Nigerians suffer huge losses over Temu’s sales promotion blitz

… Experts name illiteracy, greed, lack of due diligence as factors

Many Nigerians online shoppers looking for bargain purchases are falling prey to Temu’s ‘dubious’ sales promotion blitz, Business Hallmark can report.

The bargain hunters, BH findings revealed, usually receive wrong products in place of the envisaged products they had ordered from the Chinese e-commerce firm, leading to  loss of billions of naira.

Owing to the unfortunate experiences of many shoppers, who got their fingers burnt, the initial frenzy for Temu’s products has waned, as many would-be shoppers are now wary of transacting business with the giant e-commerce firm.

It would be recalled that the Chinese e-commerce firm had entered the Nigerian e-commerce market in November 2024. Like their counterparts abroad, Nigerian shoppers are enticed by Temu’s products like electrical and electronic appliances, kitchen equipment, furniture, clothing, phones, laptops and computers, footwears and other products ordered directly from manufacturers in faraway China through aggressive marketing, low pricing and free delivery of goods to every part of the country.

Aggressive Promo

Shoppers on the Temu app also have the chance of winning mouth-watering coupons, which they can use to purchase  products of their choice by spinning a roulette board three times.

Temu, it was learnt, is able to offer competitive prices to shoppers by placing orders directly from original manufacturers in China, as well as engaging Speedaf Express, a Chinese shipping, trucking, delivery and ware-housing firm for the task of delivering ordered goods at a much cheaper price compared with what European and American delivery firms like UPS, DHL and American Express charge.

As a result of these market innovations, Temu soon upstaged local online-shopping firms like Konga, Jumia, Jiji, Netmart, PayPorte, Ajebomarket, Kara, Oyato and others in the fight for the control of Nigeria’s lucrative online market.

According to data provided by Similar Web Limited, a global software development and data aggregation company specializing in web analytics, web traffic and digital performance, Temu emerged as the most downloaded app in Nigeria on Google Play Store and Apple App Store in 2024 with over 500 million downloads.

Also, a BH survey indicates that Temu  fulfilled forty-five percent of all daily orders by Nigerian shoppers from 2024 to June 2025, followed by Jumia 21.4 percent and Konga 16.5 percent, while the other fringe e-commerce firms account for the remaining 17.1 percent.

However, patronage of Temu by Nigerian shoppers have fallen drastically in recent months after deluge of complaints by Nigerians who shared bitter experiences in the hands of the Chinese e-commerce firm.

Shoppers’ Grievance

The crux of their grievances is Temu’s alleged deceit of shipping products they did not ordered to them.

According to BH investigation, six out of 10 Temu shoppers have complained of receiving wrong orders from the firm.

“We have been getting complaints

from Nigerian customers of Temu, who claimed they were not getting the products they ordered and paid for. In most cases, what they are supplied are not usually the products they thought they paid for,” said a consumer protection advocate, Dr. Bisi Olatunde.

A Nigerian shopper on Temu with the username ‘Broslu’, accused Temu of fraud. According to him, he purchased a 2024 Chinese made Paudi SUV from the e-commerce firm in September but was shocked when he received a miniature replica of the vehicle three weeks after from Speedaf, the delivery company retained by Temu.

“Temu’s marketing strategies aremisleading and based on false promises. I recently purchased a car on the company’s app for the sum of N164,089.

“However, I got the shock of my life three weeks later when I received a parcel containing a toy Paudi SUV from the company.

“While I am also at fault for expecting to get a brand new car at less that N200,000, Temu didn’t come out clean in its dealings. How can it post a toy on its app masquerading it as a real car?

“I believe the company should have labelled the car as a toy so that gullible people like me would have known what we are entering into. However, I have learnt a bitter lesson that things should not be taken on their face value. If it sounds too good to be true, then it is most probably fake or misleading,” Broslu stated.

BH checks showed that a 2024 Paudi Volvo XC60 SPA SUV goes for between $37,000 to $78,000 @(depending on its features) in the auto market

Another disappointed Temu shopper, Mrs. Kafayat Onibonoje, shared her not too palatable experience with the online shopping firm with BH.

According to Onibonoje, her first daughter finished from a sewing school in August 2025 and the family deemed it fit to get a sewing machine for her.

Sad Experiences

“Unfortunately, the prices we were getting were on the high side, from N180,000 to N450,000, depending on the brand and quality.

“Succour, however, came around September when a relative drew our attention to an ongoing promo on Temu. When we visited the site to check, we were shocked to find a sewing machine for N17, 000.

“I was initially sceptical about the whole thing, but our doubts were doused by those who claimed that’s how the company used to do during promos.

“To cut the story short, we paid for the product and started waiting for it to be delivered. On the 13th day of making payment, a dispatch rider on a motorbike arrived at our doorstep to deliver the machine.

“Immediately, I sensed something is amiss. ‘How can a whole sewing machine entered into a small box on the back of a machine’, I asked aloud. My ‘too know’ children explained that maybe it was dismantled in China for easy transportation and will need to be reassembled here in Nigeria.

“We didn’t have to wait long. When the dispatch person finally opened his box and brought out the small package with a paper for us to sign, we were all dumbfounded.

“We initially refused to accept the package. But we were advised that without taking delivery, we couldn’t return it and ask for refund. So, we reluctantly took the miniature sewing machine with the intention of seeking for refund later.

“Unfortunately, we don’t know how to proceed with application for a refund and the people that encouraged us to go to Temu had all disappeared. We have been stuck with this useless toy since October without knowing what to do to get back the money we paid to Temu.

Butterfly Sewing Machine – Automatic & Manual

BH checks revealed that while the popular Butterfly Super Sewing Machine favored by many tailors currently sells for an average of N240,000,,

Findings revealed that thousands of Nigerians face similar experience, with majority unable to get refund for unwanted products.

Human Nature

Meanwhile, BH findings revealed that in most cases, shoppers are culpable  because of outright greed, not doing due diligence or lack of education.

For instance, colors, sizes and dimensions of all products on sale are always displayed in ‘description’ columns.

So, it is practically impossible for a literate and diligent shopper to mistake, for instance, a miniature shoe on Temu, which size is recorded as four to six inches, for a size 45 shoe, which comes with a normal length of about 16 inches.

Speaking on the matter, a frequent shopper on e-commerce platforms, Jumoke Olaleye, blamed Nigerians having challenges with Temu for being greedy and not paying attention to details.

“I have been buying goods on e-commerce apps like Jumia, Konga and Temu for years and I always get what I order. The problem with majority of those complaining is that they don’t read caption to know what they are ordering.

“Greed is also part of it. How will you expect to but a product going for N10,000 in the market for N1,000 or less. Yes, there can be enticing discounts of 10 to 15 percent. But what buyers should know is that no matter what, prices of discounted goods should not be too far from the original price. If that happens, something definitely is wrong somewhere.

“Manufacturers produce almost at the same cost, just a little difference. So, if you see a wide gap in products prices, know that something is not right. It is either the products are stolen, expired, fake or the makers are involved in price wars, which are not sustainable.

“In other words, buyers that got their hands burnt looking for bargains should not be pitied at all. They are either foolish or complicit that enable undesirable elements in our society”, Onibonoje noted.

Responding to customers’ complaints, Temu told NAN that it took customer feedback seriously and was committed to providing a transparent and trustworthy shopping experience.

In its response to BH’s email, Temu maintained that its promotional campaigns, including the “free gift” offers, were genuine and valid, with terms and conditions outlined on the campaign page.

It explained that the promos were designed to engage users in a fun and rewarding way, adding that it continuously reviewed and improved its user guide.