The majority of American consumers have purchased items from Chinese e-commerce websites such as Temu, Shein, or AliExpress.
In fact, in 2024, more than 70% of Americans had shopped at one of these Chinese marketplaces.
Temu alone has more than 80 million active users in the U.S.
So, like many people, Mary J. used Temu to do some online shopping.
She found a shelf for her living room. It was inexpensive and seemed like a great deal.
But, when it arrived, Mary opened the package to see a small, 2D-printed metal sign with a picture of a bookshelf.
“When I opened it, I just started laughing,” she said.
“It took me a second to realize it wasn’t a real shelf at all – just a flat tin sign with a picture printed on it.
Mary admits she didn’t do a good job reading the product description. But she was rushing to beat a discounted Temu promotion offer.
“I genuinely thought it was a mistake at first, but then I looked back at the listing and saw it did say ‘2D’.”
She added that the photos made it look like an actual bookshelf, but it was nothing more than a small decorative sign.
“It looked so convincing in the picture – like it had depth and actual shelves. But when I held it up, it was thinner than a baking tray and completely useless.”
Mary said she wasn’t mad, just surprised. “It was so funny that I immediately grabbed my phone to take a video.”
Temu offered Mary a refund if she returned the item, but she said returning it was more of a hassle than it was worth.
“I’d rather chalk it up to experience,” she said.
Now, if you are like me, you’re always on the lookout for survival gear, guns, or accessories online.
So, here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t buy survival or gun gear from e-commerce websites like Temu.
Quality:
There are obvious quality and reliability concerns when buying from Chinese websites.
For instance, you might find a gun optic that usually sells for $800 for sale on Temu for only $100.
The problem is that even if both products look identical they aren’t.
With an optic from these websites, the performance will likely be shady.
Another problem is the photos on these websites can be misleading.
A photo online might show a gun case holding two handguns. Yet, when the gun case arrives it might only be big enough for one small handgun.
Keep in mind that what you see in the online picture could be very different from what you receive.
Defective products:
There could also be safety issues with products from Chinese websites.
For example, some people have claimed that optics purchased from these websites have dim or blurry sights.
In addition, many of the optics have poor battery life.
The product might look legitimate, but when you go to use it on the shooting range – or worse, in a life-or-death situation – it could fail.
Also, keep in mind that most of the products don’t have safety certifications or go through any quality control testing whatsoever.
Little recourse:
Like Mary, many people who order items from China don’t want to go through the hassle of returning items if they turn out to be junk.
And in fact, most of these items have no warranty, quality guarantee, or recourse if the item fails.
Worse, if a gun accessory fails, it could cost you or someone else their life.
Saving money isn’t worth the risk of dying or accidentally killing someone else.
You are better off buying products that are critical to safety from a reputable manufacturer that stands behind its product.
