Be careful with cheap offers: Chinese online marketplace Temu carries risks

Be careful with cheap offers: Chinese online marketplace Temu carries risks

According to a report by www.mdr.de, the Chinese online marketplace Temu attracts customers with extremely reduced prices and various promotions that make it possible to save money. This is of course attractive for many consumers, but it also involves some risks and is not sustainable. The consumer advice center warns against shopping on Temu due to critical points such as broken goods, fake safety labels and a lack of operating instructions. In addition, Stiftung Warentest points out that when orders are placed on Temu, the customer is considered the importer, which can lead to legal consequences in the event of damage. The Austrian Watchlist Internet also warns that shopping at Temu is often presented on social media platforms as a kind of gambling or gambling experience.

The legal basis for the fact that consumers can be considered importers when purchasing via Temu is the Product Liability Act, Section 4 Paragraph 2. However, there is currently no case law on this. The consumer advice center also advises you to be particularly careful when it comes to products with batteries and to consider whether you order a device with a battery from a dealer in China or elsewhere where you cannot be sure that it meets EU standards.

In addition, the products from China that are delivered far and possibly sent back pollute the environment. Because the mentality of “buying cheap products new” instead of reusing, repairing or buying second-hand comes at the expense of our world’s finite resources. Despite everything, only a few complaints have been received by consumer advice centers in Central Germany.

Temu allows traders to sell their goods directly to the end customer without the need for intermediaries, enabling low prices. The app is owned by PDD Holdings, a $100 billion-plus company.

It is important that consumers weigh the potential risks of such offers and realize that seemingly cheap purchases on Temu may have some unintended consequences, both legal and environmental.