Not so long ago, AliExpress was the store where you could buy cheap gadgets and clothes from China. Now there is a new player: Timo. But what exactly is the app, and is it safe to buy it there?

You may see the name Temu regularly on social media. The Chinese megastore puts a lot of effort into marketing to get you to buy cheap stuff there. In fact, Temu is the #1 shopping app store. However, it is understandable that you have not heard of it before. Time to get some explanation of this AliExpress alternative.

This is Temu, or AliExpress 2.0

Temu is owned by China’s PDD Holdings, a Chinese retailer that is making a splash. The company is worth about $103 billion, making it twice the size of Alibaba (the parent company of AliExpress) and about 13 times smaller than Amazon.

Incidentally, Temu is doing everything he can to not be linked to PDD Holdings. Any reference to it from the Website and Application has been withdrawn by the Company. It therefore claims to be headquartered in Boston, while the Chinese company has a strategic location for its headquarters in the Cayman Islands.

Since 2022, PDD Temu has been rolled out all over the world. In September 2022, the United States was the first to act, followed by Canada in February 2023. In March, it was the turn of Australia and New Zealand, and since April, the turn of a number of European countries, including the Netherlands.

Timo does this very strategically. The company offers products through advertisements at a low cost. If people encourage someone else to use the app, they get some stuff for free. Products can be very cheap because they come directly from the factory, which is something you know from AliExpress.

What is Timo Offer?

The offer in Temu is huge. You seem to be able to ask for almost anything. However, there are no products from really big brands like Apple and Samsung. You see products from Chinese brands like Lenovo and Xiaomi.

However, cheap can be expensive in some cases. Although there are plenty of good sellers on Temu, scammers are increasingly active on the platform, Time magazine reported. For example, packages disappear and some orders arrive damaged or too late. It may be a little more difficult to exchange something because the seller is based in China. You can get a return label via Temu and it’s completely free, but it will take longer.

Is ordering from Timo safe?

Experiences vary with the company. The app has a rating of 3.5 on Trustpilot. Thus, it has a higher score than AliExpress (2.6). However, Timo seems to take action when a package goes missing; It still resends the request according to some users.

According to users, you shouldn’t expect high-quality materials, which actually makes sense with the prices. You just get what you pay for. So it really depends on the provider, so read the reviews carefully in advance. If something doesn’t arrive or arrives too late, it’s a good idea to contact the company’s customer service right away so they can do something about it.

Unlike AliExpress, the products you order from Temu are delivered much faster. Waiting a month to get the package is no longer an option, as it used to be.

Pay VAT and import duties as with AliExpress

AliExpress is not as popular as it used to be. This is because you are used to being exempt from VAT and import duties on orders less than €22 outside the European Union. This has changed since 2021, so now you simply have to pay tax on the products.

This is of course the case with Temu, as the company also comes from China. So you may have to pay VAT and import duties in excess of the cost of the product.

Concern about privacy

And although the company has just established itself in the West, there are already concerns. In May of this year, the US-China Economic Security Review Committee was concerned about the information Temu collects. Pindiodio, a sister company of the app, was removed from the Google Play Store because the app contained malware.

Greg Gianforte, the governor of Montana, decided to ban the app from the devices of government employees after the news. something he actually did.

So you can order from Temu and likely receive your product, but there are definitely points where you have to ask yourself if it’s actually wise to buy there.

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