Is Temu Safe? Why is Temu So Expensive Now?

September 17, 2025 By Nancy William No Comments 7 minutes

What is Temu? Is Temu safe? Is Temu legit? In short, the service is said to be a legitimate company. It’s a working e-commerce site where you can buy and sell products. However, it does lack mandatory quality regulations from the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and received a rating slightly lower than the standard rating. 

NOTE – When shopping online, always encrypt your connection for safe online transactions. FastestVPN helps prevent data theft among other security and privacy flaws.  

Here, in this Temu review, we’ll highlight everything that the service is about, including security concerns and other grey areas that need discussion. Through that, we can weigh whether the service is reliable or safe to use.  

What is Temu?

Everyone loves a great bargain or the most affordable shopping discounts, especially when it’s online. Temu is a Chinese e-commerce company that took the online retailer company by storm. It even beat giants like YouTube or Netflix, gathering more users to its platform. However, even though it offers products that are priced ridiculously low, there are some security concerns that come with it. Customers have been complaining about undelivered packages, extra charges, orders that went wrong, and even unresponsive customer support. Its business ethics and overall rankings were even given a low 1.5-star rating by the Better Business Bureau. 

Is Temu Legit?

Yes, Temu is a legit service or shopping site. It creates and sells its products directly from the Chinese manufacturing unit and outsources globally. There are no middleman manufacturers, which is why its products are sold at extremely low costs. However, the low prices, even though accepted, are still a little alarming to customers. It raises questions and suspicions further.  

Is Temu Safe?

While Temu is widely regarded as a legitimate platform for purchasing goods, shoppers should still proceed with a degree of caution. The site does offer authentic products at highly competitive prices and features an extensive selection of items. However, its business model depends on numerous external vendors, which introduces certain variables into the shopping experience. As a result, the quality of the products varies significantly from one seller to another. On rare occasions, customers may also encounter fraudulent listings that misrepresent the product or fail to deliver it entirely.

What Safety Measures Does Temu Use?

Temu uses safety measures to ensure protection. Here’s what Temu employs for protection:

User Data Encryption

Temu employs encryption to safeguard user data, enhancing overall security.

Purchase Protection Program

Within 90 days, customers can avail themselves of a full refund through Temu’s Purchase Protection Program if the purchased item:

• Doesn’t match the description or photos.
• Arrives damaged.
• Faces delivery issues or gets lost in transit.

Payment Security

Temu ensures payment security through standard practices:

• HTTPS on all pages.
• TLS and SSL encryption during transaction processing.
• The transactional system is securely designed, comparable to renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay.

Temu Data Collection

Most customers often look up who owns Temu and whether or not the company gathers personal or sensitive user data. This is why most often go through other customer Temu reviews to see if the service is safe to shop from, considering you’re making online payments. 

If you go to the Google Play Store and click on the Temu app information and entry slot, the service mentions a specific list of data that it collects or needs access to. 

A few data collection listings make sense, considering the service uses them to create a better user experience. That data collection list is worth taking a look at. Temu collects various user data, claiming it’s for “app functionality” and making purchases “optional.” In reality, most users likely agree with this data collection as it seems necessary to use the app.

Temu collects the following data: name, location address, email address, contact number, photos and videos (questionable), and payment information. 

How Do You Safely Order From Temu?

Temu is safe, but dishonest sellers marketing their products on the Temu website could exist. If you’re looking for ways on “how to safely shop on Temu,” here are precautionary measures to follow: 

• Consider Store Ratings

Before you buy something, check the store rating and product reviews. A store rating of 4.5 or higher out of 5 is good. Also, see how many things the seller sold and how many people bought them again. It’s better to choose sellers with lots of transactions.

Look at product reviews, too. They tell you more about the product and what others experienced. Some sellers may say their items are great, but reviews can show if it’s true. Pay attention to pictures and feedback from buyers. Be cautious with negative reviews, but if many are bad, consider leaving the page.

• Select a Secure Payment Method

When you pay on Temu, pick a safe option. You can use PayPal, which is secure. It’s better than credit cards because you register on their app, keeping your info safe. PayPal is trustworthy, and if there’s an issue with your order, you can dispute charges.

• Keep Checking the Shipping Time

Be aware of Temu’s shipping times, which range from 6 to 25 days. Since many products come from overseas, orders can be delayed or lost in transit, leading to concerns about Temu being a scam. Keep tabs on your order by regularly checking the provided tracking number. If there’s no recent shipping update, contact customer service promptly.

• Stick to Transactions Within the Temu Website

Avoid making deals with sellers outside the Temu platform. Some sellers might tempt you to do business elsewhere, but it’s not safe. Stick to making purchases only through the official Temu website or app. Temu provides transaction protection and manages disputes on its platform. Trustworthy sellers won’t ask you to conduct transactions privately. Be cautious and avoid sellers who want to move the transaction off-site or request personal information through email or other channels.

• Always Use Security Software

Online shopping comes with risks despite Temu being safe to use. Always consider encrypting your connection to secure online payments and personal data. With FastestVPN, you can connect to the best server according to your location. This helps protect your ISP from tracking you, prevents third-party sellers from phishing, and much more. 

Did Everything on Temu Just Get Way More Expensive?

Yes, they did! In the middle of 2025, the Temu prices were jacked up three times the price due to the tariff changes imposed by Trump. This left the service with a huge hole in sales, and the number of fake sellers grew. However, the prices dropped slightly lower in September 2025, but again, there is still a lot of weight on the taxes. 

What is the Temu Refund Policy?

If you’re not happy with something from Temu or it doesn’t fit, you can return it for a refund within 90 days. Most items qualify for a return, but there are exceptions like worn or damaged clothes, items labelled as non-returnable, and free gifts. Shipping is usually free and takes 6-25 days, or you can pay $12.90 for express shipping (free for orders over $129). Track your items on the app, and if your order is late, Temu will give you a $5 credit for standard shipping or a $13 credit for express shipping. Although Temu doesn’t do exchanges, the return process is available if you need it.

Temu Alternatives – Other Companies for Online Shopping

There are other apps like Temu that you can try that could be safer or more reliable. They include: 

• AliExpress
• Wish 
• Joom 
• Etsy 
• eBay 
• Flipkart 
• Shein 
• Walmart 

FAQs – Is Temu Safe?

To Conclude

And that’s a wrap! If you’re still wondering “is Temu safe?” or “is Temu safe to order from?” the answer relies on your research. Yes, Temu is reliable for shopping online, but again, it doesn’t own all the businesses advertised there. You need to check the reviews of the provider you’re buying products from. Check the user ratings, reviews, specifications of the product, etc. Other than that, ensure you make online payments on Temu using the best VPN. FastestVPN helps secure your connection, especially when conducting any online transactions.