Everyone warned me to not buy a sofa from Temu but I did it anyway – it was £223, came in 2 days & got 8/10 for comfort
IT'S known for its mega fashion range and wallet-friendly bargains ideal as last-minute gift ideas.
However, the China-based marketplace Temu may not necessarily be your go-to when it comes to finding furniture on the cheap.
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But this is exactly what one online shopper, Katie Louise, from Manchester, did, taking a huge risk and ordering a gorgeous sofa from the cut-price website.
She recently took to TikTok to show off the stunning product, which cost her a mere £233.87, after being advised to not purchase a couch from the site.
Temu's version comes in hundreds of pounds cheaper than similar furniture from other retailers, such as Sofa Club where it will set you back an eye-watering £699.
Meanwhile, Dunelm shoppers can expect to fork out close to an astronomical £500 - while store Lara James charges around £420 for their sofa.
Katie, who recently moved into a new apartment, explained: ''Everyone told me not to buy my sofa from Temu - so naturally, I did.''
While Katie admitted that at first, she was ''filled with immediate regret'', she later learnt there was no need to worry.
The delivery took a mere two days and after putting it all together, the online shopper gave it a good steam, before giving the sofa the comfort test.
Raving about the wallet-friendly purchase, Katie scored the sofa 8/10 for comfort and a whopping 10/10 for overall value.
She wrote in the caption of the video: ''Apartment diy diaries continue with my £233.87 corner sofa from Temu.
''Genuinely surprised at the value and it arrived in 2 working days!''
I used cheap Temu tiles to get a herringbone bathroom while saving for a reno - they're good as new 4 months later
'Woah, actually not bad'
The video has clearly impressed many, as it's racked up close to 150k views in less than 24 hours.
Almost 8,000 viewers gave it a like, as others flooded to comments.
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.
One person couldn't believe the speedy delivery, as they wrote: ''Wait 2 days??? that's impressive.''
Another chuckled: ''When u brought out the first box I thought that was it and it was one of them tiny fake ones.''
Someone else chimed in: ''woah actually not bad.''
''Why do I kinda want to do this,'' penned another.
Katie is not the only person who's recently scored mega luck with furniture from Temu, as one woman managed to bag a gorgeous sofa for just £315.
Another bargain hunter now has a foldable sofa that can be turned into a double bed for less than £240.
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