To ask you to swerve Shein & Temu

So is it possible that people are actually buying more and therefore spending more, because each individual item is cheaper?

Of course they are. And buying stuff that is not needed but which they think they want. Stocking fillers, decorations, new clothes for each occasion. These sites are smart - they bombard you with ads and marketing tempting you in at silly prices and offer incentives to spend more with codes, offers, discounts, referring your friends etc etc.

They are quite transparent in that aspect - it is about shifting cheap product in vast quantities, not selling one or two necessities.

Have you seen the Disney documentary called Wall-E?

Modern slavery for starters. How do you think products can be so cheaply made and shipped worldwide?

Somebody actually made an interesting comment above, but was drowned out with total nonsense.
The average spend on Temu is $100 per month. That’s average, across the board. That’s a lot of money- £75 per month for the UK. I certainly don’t regularly spend that amount on non Temu/ Shein stuff, and certainly not monthly. So is it possible that people are actually buying more and therefore spending more, because each individual item is cheaper? I suspect so, which kind of knocks the “I’m doing it because I’m hard up” argument. A £2.50 here and there, on multiple items, soon adds up.

When did it become the norm for kids to get masses of stuff, mostly plastic tat?

Probably around the 90s/2000s. It's so easy to avoid as well. My kids are all late teens now but when they were primary school age we used to ask that people bought them vouchers or things to do rather than stuff. One year they all did a Go Ape style thing which they loved, another year they got cinema and pizza vouchers, a couple of years ago when they were older we did an escape room, DD got a voucher to take a friend for afternoon tea. None of those things have to be any more expensive. Escape rooms and cinemas are not contributing to landfill and you're supporting the local economy.

I do appreciate that buy good, buy once isn't achievable for many people as very good quality stuff can be expensive. I am looking for a Fair Isle style jumper for Christmas for me, I could get a cheap acrylic one from Shein for less than £20, or buy a 100% wool one from House of Bruar for £110. But the expensive one will last far longer.

Also on a related theme is the lack of willingness to repair. The inability/unwillingness to sew a button back on, stitch a hem which has come down, darn a hole in your jumper. Just chuck it away and buy another one. France gives tax incentives for repairs which is a great idea and has fast fashion tax. We should do the same here.

Finally, really good book for anyone interested. https://www.sustainablefashionweek.uk/shop/p/patrick-grant-less I got my copy second hand in ABE books.

I think that notthisagain poster is best ignored. She is just posting increasingly immature comments for attention now. Surely nobody would add crap to a Temu basket in a (failed) attempt to think they are somehow ‘winning’ an argument or getting one over other posters. Young teens perform better in debates.

I don't shop from anywhere that doesn't have a presence in the UK. Times are hard and while I'm well aware most manufacturing is done in China, its nice to know some tax and wages are being paid from my money in the UK.

On another note be great if people bought things in actual shops using actual cash.
I have ordered from temu in past and it went wrong lol.
Now because so many shops closing il do shops and pay cash ( unfortunatley i dont have loads of money though)

Aibu to ask you to let people shop wherever the fuck they want to?

Jeez the arrogance that we all obey your words.

Both sell cheap crap. Wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

Neurotoxins in the knock off lipstcks clearly having an effect on some posters already.

It’s such a shame children are being exposed to carcinogens and neurotoxins as they aren’t making their own decisions but parents, teachers and relatives ignorantly exposing them to the products of supply chains with no regulation.

Slavery and money laundering aside, I’m constantly surprised people want to expose themselves and their families to things that would not pass regulatory processes in EU or UK and increase their risks of cancer, dementia etc. You can get nice cheap crockery from supermarkets, sparkly lipstick from Claire’s, cheap clothes that last quite well from Primark - all of which have some quality control to make sure they aren’t posioning you.

@DoNoTakeNo YANBU

I actually find it quite sad that people feel they HAVE to buy huge quantities of stuff for their kids.

Read the Alfie stories by Janet Alberg and gifts were home made or simple or even second hand.

When did it become the norm for kids to get masses of stuff, mostly plastic tat?

Also I won't support TEMU/SHEIN due to child labour, underpaid workers in poor conditions etc... Would you be happy for your own child to be doing that?

Well I agree .Most Ebay for me nowadays! Early 60s and not into fast fashion anymore.My DD has bought stuff against my beliefs .However not so much now as she has been disappointed with the quality .

FFS, stop treating mumsnetters like idiots, they know the place has dodgy practices, just like they also know many other places do too. Unless you are going to employee all the people they do under fair practice then you need to wake up.

Buy a fire entinguisher too. You're gonna need it.! That clothing tat burns well! Mind you, your fake Stanley cup holds a pint or two - use that to quash the flames! Safer than sucking up all those phthalates through a Temu straw

The charity shop will put those clothes in the bin. Would be far better for you to buy from the charity shop in the first place.

Amazon is just a marketplace, so yes, same problematic stock. Don't shop unknown brands from there either.

I try really hard to shop ethically. I buy mostly second hand from Vinted, and am happy to admit that without preaching. What’s really important to me is that my children have their eyes opened to this consumer madness, and I’m pleased to see that the issue is being addressed at secondary school. DD13 is absolutely against fast fashion and buy now brands and is constantly asking me which brands we can trust. I’ve never been prouder. It’s this generation that will be screwed in the future and it terrifies me.

I’ve had some really nice stuff from Temu and when I drop the next stone, I pass the clothes on to a charity shop.

And the charity shop is unlikely to thank you for your donation. Shein and Temu clothes are badly made from cheap materials and are worth nothing second hand. I volunteer in a shop where sales space is limited - anything we get from Shein/Temu and other similar brands like Cider, BooHoo, Pretty Little Thing are straight in the recycling unless brand new with tags.

I've bought them before, they are exactly and precisely the same as the ones I got from Amazon last year, but half the price. 😂😘😅

Many of the same products are sold on Amazon (just a lot cheaper) so not sure why Amazon sellers would be allowed to flog stuff that didn’t meet safety standards.

For me, I’m currently losing weight and need new clothes that I likely won’t keep due to weight loss. It’s not ideal but I’ve had some really nice stuff from Temu and when I drop the next stone, I pass the clothes on to a charity shop. I’m not going to pay normal prices for things I’ll only wear for a couple of months.