To Temu or Not to Temu — what’s the harm?

Admittedly, about a year and a half ago I thought I wanted to do more quilting and had recently heard about TEMU the knock-off online shopping giant. (If you watched the Super Bowl this year you saw the millions they spent on advertising.) I shopped their app, spent about $50, and a couple of weeks later my cheap, plastic quilting tools arrived. 

It just felt wrong. And since then I deleted the app and have not gone back. 

There is controversy in our Mixed Media World about Temu. They sell products at DRAMATICALLY discounted prices claiming they can do so because of their direct-to-the-consumer approach. But scratch below the surface and you find out that is not the entire story. 

Part of the reason they can sell cheaper is they steal designs from artists. I don’t want to lead you there but if you know StencilGirl Stencils and take a gander at Temu’s stencils there are some shocking similarities. 

For the record, I am biased - I am a StencilGirl designer. StencilGirl is one of the most ethical art supply companies I’ve had the pleasure to deal with. It is an Angel Company meaning you can use their stencils in the artwork you sell. They pay quarterly royalties to artist designers so we receive a portion of every stencil sold for as long as StencilGirl is around. Finally, StencilGirl is a small family-run company that is based in Missouri, transparent, generous, approachable, and charitable.

Great image from The Cranston Herald Online

When Temu sells designs lifted from StencilGirl images, they are stealing from the company, the shops that sell StencilGirl Stencils, the designers, all of their communities, and the charities they support.  

Temu has come under scrutiny for its lack of transparency regarding labor practices. According to the BBC “US lawmakers are warning of an "extremely high risk" that products sold on the Chinese online shopping site Temu have been made with forced labour. The claims arise from an ongoing investigation into compliance with a 2021 US law that bars the import of goods made using forced Uyghur labour.” So, if you don’t pay your workers or your manufacturers don’t pay their workers, you can sell far below the average retail price. 

The quality and customer service of Temu is questionable. As of February 2023, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) gave Temu a C+, and the FTC had received 3,323 complaints since the company began operating in September 2022. The items they sell are unbranded and knockoffs of other products. 

Finally, although Temu states it doesn’t “sell” your information, they do “share” it. As explained by ZNet “Per Temu's privacy policy, the company does not "sell" your data -- for money, at least. However, Temu does share your information with shipping affiliates, marketing providers, and consumer research companies, which in turn generates revenue for Temu. Temu also "shares" your data with third-party advertising, marketing, and analytics companies to target you with ads.” When you download the app or buy from Temu you agree to this. 

It is enticing to think you can spend a fraction of US prices for art supplies, but please consider the costs to the forced workers, designers, and small businesses when you do.