Will likely buy more.
Solar Hummingbird Color-Changing LED Wind Chimes ($6.38): I’ve seen these all over Amazon, usually priced 3-4 times higher. They don’t “chime,” as they’re made of plastic, but they do look pretty and add a nice bit of evening color to our front porch. Note that they’re not quite as bright as the photo suggests. Verdict: Would buy again.
Sports Water Jug with Time Markers ($7.67): I’d been looking for a big jug for the pickleball court; this one seemed like a winner with its 1,500ml (about 50 ounces) capacity, built-in handle, and locking pop-up sip straw. So far I really like it, though it’s not insulated in the slightest; even the iciest water doesn’t stay cold for long on a hot day. Verdict: Would buy again.
Regarding the blender, I figured the return process would be a huge PIA, requiring special forms and probably a trip to the post office. But in this case it was incredibly simple; the only hassle was the need to upload a photo of the product. And in the end I was given the option of keeping the item and still getting a full refund — which was issued (back to my PayPal account) within minutes.
I’ve seen this on occasion with Amazon; sometimes if it’s a low-cost product, the shipping cost for the return isn’t worth it to the company. Needless to say, I’m happy with the outcome, but now stuck with a crappy blender I don’t want. To the donation pile!
So is Temu too good to be true?
If the goods are mostly, well, good, and returns are shockingly easy, what about the company itself? That’s a murkier question. Recent reports suggest a possible connection to forced labor — not by Temu itself, but rather its various supply chains. Temu has also been accused of skirting import taxes and avoiding customs inspections, which helps explain the faster-than-average shipping.
That’s all troubling, of course, but this is hardly the only company to face such allegations. Nike and Adidas have been in the news recently for similar reasons, and even Apple still faces controversy over the treatment of workers at its Foxconn factory in China.
Meanwhile, if you purchase the same goods from, say, Amazon instead of Temu, there’s still the very real possibility they came from unfortunate sources. (And let’s not forget some of the other problems with Amazon, just saying) That’s the harsh reality of a lot of commerce these days. I’m not saying it forgives it, merely that Temu isn’t alone in engaging in questionable practices.
To recap: I like what I’ve seen of Temu so far, and I may yet buy more things. That said, when I shop there, I can’t shake the feeling that someone somewhere is losing out.
Your thoughts?
Your next iPhone will probably have a USB-C port — and possibly a removable battery!
This isn’t really a deal thing but it demands discussion. Last year, the European Union passed legislation mandating that all phones sold in the EU have a USB-C port. For Apple, that means buh-bye, Lightning port. (Good riddance, too.) And if Apple has to manufacture USB-C iPhones for the EU, it will undoubtedly do so in the U.S. as well. Current-gen iPads have already gone that way.
Therefore, I’ll be stunned if the iPhone 15, most likely to be announced in September, doesn’t make the switch to USB-C. The EU law is supposed to go into effect toward the end of 2024.
But, wait, there’s more: A new EU ruling requires all smartphones to have user-replaceable batteries. This one doesn’t kick in until 2027, but it’ll be a game-changer for Apple, Samsung, and most other phone makers.
See, this not only forces significant design changes — can you imagine an iPhone or Galaxy phone with a hinged or removable back panel?! — but also alters the traditional phone-upgrade path. The number-one reason most people buy a new phone is to get a new battery. But if you can just swap in a replacement, that could mean a lot less revenue for Big Phone. (Hmmm… maybe this is a deal thing! You stand to get a much better return on your phone investment.)
We’ll have to see how all this shakes out, of course, but I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the matter.
While they’re at it, I wish Apple would let me replace the battery in my Apple Watch. Mine can barely last a day now; it seems ludicrous to buy a new one just to get a new battery. Hmmm…sounds familiar.
Thanks for reading Deal Secrets! Questions? Comments? Hit me up on Twitter or Facebook, or shoot me an e-mail. I’ll do my best to respond to all inquiries! Want to show your support? Buy me a coffee!
Even though it would be, among other things, a massive challenge to perserve water tightness and the dust/dirt issues this kind of design would have to face in real-world usage, the user replacement of batteries would be one of the most welcome features I could ever think of. Also, the USB-C port for iPhones should have been done years ago. I imagine a smartphone that can have a wide range of accessories attached seamlessly, as we have had for PCs and Macs for years.
He about a SIM card slot for memory cat. The price difference for more memory is crazy!