Low-cost shopping platforms have dominated headlines in recent years, as their seriously cheap prices appear way too good to be true.
Amazon has recently joined the likes of Shein, AliExpress and Temu with the introduction of Amazon Haul, a new shopping experience that offers “crazy low” prices on a variety of products.
With that in mind, we’re keen to see how Amazon Haul compares to Temu in particular, a similarly cheap shopping platform with the ironic tagline “shop like a billionaire”.
Keep reading to learn how Amazon Haul differs from Temu below.
Neither is transparent about where their products come from
Perhaps what’s most important to remember when comparing Amazon Haul and Temu is that neither are transparent about where their products come from.
Temu vaguely mentions on its website that products sold on the site “are shipped using experienced and reliable logistics partners” and their “shipping origins vary depending on the product purchased”.
Although Amazon Haul does state that all its products are shipped from outside the UK, Amazon doesn’t elaborate much beyond that.
Instead, Amazon justifies its decision to ship from outside the UK as this is the reason why Haul can provide such low prices. In fact, customers are also listed as “importers” when shopping with Haul, which Amazon explains is for customs purposes only, and it will “facilitate customs clearance into the UK on your behalf”.
Temu is available on browsers and apps
As Temu is the older of the two, albeit by just a few years as it only launched back in 2022, it’s a more established and versatile platform. Not only is it available as an iOS and Android app, but it can also be accessed through web browsers too.
Considering Haul is still in its Beta mode, it’s not surprising that the platform isn’t quite as versatile or established as Temu. At the time of writing, Amazon Haul is only available in the UK via the Amazon iOS and Android app and not even through the Amazon website. However, if you’re based in the US then you can access the website too, which can be found by tapping Haul on the Amazon home page.
Temu offers free shipping on almost all orders
It’s fair to say we’ve all become spoiled by the convenience of Amazon Prime and its free next-day or even sometimes same-day delivery. Although Temu doesn’t quite offer next-day delivery, and instead says you should estimate anywhere between seven and 13 business days for your order to arrive, it does offer free shipping with no minimum spend required for almost all orders. There are a couple of caveats involved with this, which vary according to the seller’s rules and the warehouse’s location.
Amazon Haul is slightly different. Firstly, it’s worth remembering that Amazon Haul is completely separate from Prime, so you won’t benefit from next- or same-day delivery. Instead, Amazon Haul purchases should arrive in under two weeks, although Haul does state that shopping times may vary depending on your delivery location.
There’s also a minimum order size of £15/$25 to qualify for free delivery; otherwise you’ll need to cover £2.99/$3.99 shipping.
Amazon Haul offers savings when you spend more
Amazon Haul offers various incentives to encourage customers to add to their ever-growing baskets. Alongside the minimum order size of £15/$25 which gives you free delivery, you can also receive additional savings once you hit a certain threshold.
Amazon has actually altered the savings for its Haul customers, and now offer 5% off orders between £30 and £49.99 or 10% off all offers over £50. Alternatively in the US, orders over $50 benefit from 5% off while orders over $75 see a 10% discount.
Temu has many more categories
Amazon Haul mainly sells products across fashion, home, beauty and tech accessories, with everything promised to be under £20/$20. Having said that, most products are even cheaper and retail for under £10/$20.
Temu, on the other hand, sells products across countless categories including fashion, appliances, electronics, musical instruments and even food. Not only that but there’s even a second-hand electronics section, where you can find an iPhone 14 Plus in “like new” condition for £378.89/$380.33 or even AirPods with ANC for £136.72/$130.51.
However, remember that Temu doesn’t disclaim where exactly it sources its products, so we would recommend acting with caution and try not to get drawn into the unbelievably low prices.
Verdict
The mantra “if it’s too good to be true, then it probably is” should be at the forefront of our minds when shopping on either Amazon Haul or Temu. While their crazy-low prices have the power to easily draw us in, the lack of clarity about the origin of the products is concerning.
In addition, a quick scroll across either platform and you’ll see some suspicious-looking products that look more like an AI creation than a real-life product.
