Temu, Shein et al

[Cluborange666]

What’s the deal with these companies? The things they sell are clearly impossible to produce and sell at those prices. Do you think it’s a way for the Chinese government to access a massively amount of people’s financial data? Or to undermine western businesses? My teenage kids claim that they will never have TikTok because they see it as an opportunity for their data to be stolen.
I’m not a conspiracy theorist, honestly! But something is off about it all.

@SaltySeaBird you can get a four piece set on sale at lands end so bikini rash gurad and shorts all matching. There's are great quality too.
https://www.landsend.co.uk/s/LandsEndUK/Girls_Four_Piece_Rash_Vest_Set_/pp/P_43131.html

https://www.landsend.co.uk/s/LandsEndUK/Girls_Short_Sleeve_3_Piece_Rash_Vest_Set/pp/P_42205.html

Another serious ethical issue is sites like Shein steal designs quite blatantly from small businesses and independent artists
An artist I follow on Instagram has has her unique designs completely copied to make hair clips sold for £2 and she can't afford to take them on and fight it.
They are shameless and blatant with this practice.
I understand that high street stores emulate high fashion designers to make it accessible but this is something totally different- stealing individuals livelihoods.

Yes. It’s not just the human rights/slave Labour angle OR the environmental one but also they are destroying UK businesses. It’s an aggressive Chinese stance. I just don’t understand why the government would just stand by and do nothing. Well, I mean it’s not like I have any faith in this government but it sure isn’t the case that the Chinese are paying any taxes into our economy.

For those who can't be bothered to read investigative pieces about Shein et al
on social media various broadcasters around the world have done documentaries on them.

Channel 4 is one such broadcaster - https://www.channel4.com/programmes/inside-the-shein-machine-untold

Agree with all of this @Elis44. Shameful mass production which should have ended years ago. Tonnes and tonnes of clothes sitting in landfill sites all over the world. Ridiculous situation.

I'm 53 and have tried telling my 3 friends that they shouldn't buy from shein etc. Sadly, they think they're great. Cheap and affordable. They don't care about the back story. I have two daughters in their early 20s and we wont have these brands in our house. They're quite set in their ways - don't understand vegans or even why my girls are pescatarian. We've learned to skirt over these issues because it would cause arguments otherwise.

Trust me I’ve been through things time and time again with my daughter but I do respect that she doesn’t want skimpy so strong bikinis are out and she doesn’t want branded so a lot of the surf brands are out. I thought a few of the ONeils ones were nice but she disagreed and didn’t like Lands End either (only the pink in her size).

I respect that she wants a sports top style bikini and don’t want to get her something she is uncomfortable in.

Ive had a chat about Shein and she doesn’t want those now either so I’m not sure what she’ll wear on the beach! Just her plain speedo costumes but she was desperate for something prettier and not a full costume.

I’ve decided I’m going to message my MP about it.

I love shein. I'll worry about the ethics of it when people stop using mobiles and other gadgets that contain cobalt which is mined by kids.
I don't buy second hand stuff, so I don't buy from vinted, eBay or charity shops.

Why won't you use second hand? 🤔

Because I like new.

You'll only worry about the ethics of one thing when everyone else has stopped doing something else that you think is unethical?

Correct.

Sad way to live, only caring about yourself and nobody/nothing else. Not good.

You're also wearing tacky poor quality Shein clothes meanwhile people who go to charity and secondhand can afford designer brands and good quality clothing and cool finds

I buy loads of new but unwanted from Vinted. Latest purchase, someone else’s mistake, New Next dress, with all tags, showing £59.99, for £5.00.

Saves it going to landfill, saves someone producing another dress, saves me money.

Amazon.ae is a thing in the UAE.

I think I’m confused about what you’ve said is blocked.

Correct, but don't make the mistake of thinking that I can't afford ' decent ' stuff.

Why choose inferior quality? Athletes nothing wrong with getting good quality new clothes that last.

You might as well hand out fivers on the street than buy Shein because you won't want it in a year, and nobody will buy that off you.

I think the problem @Cluborange666 is that you are shouting in vain. I completely agree with everything you say about Shein and the rest of it. Most of what they are selling is not essentials, it's things like cheap tat for "christmas hauls" or clothing which teens want to wear once for the Gram and discard. People who have bought into this culture of "hauls" and mountains of presents and a different outfit for every night out simply don't care. They are prepared to turn a blind eye to the slavery and shoddy manufacture because it's cheap. And that is ALL that matters.

Then they will pop up saying that every other company is the same and it's impossible to live ethically unless you are living in a cave and eating lentils, and besides, your phone/laptop is made in China, you hypocrite! They work really hard to justify their rampant consumption of tat to other people.

It's a totally alien concept to me.

And to the poster with the fussy daughter - maybe ask her how she would feel if her swimming costume had been made by a child a lot younger than her who had been forced into factory work?

There is no way that if a British child made the item in front of you under the conditions they endure overseas that you'd buy it. One child being forced to work in those conditions would be headline news if it happened here. Yet this is life for thousands of children elsewhere. I literally don't understand how people get so upset about child abuse cases in the news here yet literally prop up these companies with their western money. I don't live anything like a perfect life but I at least try - haven't taken a flight I about 10 years, just paid to have a 5 year old smartphone fixed rather than buy a new one, used reusable nappies even when they were a right pain etc. If people would just do their bit in various areas it would make a difference. If everyone refused to bit from Shein, it would not exist.

God wish they'd block Light in the Box and porn too!

To be honest though @Alphabetica even if you don't want to stop taking a foreign holiday or want a new smartphone, you can still do a wee bit of good by refusing to support Shein and the like. It doesn't have to be doing everything, it's about doing as much as you can. Not thinking "fuck it, I can't go vegan and never fly and not buy plastic so i will just order from Shein anyway". Not buying from Shein and buying a new smartphone is still better than buying a new smartphone AND buying from Shein.

Do you know, you're completely right. Thank you.

Some of the stuff I've bought from shein I'm still wearing a couple of years later, summer dresses that have been bought for holidays etc.
Anything that I don't want anymore, I send to the ragman.
As I said, don't make the mistake of thinking that I can't afford, or don't have decent stuff too.
I'll continue to buy from shein etc too, thank you.