Addictive cheap and controversial: the rise of China’s Temu app
theguardian.com
theguardian.com
Story time: I was recently looking for a cover for my car. Local retailers wanted $200+, but a spot of image reverse searching revealed that you could buy exactly the same thing direct from the manufacturer for $2 (two) dollars. However, minimum order on Alibaba was 10 pieces and shipping price & timeline was unclear. I ended up ordering from Temu for ~$30 all in, and it was on my doorstep in under a week.
Local shop sells sunglasses for $15, I found them on aliexpress for 50ct, and on etsy for $27
80% of what you see on etsy and amazon is aliexpress dropship, and it's leaking in the real world at a fast rate too.
They run a program directly for Chinese manufacturers to sell in US Amazon and even bulk ship their goods on Amazon chattered freighters.
I always wondered if they had not an arrangment with the shipper/customs. Because at the time, anything from say a store like hobbyking, even small package worth a few dozens €, was always flagged at the customs.
I for one am happy for those Chinese who are now able to cut out the white middleman.
Systemic problems require systemic solutions. To preempt an obvious rebuttal: shaping the landscape of choices that are available to consumers is literally how markets work so it's not like libertarians or other "free" market fanatics have a high horse when we introduce ideas like regulations on corporate behavior.
> if everyone puts their money in the same place then companies get too big and distort economies.
You're not going to make the big companies smaller or prevent market distortions by doing this. That's what I was referring to by "move the needle."
I think beyond a point govt should just buy a stake in them. That would keep them from misbehaving too much. Which is what happens in China, India, Brazil etc cause otherwise large poor populations will just be pushed out of markets.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/02/tech/china-pinduoduo-malware-...
"according to cybersecurity researchers, it can also bypass users’ cell phone security to monitor activities on other apps, check notifications, read private messages and change settings.
And once installed, it’s tough to remove."
“We haven’t seen a mainstream app like this trying to escalate their privileges to gain access to things that they’re not supposed to gain access to,” said Mikko Hyppönen, chief research officer at WithSecure, a Finnish cybersecurity firm.
“This is highly unusual, and it is pretty damning for Pinduoduo.”
"Soon after, on March 5, Pinduoduo issued a new update of its app, version 6.50.0, which removed the exploits, according to two experts who CNN spoke to.
Two days after the update, Pinduoduo disbanded the team of engineers and product managers who had developed the exploits, according to the Pinduoduo source.
[..]
Most of the team were transferred to work at Temu. "
According to you, this is not at exciting to the "crowd" as pointing out that these Chinese apps are stealing data?
Chinese apps steal data no less then their western counterparts do. It's just politically beneficial to do fingerpointing at China. Assange and Snowden tried to do same with US - with unfortunate and known results.
"Two days after the update, Pinduoduo disbanded the team of engineers and product managers who had developed the exploits, according to the Pinduoduo source.
[..]
Most of the team were transferred to work at Temu. "
>Chinese apps steal data no less then their western counterparts do.
The whataboutism you add doesn't strengthen your argument. Also, source for American apps using 0 days to escalate privileges, please.
You are right - it was my mistake.
> The whataboutism you add doesn't strengthen your argument.
Where did you see "whataboutism" - whatever that is - I'll leave to you.
So Temu is just new lipstick on the same pig.
If you still want to order, do it with a masked card number.
But if you buy Amazon warehoused china products, with the kinda bad service from Amazon you are just getting a worse deal for the same product.
The search is terrible, it seems the app is built around getting you to impulse buy dollar store gadgets.
https://apnews.com/article/temu-shein-forced-labor-china-de7...
> imported packages valued under $800 receive tax exemptions and less oversight from U.S. customs.
Also - my mum bothering me every few days about something she's found on temu, and me trying my hardest to get her to stay off it.
Anyone with this app on their phone should read this recent post here
e.g. buying latest iPhones with 10% off, when genuine ensured.
The website is just like anything else, with cheaper aesthetics. I don't understand the use of loaded language here (addictive / controversial). Is it just because it's chinese? Ebay sells the same stuff
I don’t know who likes it, but it obviously works, as everyone over there is doing it.
Makes my head explode, and I just walk away. But many people just can't. The overload is a rush for them.
It could be a strategy by the Chinese government to cut out the non Chinese retail companies and distributors that take 35%-70% of the revenue from each product.
they may not have guts but they aint stupid
All I've seen is that they take a hit, sometimes send some extra stuff and constantly ignore/refund charging complaints.
Seems they're losing money but nobody has definitively told me why.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/lossleader.asp#:~:text=...
Seeing how shit _everything_ coming out of China is, I'm not worried.
Domestic Chinese products are way better than the crap Americans buy for ourselves. Chinese clothes are way more durable than Target's overpriced rags (i.e. they can be mended). Huawei tech beats the pants off of everything short of Apple.