Temu vs Aliexpress: Which is Better? | ZIK Analytics (2024)

Whether new to online selling or not, the name Aliexpress might be familiar. But there is a newcomer in the ecommerce scene: Temu.

With online marketplaces constantly vying for ecommerce supremacy, it’s crucial to consider new and emerging options if you’re looking for a reliable supplier for your dropshipping or ecommerce business.

Could it be Temu vs Aliexpress?

I’ve tried many ecommerce suppliers in the decades of online selling. Aliexpress has been the go-to option for many years, regardless of your business model. It is a good source of affordable products to increase your profit margin.

Plus, the platform’s solid supplier connections mean you can sell just about any product (Chinese manufacturers or not) at a low shipping cost. It might sound too good, but a newcomer is ready to shake up the status quo.

This guide will examine Temu and Aliexpress in depth so you can understand both suppliers. This comprehensive comparison can help you make the right choice for your dropshipping business.

Key Takeaways

• Aliexpress is an ecommerce giant that is part of the Alibaba Group and has been around in the ecommerce world since 2010.
• Temu is a newcomer as an ecommerce site founded in 2022 and launched in 2023.
• Temu and Aliexpress offer competitive prices and a wide product range. Both sites also offer multiple payment methods and shipping options.
• Aliexpress is a better choice for dropshipping businesses as they can be easily integrated into your business for easy automation. On the other hand, Temu is not easily integrated.

Temu vs Aliexpress: Overview

Before going into the pros and cons of Temu and Aliexpress, it’s crucial to understand more about each online marketplace. So, what is Temu and Aliexpress?

Keep reading to learn more about these e-commerce websites.

When comparing the two platforms, it’s important to consider product quality.

AliExpress is often noted for having a stronger emphasis on quality control and offering slightly better product quality compared to Temu, which tends to offer lower-priced items at the expense of product quality.

Another key factor to consider is the shipping methods available on each platform. AliExpress and Temu offer different shipping options, including standard and premium shipping, with variations in delivery times and costs.

Buyers can choose their preferred shipping method, but sellers have limited control over the shipping times and methods.

What is Temu?

Temu is one of the newest online marketplaces that emerged as a new supplier option for entrepreneurs with a dropshipping business model. It is US-based but is a sister company of a Chinese online shopping site called Pinduoduo.

Temu was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 2022, but it was officially launched in April 2023. It is a legitimate and safe online shopping portal. It even reached the no.1 spot on the Play Store app downloads.

According to the Temu website, they connect consumers with millions of merchandise partners.

Like Aliexpress, Temu offers an extensive product selection in many categories. Whether you’re looking to sell beauty products, clothing, or electronics, they’ve got it.

The Temu app also offers products at affordable prices, and many sellers offer fast and reliable shipping. However, while Temu offers lower-priced items, there are customer complaints regarding product quality.

What is Aliexpress?

Aliexpress needs no introduction. It’s been one of the top online marketplaces for dropshipping business owners looking for suppliers with a vast product selection, competitive pricing, and various shipping costs to match their budget.

It is part of the Alibaba Group, among the world’s largest e-commerce companies. This company was founded in China in 2010.

Aliexpress is a popular online shopping platform, too. While it is known to offer products from Chinese manufacturers, this company has grown extensively in the e-commerce industry and now has warehouses worldwide.

Aliexpress offers free shipping or expedited delivery when required. Since it has warehouses in various parts of the world, business owners can also promise fast shipping or lower shipping costs.

Your supplier can send the product from the warehouse closest to the customer’s designated delivery address.

Aliexpress provides various shipping methods, including standard and premium shipping options. These methods come with different delivery times and tracking availability, allowing buyers to choose the most suitable option for their needs.

Temu vs Aliexpress: Products

With a dropshipping business, products are at the core of your business. Without quality products, you cannot attract potential customers. And thus, you won’t be able to make your business profitable.

Therefore, the products are a good place to start when comparing Temu and Aliexpress.

Both Temu and Aliexpress offer an extensive product range, particularly quality products at competitive prices. These websites are similar because they offer several categories of products.

The comprehensive product range lets you choose the best products to add to your online store, such as beauty products, consumer electronics, home décor, clothing, pet supplies, and more. You name it, they have it!

According to the Aliexpress website, they have over one million products available. While Temu does not state specifically how many available products are available, it is extensive.

The one difference between these two websites is that Temu physically inspects all products displayed on its website. However, Aliexpress does not do that because the products are listed by individual sellers.

It is your job to choose the best seller on Aliexpress that offers quality products at competitive prices.

Aside from the product range, product quality is a critical factor that you must consider when choosing between Temu and Aliexpress as your supplier.

One thing that Aliexpress has an advantage over Temu is its reliability. This company has been around for much longer than Temu in the e-commerce industry.

Therefore, they have a more extensive supplier partnership and seller ratings available you can check for feedback. Aliexpress is known for slightly better product quality due to its stronger emphasis on quality control.

It is for these reasons that most sellers choose Aliexpress products versus Temu.

Winner: Aliexpress

Temu vs Aliexpress: Pricing

Pricing strategy and cost analysis are integral to any business, big or small. You must consider pricing when choosing a supplier to optimize your profit margin.

Fortunately, Temu and Aliexpress try to remove intermediaries and allow the buyers to contact manufacturers and sellers directly. It’s not just through the products that you can expect competitive pricing.

The pricing structure on the platforms is also reasonable.

Due to its vast partnerships with its merchandisers, Temu offers affordable pricing on most products. It has taken the e-commerce world by storm with its competitive prices.

Aside from heavy discounts, Temu offers free shipping on all orders and a free return within 90 days.

On the other hand, Aliexpress products also boast competitive pricing. And while some Temu products are more affordable, Aliexpress makes up for it with more product selection, allowing you more options if the value is what you’re after.

Since there are many suppliers available on Aliexpress, as it allows drop shipping, you can negotiate terms with suppliers to maximize your profit and earn more money in return.

Winner: Aliexpress (if you want more value for money)

Temu vs Aliexpress: Payment Methods

Both Temu and Aliexpress accept multiple secure payment methods on their platforms. Whether you want a local payment solution or major card issuers, they have them!

Aside from the major credit card companies, Temu and Aliexpress also accept digital payment methods, such as Cash App Pay, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Paypal, and more secure payment methods.

Therefore, finding a payment solution that suits your needs and preferences is easy, adding more convenience to using these websites.

Winner: Both Temu and Aliexpress

Temu vs Aliexpress: Shipping Options

Temu and Aliexpress are practically the same in that they offer standard and premium shipping options. Buyers can choose their preferred shipping methods based on how fast they want their orders delivered.

Both platforms provide variations in delivery times and tracking availability, allowing customers to select the most suitable option for their needs.

With Temu, the majority of the products are shipped from China. Therefore, it can take longer for the orders to arrive if your customers are in the US. The average shipping time would be 6-25 days.

However, they do offer free shipping costs on standard shipping. If your customers are willing to wait, then it’s a good option.

If not, Aliexpress offers express shipping for customers in addition to the standard shipping rates. They also partner with more couriers, so you can expect reliable shipping when you order from Aliexpress.

Of course, there are reliable shipping options if you want lower shipping costs.

Winner: Temu and Aliexpress

Temu vs Aliexpress: Fees, Charges & Shipping Costs

When choosing Temu or Aliexpress as your dropshipping supplier, you must consider the fees and charges for each website. This will greatly impact your profit margin, especially your operating costs.

Aliexpress follows a commission-based format in its business model. Therefore, sellers pay 5-8% on the sale’s value. The fee varies according to the item the customer orders from the store.

Because of this, you can expect Aliexpress products to be slightly higher than Temu’s.

Winner: Temu

Temu vs Aliexpress: Returns and Refunds

Knowing about the return and refund policy on an ecommerce website can directly impact your customer’s shopping experience if you choose either Temu vs Aliexpress as your supplier.

Temu offers free returns within 90 days of your purchase. However, there are some exceptions to their 90-day free return service and policy. The first one is to ensure that the tags and packaging are intact when returning clothing items.

Also, the items should not have been worn, damaged, or washed. All hygiene stickers are also present in the item upon return.

Also, you cannot return items on Temu that are labeled as non-returnable or free gifts from the website or Temu app. Refunds are processed within three working days after they have received the return package.

Meanwhile, Aliexpress offers free returns on buyers for 15 days. On the other hand, refunds will vary according to the customer’s original payment method, which can take up to 20 working days.

Aliexpress has a 90-day buyer protection program, which begins when the seller ships your order. The buyer protection program covers the following items:

• When the customer fails to receive the item within the buyer protection period,
• When the item is not as described,
• When the customer files a dispute and provides adequate evidence to support that claim.

Customers from EU countries are also protected by a two-year warranty on Aliexpress.

Winner: Aliexpresss

Temu vs Aliexpress: Customer Support

What customer support level can you expect from Temu and Aliexpress?

Temu offers a chatbot for its customer assistance, providing immediate responses to customers’ queries and other concerns. However, they do have other means of contacting support for your concerns.

You can also email the customer support team or contact the seller directly.

On the other hand, Aliexpress customer service is highly responsive and available 24/7. While they have a chatbot, you can contact the seller about your order concerns or product questions if you want immediate answers to your concerns.

Their customer service team is available in multiple languages, such as Spanish, French, Russian, and English.

Winner: Aliexpress

Temu vs Aliexpress: Which is Better?

Temu vs Aliexpress?

How do you choose the best option for your dropshipping businesses?

There are pros and cons to choosing Temu or Aliexpress. Faster delivery times and competitive pricing are critical to improving customer satisfaction and retention.

If these are important to you, then Temu is the right choice.

On the other hand, Aliexpress is a better choice if you are into dropshipping businesses. It can be easily integrated with other dropshipping tools that allow you to automate your business, especially when selecting and importing products.

You can also get competitive prices on Aliexpress products, which is part of the reason why it continues to attract global buyers. And since it is designed to fit dropshipping businesses, you have more customization options with Aliexpress for your business.

Another factor to consider when choosing between Temu and Aliexpress is the shipping options. Temu only offers shipping to select regions, whereas Aliexpress offers standard and premium shipping worldwide.

If you want to attract global buyers for your business, it is a better option due to the fast and reliable shipping anywhere in the world.

FAQs

Is Temu more expensive than Aliexpress?

Temu and Aliexpress offer competitive pricing with a wide range of product choices.

Is Temu a safe site to order from?

Yes. Temu is a legitimate shopping site that can sell directly from Chinese manufacturers to global buyers.

Why is Temu so cheap?

It is because of direct sourcing from China. They cut out the middleman and intermediaries to reduce product costs.

Is Temu beating AliExpress?

Some Temu products are cheaper than Aliexpress. However, Aliexpress has been around for years and offers reliable shipping and excellent customer service.