Temu: what the public record says before you order
Brand investigation
Delivery, returns, support and consistency — assessed from published policies, regulator findings and complaint data, not from our own orders (yet).
Temu is the biggest low-price marketplace most US shoppers will meet. We have not placed orders through it, so this investigation rests on what can be verified from published policies and regulator findings, plus complaint data whose limits we state. Where we could not verify something, the line says so.
What we can tell you
Delivery
Days for local stock; estimate shown per item
Published processing time is 1–3 days. Since the end of the US duty-free allowance in 2025, Temu fulfils most US orders from domestic sellers and warehouses (“Local Warehouse” tag). Public guides in 2026 report about 5–10 business days for standard shipping and a few days for local items. A $5/$13 late-delivery credit has been offered for standard/express orders that miss the estimate; we have not tested it.
Official termsUS · checked Sep 8, 2026
Returns
90 days, first return free, then $7.99 + tax
Return window 90 days from purchase (electronics 45/60/90 depending on seller). First return per order is free; each further return from the same order costs $7.99 plus tax, deducted from the refund; returns must ship within 14 days of the request. Refunds: 5–14 business days to the original payment method (up to 30), or Temu credit that does not expire. Worn or washed clothing, food, some personal-care items, free gifts, customised items and most underwear are excluded.
Official termsUS · checked Sep 8, 2026
Support
Chat only; complaint volume is high
Support is a 24/7 chat; there is no email support and phone support is not offered even though a number circulates. BBB: rating B, not accredited, about 6,100 complaints on file; Temu responded to BBB’s complaint analysis in November 2025. Trustpilot: 1.8/5 from about 55,000 reviews, 58% one star, dominated by missing deliveries, refund friction and prices that changed at checkout. Complaint sites over-represent bad outcomes; they are evidence of what fails, not of the failure rate.
Customer feedbackUS · checked Sep 8, 2026
Product consistency
Seller-dependent; regulators found unsafe chargers and toys
Listings are seller-specific and the catalog feed carries no ratings or sales data, so the same photo can arrive as different products. The EU fined Temu €200m on 28 May 2026 under the Digital Services Act over illegal products, citing baby toys with unsafe chemicals or detachable parts and phone chargers that failed basic safety tests (Temu disputes the amount and says its systems have improved). US CPSC recalls and warnings in 2024 covered magnetic ball sets and projectile toy guns sold exclusively on Temu.
Public sourceUS · checked Sep 8, 2026
Does what arrives match what was promised, and what happens when it does not?
Worth trying if…
- You are buying simple, non-electrical items where a miss costs a few dollars and a free return.
- You can wait for the delivery estimate shown at checkout and do not need the item by a fixed date.
- You will read the size chart, material and dimensions rather than the photo.
Be careful if…
- The item plugs in, charges, heats up, or is for a baby or small child.
- Fit or an exact specification matters (footwear, bras, memory cards, chargers).
- You expect the crossed-out price to mean anything.
What the evidence can tell you
- Purchase record
- No purchases made for this investigation yet. When we order, this section will record dates, items, seller names, delivery estimates and what arrived.
- Return costs
- Per published policy: first return per order free; $7.99 plus tax for further returns from the same order, deducted from the refund; return shipped within 14 days. Not yet tested by us.
- Support record
- No support contact made by us yet. Channels per public record: 24/7 chat; no email; phone not staffed for support.
- Customer feedback
- Public complaint data is consistent across sources: deliveries that never arrive or arrive late, refunds that take effort, promotional prices that change at checkout, and products that differ from the listing. Positive reviews cite price and occasional fast delivery. Sources: Trustpilot (temu.com), BBB profile, CBS/Time coverage of complaint volumes · Sample: Trustpilot ≈55,400 reviews; BBB ≈6,100 complaints — self-selected samples
- Brand response
- Not requested for this version. Temu’s public responses (to the EU decision and to BBB’s complaint analysis) are quoted where relevant.
One transaction cannot establish long-term reliability. We do not publish an overall trust score without enough samples.
Our conclusion
Use Temu for cheap, simple, replaceable things and read the listing like a contract: dimensions, materials, size chart, delivery estimate, return window. Skip electrical goods, children’s items and anything where an exact spec matters. The 90-day window and the first free return are real protection; the crossed-out prices are not.
Corrections
Method & sources
This research example separates published claims from what has been independently verified.
- Published policies (shipping, returns, price adjustment)Read and dated
- Regulator findings (EU DSA decision, CPSC notices)Read and dated
- Complaint data (BBB, Trustpilot)Read; self-selected sample
- Own purchases and returnsNot yet made
- Own support contactNot yet made