To ask you to swerve Shein & Temu

I never order from either of them, this is for ethical reasons for me.
I can, however, see the allure. I was looking to buy something as gifts for a group of people, I could find exactly what I wanted at such a cheap price from Temu, far cheaper than I could find anywhere else. I didn't buy them and sourced different gifts elsewhere, it cost more and I couldn't get as much for the amount of money I spent.
It's so cheap and you get a lot for your money. With the COL crisis we still want things that we may struggle to afford, this way we can get them. It's shit that it's this or nothing for lots of people.

Agree.

If they had the money to be buying better quality stuff with no safety issues and no slave labour/ data harvesting stuff, then don’t you think they would be doing exactly that?

Well no. Because data shows that the average Temu/Shein shopper is spending considerable sums on the sites and is not on the bones of their arse financially. And lots of people cannot look beyond the fact things are cheap.

I also use it for costuming for theatre shows. Often it’s a vintage-style outfit I need, and being on the larger side, not many vintage outfits are made in my dimensions.
For example for the last show I was in, I needed a 1940s skirt suit, a 1960s dress and a 1920s outfit. The 20s I managed to get from vinted, but the other two outfits were Temu, as they had size 22, which I couldn’t get anywhere else.
They will go into a “dressing up box” where I keep all my costumes and next time I need a 1960s dress, I will already have one.

I think you replied to the wrong person so probably want to remove that post

Yes I agree with that, the virtue signallers always seem to think that their own foibles about earthy or political matters are not quite as bad as yours., they make mistakes or poor choices but they're not as bad or evil as yours. They cant or wont stop doing their poor choices but you must stop yours.

'Couple of flights a year, well Im not perfect but I dont go as low as buying from Shein you must be a horrific person!'

Is this a response to my comment explaining the slight but important improvements if we buy cheap crap from supermarkets instead of temu? I guess you don’t want to retreat from your attempted gotcha of oh no but where do the jobs go, but it’s a bit pathetic if so.

FYI, I do. I volunteer at my DCs school weekly, and although they can fortunately afford pencils, I do spend a fair chunk of money helping stock the library and time working with the PTA. I'm not talking out of my arse thanks.

Ok keep buying your Christmas decorations from M&S rather than Temu if it makes you feel smug and that you are honestly making a difference. That will really set the history books on fire 🙄

Well put your hand in your pocket. If I'm passing the Works I pop in and buy pencils 40 , ream of paper and other bits in bulk for my grandkids class. Quite a few parents do too. One mum blagged a load of stuff from Asda last week.

There's no money spare in our school these days.

You didn't provide any evidence for me to dispute.

Same products, same factories. You disputed my evidence, so now I am asking for yours. Should be easy right?

Seems very naive, but ok.

I avoid them, don't like the pushy adverts, have doubts about welfare of the workforce and compliance of UK safety standards but I know a lot of people say it's exactly what you can buy on Amazon for a fraction of the price.
End of the day people usually buy based on price

As many people have pointed out in this thread, many of our more rigorously regulated and tested products are also manufactured in China. So there would be a natural transition from the more exploitative to the more regulated end of the spectrum in response to the shifting consumer demand of eg people buying a plate or a lipstick from Sainsburys instead of Temu. That would improve health and safety in this country and reduce some of the worst aspects of labour in factoriesfor global export. To really improve matters then we would need further pressure to increase supply chain transparency rather than just test product safety, through initiatives like electronics watch and the clean clothes campaign - the industrial equivalents of the fairtrade mark. I used to think that an increasingly connected world would mean more UK consumers would want to try and reduce global slavery, exploitation, child labour and unsafe working conditions, as we can see and hear so much more of what goes on. I find it so depressing and disturbing that instead for some people at least it fuels even more hyperconsumption with even less care for the people in the supply chains.

(Although my main takeaway from this thread is still horror that teachers are giving children lead paint to chew on without their parents knowing as at least I already knew the rest of it…)

It’s not nonsense at all. It’s a response to short sighted, over privileged hypocrisy. Your logic works on the basis that the people shopping at these places also have the money to be flying a couple of times a year, running a two car household, buying original designs from the high street etc and are just buying cheap crap because they’re too tight to fork out for the same stuff from the high street. The whole point of shopping at these places is that many people aren’t that same person. If they had the money to be buying better quality stuff with no safety issues and no slave labour/ data harvesting stuff, then don’t you think they would be doing exactly that? It’s like asking someone why on earth they would be shopping at Aldi when they could simply ask F&M to deliver a hamper 🤦‍♀️

You fly twice a year, someone else buys some cheap jumpers from China. You’ve got no moral high ground at all.

You first. Multiple people have replied saying "but Amazon" (whilst obviously not understanding the difference between a retailer and a marketplace) but thus far, not a shred of information has materialized. It should be easy if you're so sure you're right. That opinion must be based upon some sort of fact. Right?

You mean act like the great white saviours of old.

That always went well

Its not conducive to what we 'we' understand as ok in the world but the reality is there has always been people exploited/slavery and there always will be. Do as much as you can but dont live in some fantasy land about human interaction and human relationships where this will die out. I think this is the problem of the modern narrative about the transatlantic slave trade consuming most discussion about slavery as if it never existed before that and never existed after that. It did and it will and its been worse and probably will be worse again.

Read history.

Thanks for the thread, OP. Glad to see nearly two thirds of us agree with you. My wardrobe is slowly turning into a Vinted-only zone.

Once more for the folk at the back - there are enough clothes already made for the next 6 generations.

Evidence please, of both your points.

I know why. I used to live there after all (in what was then the main factory province). And I’m not frit about things coming from China.

I’m not about to pay quadruple for literally the exact same item.

That is not evidence. People might repeat this, but it isn't true. Not everything made in China is equally problematic. Etsy and amazon are marketplaces - so yes, they stock some of the same stuff as Temu. Which is why people should shop responsibly and make an effort to understand what they are buying. You clearly do not.

Did you wonder why?

I’ve never bought from shein or Temu (and don’t plan to), but I think it’s a bit ridiculous to post here asking people not to shop at S or T. Everyone knows what S and T are, let’s just respect everyone’s personal decision.
Do you also go around asking strangers to not vote for certain parties, to not buy Nestle products, to not buy from Nike shoes etc?

Just go on Etsy and Amazon. Go onto the high-street and check place of origin. Go to the Christmas markets. There is your evidence. Then get on a rowboat and bike and go and do something practical to help in Asia. Opening an ethical farm and fair practice factory might so for a start.