Temu is an amazing new ecommerce marketplace that briefly held the #1 spot in the Google Play app store after launching in September 2022. But even though they’ve had a promising start so far, they still have some tough competition to beat. One of those competitors is Shein.
So, what all their customers want to know is, how does Temu compare to Shein? What sets them apart?
The Differences Between Temu And Shein
Temu is different from Shein in five important categories: Product Sourcing, Shipping Policy, Late Delivery Policy, Return Policy, and Social Responsibility.
Keep reading for a breakdown of each category that compares Temu with Shein.
Product Sourcing
How Temu Works: Most shoppers like to know exactly where their product is coming from. Many of them want to support small businesses as well.
Temu supports smaller merchants and make it a point to list the merchants that each product is sourced from, no matter their size. This way, if a customer enjoys the product that was sourced by a particular merchant, they can always navigate back to their Temu store page and order from them again in the future.
This feature provides customers with a welcome transparency that is often missing from typical online shopping experiences.
How Shein Works: Shein doesn’t say where their product comes from, period.
Shipping Policy
How Temu Works: When ordering products on Temu.com or the Temu app, shoppers will automatically receive free standard shipping on almost all their purchases. If they order up to $99 worth of items, they’ll receive free express shipping.
How Shein Works: Shein offers free standard shipping to orders that total over $29. Their free express shipping is available to orders that exceed $129.
Late Delivery Policy
How Temu Works: Temu provides excellent customer service and free standard shipping. If a customer doesn’t receive their item by the expected delivery date listed on the “Your Orders” page, then they will receive $5 in credit (standard shipping) or $13 in credit (express shipping) to their Temu account. Think of it as Temu’s way of saying, “We’re sorry” for the delayed shipment.
How Shein Works: Shein doesn’t offer any kind of credit or gift if an order is delivered late.
Return Policy
How Temu Works: If a customer receives their order and isn’t satisfied with it for whatever reason, Temu is happy to offer free return shipping. In addition, they also offer full refunds within 90 days of the initial purchase.
How Shein Works: Shein offers free return shipping and full refunds, as well. But it’s important to note that they will only grant customers a full refund within 45 days of the initial purchase.
Social Responsibility
How Temu Works: Temu feels a responsibility to do what they can to be socially responsible. One of the ways they do that is by offsetting their carbon emissions to do their part for the environment.
To “offset carbon emissions” means to eliminate greenhouse gases in one part of the manufacturing and shipping processes to compensate for the greenhouse gases being emitted in another part. This practice reduces Temu’s overall carbon footprint, which is great for the planet.
How Shein Works: Shein doesn’t offset their carbon emissions.
The Verdict: Temu Comes Out On TopWhen it comes to all the important things – product sourcing, shipping, late delivery, returns, and environmental impact – Temu ranks higher than Shein.
But you don’t need someone else to tell you that! You can experience it yourself by shopping on Temu.com or using the app.
