BUYING a sofa can be one of the priciest things you have to fork out for when buying a home, so it is understandable many people want to find a bargain.
One woman shared what happened when she ordered a viral $600 sofa from Temu.
Summer Kling Beil, who posts under @summerklingbeil, showed off the purse-friendly cream couch in her house – and it looked very stylish.
When it arrived, it came in two small tightly-packed boxes, but after she unboxed it, it filled out the space in her lounge.
While many purchases from Temu take a while to arrive from China, Summer was pleasantly surprised when it arrived within days.
In a Q&A video, she shared: "So it actually only took this couch three days to get to my house.
"Not everything you buy from Temu comes from China, and this was coming from a local warehouse in the US.
People were quick to ask her if the couch was actually supportive when you sat on it, and she insisted it is "firm" and "has support".
The TikTok user explained: "You don't sink. It bounces back really quickly, like a normal couch would."
She also replied to one viewer who asked if the sofa smells toxic, and she said that it doesn't – nor did it have any bugs on it when it arrived.
Summer also urged people to not automatically assume the quality of the Temu product would be worse than other sofa shops.
She added: "I guarantee you majority of the places y’all are ordering furniture from are coming from the same places."
Many people were divided in the comments, with some praising her bargain find.
One said: "It looks nice as heck. People just be hating because they paid 5k for the same thing."
Another added: "It’s lovely. I like it. I want one."
However, one said: "You can get a couch in USA for $600. That's a lot for a Temu couch!"
Ultra-low prices, new items landing online every day and practically anything you could ever need just a click away – it’s no wonder Temu has become one of the fastest-growing online retailers.
In 2023, consumers placed an astronomical 412.3 million orders on Temu – or close to 1.13million every day.
Cash-strapped shoppers can get up to 90% off as a new customer – which they can use to ”shop like a billionaire”, Temu’s catchy slogan.
There are also text alerts that will send you 20% offers, deals, seasonal sales, clearance sales, coupons you can find online or win by playing games on the app.
Why is Temu so cheap?
TEMU exploded onto the scene in late 2022, with people all over social media raving about the low prices.
The company is a Chinese-owned digital marketplace – essentially an online shopping app where people are connected to the retailer directly while the app takes care of the shipping element.
The frenzy over the app is not completely unfounded either as it offers a wide variety of products, including fashion, make-up, electronics and furniture.
According to a report from the US House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Temu takes advantage of a trade loophole that allows the company to ship duty-free goods directly to the US.
The loophole is called the de minimis exception and it means they can ship goods valued up to $800 (£643) to the US without it being inspected or taxed by US customs.
Temu connects customers directly to manufacturers and only manages how the items are sent to customers.
It means Chinese vendors can essentially sell their products directly to customers and ship it without building a network of warehouses across the globe.
By doing this, they cut down on huge costs and ensure the product itself isn't marked up extra.
While many of the products seen on the Temu app are from brands with extensive, original collections, many more are dupes of designer brands.