TEMU.com -- Better than Wish.com?

[gilraen]

All my nail files are metal. Some of them I've had since high school. I can't stand emery board ones.

[Kasey Chang]

Just put in another Temu order, mainly because the equivalent from Amazon is... more expensive.

USB3 extension cables... so I can put the hub at a more convenient place: $2.79

a 4-port USB hub: with a built-in desk clamp (again, ease of mounting to clean up my desk: $14.18

30 pieces of cable holder dots (stick-on silicone "dots" with a groove to hold/organize cables) $2.48

2 more adjustable monitor shelves $2.50 each (and these are the larger versions)

a macro keyboard that has 6 keys and one rotating knob, supposedly all programmable, may help me do video edits : $13.93

[hitbyambulance]

a macro keyboard that has 6 keys and one rotating knob, supposedly all programmable, may help me do video edits : $13.93

i think you just like buying things

[Kasey Chang]

True, true, I do like my toys.

[Kasey Chang]

The six key with rotating knob keyboard is here... And it does work... once I find and download the config program, and config . The KB came with NO instructions, and the download link is a Google Drive Share link. But again, it *does* work when mapped.

[The Meal]

I ended up websearching "Sikai Custom Mechanical Keyboard Energy Fort download" to find the software.

Code: Select all

https://www.energyfort.cc/blog/mini-keyboard-firmware-instruction-and-download?spm=..index.header_1.1

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up the TWO-knob, USB-dongle or Bluetooth version of this device from Amazon for like $18 (it's $70 on the manufacturers website!). It works as advertised. The keypad updates sometimes take a few attempts to "download" your changes to the device, but if you pass a "clear" to the keys first, then it seems to work better.

My use case was to assist with passing keyboard commands to my poker tournament software when I wasn't directly in front of a computer. Unfortunately the device has a polling timeout when it's not wired directly to a PC/Mac, and it's bulkier than I would've liked.

[Montag]

This is worth watching. It explains why these cheap product companies can exist.

It is a hit piece, but just because it is a hit piece, does not mean it is wrong. There are a lot of interesting videos in the channel. Even with a skeptic lens, there is a lot of interesting points.

[LordMortis]

Been shopping for a new winter coat for quite some time now. My perfect old one was cut apart by the EMTs in my accident. Either prices are obscene or I can't find a water restistent/proof hooded parka/sherpa that fits the niche like my old one did. So I broke down and ordered a $35 coat. It should arrive today. We'll see how close it is to the picture/reviews. Even in just a picture, it's not as perfect as my old one but the price was right if it's at all close and breaks the wind, resists getting wet, has a proper hood, fits layers underneath, has proper winter accoutrements pockets, and has enough inherent warmth to actually be a coat without being bulky.

Blind buying a coat is weird. I'd have much rather found the coat I wanted for $60 (or more if it was perfect) at a B&M store.

[LawBeefaroni]

Been shopping for a new winter coat for quite some time now. My perfect old one was cut apart by the EMTs in my accident. Either prices are obscene or I can't find a water restistent/proof hooded parka/sherpa that fits the niche like my old one did. So I broke down and ordered a $35 coat. It should arrive today. We'll see how close it is to the picture/reviews. Even in just a picture, it's not as perfect as my old one but the price was right if it's at all close and breaks the wind, resists getting wet, has a proper hood, fits layers underneath, has proper winter accoutrements pockets, and has enough inherent warmth to actually be a coat without being bulky.

Blind buying a coat is weird. I'd have much rather found the coat I wanted for $60 (or more if it was perfect) at a B&M store.

If you have a Cabela's or Bass Pro (or the like) nearby,.check the bargain/clearance section. I've found a lot of winter wear there, both B&M and online. And not necessarily hunting stuff. North Face, etc.


TEMU to me just screams loss leader stuff that I don't need.

[LordMortis]

If you have a Cabela's or Bass Pro (or the like) nearby,.check the bargain/clearance section. I've found a lot of winter wear there, both B&M and online. And not necessarily hunting stuff. North Face, etc.


TEMU to me just screams loss leader stuff that I don't need.

Not close enough to have shopped there before I already commit. I have been tooling around for a couple of months to all of the directly local shops for a couple of months now and now it's getting to be too late to wait. We could hit first frost any time now.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Been shopping for a new winter coat for quite some time now. My perfect old one was cut apart by the EMTs in my accident. Either prices are obscene or I can't find a water restistent/proof hooded parka/sherpa that fits the niche like my old one did. So I broke down and ordered a $35 coat. It should arrive today. We'll see how close it is to the picture/reviews. Even in just a picture, it's not as perfect as my old one but the price was right if it's at all close and breaks the wind, resists getting wet, has a proper hood, fits layers underneath, has proper winter accoutrements pockets, and has enough inherent warmth to actually be a coat without being bulky.

Blind buying a coat is weird. I'd have much rather found the coat I wanted for $60 (or more if it was perfect) at a B&M store.

If you'd like a rock solid reliable water and windproof jacket for the winter, I'd highly recommend forgetting about TEMU flim-flam and instead spend a wee bit more for a proper British waxed jacket, AKA oilskin or tin cloth. If you've never worn one before, a waxed jacket feels akin to wearing your own personal forcefield in foul weather. Because any rain, snow, or moisture that gets on it will roll straight down and drip off the bottom. Suffice to say, a waxed jacket will block all wind short of a hurricane, so it does a vastly superior job of keeping your body heat in.

For example, here are some authentic made-in-the-U.K. waxed jackets available through Amazon for just over $100:



Walker and Hawkes - Men's Wax Unpadded Benson Jacket
Walker and Hawkes - Men's Wax Padded Benson Jacket

However, if you would prefer to first try on a proper British waxed jacket in person, then I would suggest using the Orvis store locator to find out if you have an Orvis store in your locale. Orvis is a specialist retailer that sells fly fishing, hunting, and sporting apparel, and they are partnered with perhaps the most famous brand of British waxed jackets there is, Barbour. Keep in mind however, Barbour is more of a prestige brand, e.g. Daniel Craig wore a modified Barbour jacket in Skyfall, and they also have a long-standing line of clothing inspired by actor and avid motorcycle racer Steve McQueen, who exclusively wore Barbour during his races. So, expect to see prices of $400+ for the Barbour waxed jackets available from a retail Orvis store. Still, if you'd like to try wearing a waxed jacket prior to ordering one through Amazon, the sizing of a Barbour jacket ought to match up fairly closely to the Walker and Hawkes jackets above.

Also, one other caveat: these jackets tend to use a backwards or left-handed style zipper, due to their original design as an English hunting coat. The zipper is styled that way to ease the process of zipping and unzipping while holding a shotgun broken open and cradled in your right hand, as shown here:

[LordMortis]

Yeah, it was junk. Their idea of a winter parka is cheap light rain jacket.

[Kasey Chang]

I don't meet harsh winters unless I seek it in California, but I have one of those "shirt jackets" with a ton of lining.

For you sir, I would troll on Woot.com under Men's Apparelo, and it's not going to be $35. It's be 40-100.

Levi's Corduroy Sherpa Trucker Jacket 53-77

Columbia Men's Bugaboo II fleece interchange jacket 77 two jackets in one, can be worn separately

[LordMortis]

I don't need a name brand. If I still had Costco membership, I'd troll there. The Colombia style, if lined/thick enough is pretty close to what I'm looking for. If I saw a clone locally, tried it on and the price was $60, I'd be done. If it starts getting colder and I don't find something in time, I might just come back to that.

[Kasey Chang]

Do keep in mind Woot is basically a clearance depot for Amazon nowadays, so deals can appear and disappear at random. If you see something you want, better grab it first.

[TheMix]

I don't need a name brand. If I still had Costco membership, I'd troll there. The Colombia style, if lined/thick enough is pretty close to what I'm looking for. If I saw a clone locally, tried it on and the price was $60, I'd be done. If it starts getting colder and I don't find something in time, I might just come back to that.

Some food for thought... https://20somethingfinance.com/shop-cos ... embership/

Looks like you should be able to get in pretty easily if you want. And I'm sure that someone with a membership here (like me) would be willing to hook you up with the pre-paid card if you wanted/found something worth buying. I looked at the website. There are a couple of jackets that look waterproof. Not sure if either are available to check out in store.

[LordMortis]

I don't need a name brand. If I still had Costco membership, I'd troll there. The Colombia style, if lined/thick enough is pretty close to what I'm looking for. If I saw a clone locally, tried it on and the price was $60, I'd be done. If it starts getting colder and I don't find something in time, I might just come back to that.

Some food for thought... https://20somethingfinance.com/shop-cos ... embership/

Looks like you should be able to get in pretty easily if you want. And I'm sure that someone with a membership here (like me) would be willing to hook you up with the pre-paid card if you wanted/found something worth buying. I looked at the website. There are a couple of jackets that look waterproof. Not sure if either are available to check out in store.

Yeah, I have friends who still have memberships and I still have a card if I want to walk in a look at what's in store. I think about that and may even poke around in the immediate future. It's very much on the table.

[Moliere]

Also, one other caveat: these jackets tend to use a backwards or left-handed style zipper, due to their original design as an English hunting coat. The zipper is styled that way to ease the process of zipping and unzipping while holding a shotgun broken open and cradled in your right hand, as shown here:

Nice trivia break. Thanks!

[LordMortis]

I guess it took a waste of money at TEMU to get Burlington to get something passable and for only $50. That was maybe my 8th or 9th trip there. Their inventory rollover is nearly daily. I got maybe 90% of what I wanted. We'll see how water resistant it is. It's a little more wintery than I want and it could have better inside pockets. (I like to keep a scarf and balaclava in the inside pockets) The bright side, is that I have lighter rain jacket with the TEMU plasticy thing I got. So I guess this can be a truly winter coat and not dual purposed. So now I can delete that woot bookmark, that was I likely to engage this week. If I had an Amazon membership I might have just impulse bought that jacket and been done with it.

[Kasey Chang]

Just to throw another idea your way: would an ex-military jacket interest you? Like a French M64 for $45?

[LordMortis]

I needed a hood but I'm all set now. But thanks for the suggestions. I almost went with Colombia Woot you posted. It was pretty much exactly what I wanted. When I went sniffing and they wanted more for shipping because I'm not Prime, I went for close enough to what I wanted for under $50.

[LawBeefaroni]

My strategy the last decade or so has just to get a good outter jacket or two and then buy layers as needed. Given how unpredictable winters have been its worked out quite well.

After the initial investment it's really just a matter of picking up a new sweatshirt or fleece every once in a while.

[LordMortis]

My strategy the last decade or so has just to get a good outter jacket or two and then buy layers as needed.

That's me. I just need a little warm, enough for layers, a hood, water resistant, and good a breaking wind (and with roomy inside pockets). My last coat was perfect but they had to cut it off me when I was in an accident in March. The Columbia one KC posted looked to be pretty close but $80 was spendy for what I needed. I have some sort of Rebok coat now, that is yet to be tested but looks close enough.

[Kasey Chang]

I am in San Francisco, so I always wear layers.

As I said before, Temu is for stuff you can find on Amazon, but you don't need in a hurry.

I accidentally ordered one of those "ortho pillows", then ordered a better version from Woot. Both arrived on the weekend, the Woot/Amazon version costing about $3 more. And let's just say, the difference is night and day. The Temu one looks right, but the fillings are so light, it's like one of those decorative pillows from Ikea... there's absolutely ZERO resistance. Whereas the one I got via Woot/Amazon was actual memory foam. So the Temu pillow was technically a waste of money.

[Kasey Chang]

I never returned the DVD player. Just too much hassle for a good chance at $10.

Do you still have it by chance? It may not be broken.

FWIW, I just bought one myself, and it took a bit of fiddling to get it to work.

The one I got needs TWO USB cables, a data cable, and a power cable. The power cable may not get enough juice from a normal USB2 or USB3 port. You need one of those USB-power bricks to power that. I happen to have a multi-port USB power thing on my desk, and after a bit of stretching (the cable's VERY short) I got the drive to play audio CDs, which *should* mean it's working fine.

If the light just blinks, and the drive makes a chugging sound, it's not getting enough juice to even appear to the PC as a USB device.

[LordMortis]

I never returned the DVD player. Just too much hassle for a good chance at $10.

Do you still have it by chance? It may not be broken.

FWIW, I just bought one myself, and it took a bit of fiddling to get it to work.

The one I got needs TWO USB cables, a data cable, and a power cable. The power cable may not get enough juice from a normal USB2 or USB3 port. You need one of those USB-power bricks to power that. I happen to have a multi-port USB power thing on my desk, and after a bit of stretching (the cable's VERY short) I got the drive to play audio CDs, which *should* mean it's working fine.

If the light just blinks, and the drive makes a chugging sound, it's not getting enough juice to even appear to the PC as a USB device.

Mine also required two cables. One for power the other for connection. Both USB. I don't remember if I tried a USB power brick or not. Maybe I'll give it a try again. My memory is was that it worked but it didn't recognize CDs as anything functional.

[Daehawk]

If you'd asked for a refund or return theey most likely would have just sent you a new one and not asked for the broken one so no shipping back.

[Kasey Chang]

If you'd asked for a refund or return theey most likely would have just sent you a new one and not asked for the broken one so no shipping back.

I told him that back in June. He didn't wanna bother.

[Kasey Chang]

I am officially shopped out on Temu and will not be buying any more stuff for a while, as I have basically everything except essentials which I will get from Amazon. Got a couple dust brushes ($2 each), a brush to clean my shoes ($1.18), a DVD reader ($11), 2 key organizers ($4 and $2), a mini carabiner flashlight ($2) some misc items, and that's it.

[hitbyambulance]

i'm guessing the utility stuff bought from here is approximately sub-DAISO quality...

[Kasey Chang]

i'm guessing the utility stuff bought from here is approximately sub-DAISO quality...

Roughly, yes. But they're so cheap, it's basically impulse-buy level stuff. Like $1 "ring finger measuring tool", $2 ear pick set, $2 tiny "Star Trek delta" pin, $4 "50 x programmer / nerd stickers set"

[LawBeefaroni]

I noticed that they sell a lot of counterfeit coins that end up being resold as real. They even sell slabbed ones. Shady as fuck and really annoying if you ask me.

[Kasey Chang]

They never advertised theirs as real. Personally, it's on whoever reselling them. Like, who'd want to buy a Trump coin on Temu?

[Blackhawk]

They never advertised theirs as real. Personally, it's on whoever reselling them. Like, who'd want to buy a Trump coin on Temu?

"Truthfully, your Honor, I never told the cashier it was real money."

[Kasey Chang]

FWIW, if anybody still need jackets, shoebacca.com has some on clearance, as low as $9.99.

[Kasey Chang]

My rules on Temu had always been 1) never put in my credit card directly (go through Paypal) and 2) only buy stuff that I know to be somewhat legit (also on Amazon, but obviously for quite a bit more), or so cheap (under $5) that doesn't really matter.

So I went back in, and picked up...

* stowable bucket hat $3.97
* a dozen microfiber dishcloth for $5.45 (US price typically 10 for $8?)
* desktop/car vacuum for $10.70 (US price typically $15-20)
* under desk hanging shelf $17.28 (US price about $20-25)
* no-tie shoelace (elastic) $1.28 (About $5-10 in US?)
* tablet handle (elastic, fits all tablets?) for $1.98 (about $5 in US?)
* Men's ratchet belt $3-5 (about $8-$15 depending on material in the US)

[LawBeefaroni]

They never advertised theirs as real. Personally, it's on whoever reselling them. Like, who'd want to buy a Trump coin on Temu?

They didn't say they weren't real and put them in fake COA slabs.

I did notice that they are now calling them "replica" items. That's a change. They still sell them in slabs but now they have "COPY" stamped on them somewhere.

They also no longer sell fake current American Eagles since those are technically still legal tender. It is like selling fake $100s. I'm guessing they got slapped. They're still sneaking this by though.

[Kasey Chang]

Okay, I lied, I went back for more stuff that costs 20-100% more in the US.

* Bag organizer insert (basically, compartments/pockets) $2 (vs $8-15 in the US)
* Pants hanger for 5 pairs $5 (vs $10-15)
* Playing card plastic boxes 4 for $3.50 (way more than that in the US)
* Men's belt, cloth with metal buckle, $3.60 vs $10 (now as low as $2.33)
* Lint remover brush $1.50
* Rechargeable mini massager gun w/ 4 heads, $6.50 vs $20-30 in the US
* "Aircraft-style" USB-C cable for keyboard enthusiasts: $10 (vs $20-30 in the US)
* Computer/TV top shelf $2.75 (vs $8-15 in the US)
* under desk shelf-basket $17 vs $25 in the US, prices have since dropped further
* no-tie elastic shoe laces $1.50
-----
* sling bag / shoulder bag: $8.09
* double-walled borosilicate mug: $4.54 (compared to $12-25)
* elastic penholder for diary or such: $1.06
* narrow sidecart $7.45 (compared to $15 or $20)
* ramen bowl set including strainer and utensils: $4.89
* 4 silicone egg molds for air fryers $1.48
* smaller underdesk tray for power strips and such cable management: 6.79