Amazon is a mature e-commerce platform with 2-3 day US delivery, seller accountability, and established buyer protection, while Temu is a budget-focused marketplace offering extremely low prices (often 70-90% cheaper) through direct Chinese manufacturer sales but with 2-4 week shipping times and minimal buyer recourse.
Temu vs Amazon — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Global e-commerce giant offering fast shipping, fixed pricing, and Prime membership benefits across millions of products.
Chinese-owned budget marketplace connecting buyers directly to manufacturers with extreme discounting.
Average Delivery Time (US). Average Product Price Difference. Buyer Protection Program. Seller Vetting & Accountability. Product Quality Consistency. Data Privacy & Security Concerns. Product Authenticity Guarantee
Choose Amazon if you value fast delivery (2-3 days), reliable product quality, strong buyer protection, and accountability—best for electronics, groceries, and items you need quickly. Choose Temu if you're budget-conscious, have patience for 3-4 week shipping, accept quality variability, and prioritize finding the lowest possible price on accessories, novelty items, and fashion.
Amazon: 240+ Prime members + broader reach | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 40% US e-commerce market share | Temu: N/A
Amazon: $2.36 trillion (July 2026) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 15-25% (FBA included) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 220 million Prime members | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 500+ Amazon Go/Fresh stores | Temu: N/A
Amazon: Same-day to 1 day (Prime) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 240 million Prime members | Temu: N/A
Amazon: Competitive on items under $50 | Temu: N/A
Amazon: Multi-category general retailer | Temu: N/A
Amazon: Basic category and keyword filters | Temu: N/A
Amazon: Limited home furniture brands | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 40% global e-commerce market share | Temu: N/A
Amazon: $638B (e-commerce only) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: All categories (diversified) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 5-20% on Subscribe & Save | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 190+ countries and territories | Temu: N/A
Amazon: Industry average ~40-45% | Temu: N/A
Standard Non-Perishable Pet Delivery Time
Amazon: ~50,000-100,000 (estimated pet section) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 500+ million SKUs across all categories | Temu: N/A
2025 Pet Supplies Market Position (GMV Rank)
Amazon: Not #1 in pet supplies | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 30 days (standard Amazon) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: Limited pet-specific subscriptions | Temu: N/A
Specialty Pet Food Availability (Exotic/Medical Diets)
Amazon: Limited; depends on seller listings | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 300+ active customers | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 3-7 days (instant access) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 0% customer data; Amazon owns relationship | Temu: N/A
Amazon: Varies by category and account tier | Temu: N/A
Amazon: Amazon 380 million | Temu: Temu 620 million
Amazon: 30 days (standard) | Temu: 7-15 days (varies)
Amazon: 30+ main categories | Temu: 12+ main categories
Amazon: Prime $139 | Temu: Free (optional coins)
Amazon: Strict vetting, A9 quality standards | Temu: Limited oversight, mostly China-based
Amazon: 4.4/5 average seller rating | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 2.5 billion downloads | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 2 days (Prime) / 5-7 days (standard) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 150+ million customers | Temu: N/A
Amazon: Proprietary (freemium model) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: Not offered; external pharmacy required | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 2-3 days (Prime) | Temu: 14-28 days
Amazon: 30-60 days (Prime) | Temu: 7-14 days
Average Product Price Index (baseline=100)
Amazon: GDPR/CCPA Compliant | Temu: FTC Investigation (2024)
Amazon: $139 (Prime basic tier) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 1-2 days (Prime members in metro areas) | Temu: N/A
Average Price Difference on Beauty Products
Amazon: 10-25% discount below MSRP | Temu: N/A
Amazon: Same-day or 1-day with Prime | Temu: N/A
Amazon: Varies; typically 1-5% with Prime | Temu: N/A
Amazon: $0 with Prime / $25 without | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 1-2 days (Prime) | Temu: 15-45 days
Amazon: 2,100 million | Temu: 80+ million
Amazon: 180 days (A-to-Z Guarantee) | Temu: 30 days (limited)
Amazon: 500+ million | Temu: 2-5 million
Amazon: $575 billion | Temu: $8 billion (est.)
Amazon: US-regulated, transparent data policies | Temu: China-based, banned in US/EU countries, privacy concerns
Prime Eligible Items with Two-Day Shipping
Free Shipping Threshold (Standard Members)
Amazon: $35 (with Prime; $100 without) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 500+ furniture brands available | Temu: N/A
Average Beauty Product Price Comparison (Foundation)
Amazon: 1-2 days with Prime | Temu: 28 days average
Customer Review Average Rating (Beauty Products)
Amazon: Up to 45% (varies by category) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 91% trust Amazon (2024) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 65% third-party sellers (mostly resellers/aggregators) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 3,500 cities (Prime 2-hour) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: ~600 (Whole Foods only) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 100+ metro areas (Prime) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: ~50,000 pet products | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 5-20% Subscribe & Save | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 89% (J.D. Power 2024) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 12% (includes pet products) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 50,000+ pet listings | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 1-2 days (Prime members) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 4.2/5 stars | Temu: 2.4 stars (based on 1.8M reviews)
Amazon: 100-150% higher (standard retail markup) | Temu: Baseline (70-90% cheaper)
Amazon: 94% disputes resolved in buyer favor | Temu: ~15-20% successful dispute resolution
Amazon: 4.2/5 (verified reviews with photo proof) | Temu: 3.1/5 (limited, often unverified reviews)
Amazon: ~8-12% average return rate | Temu: ~35-45% reported defect/dissatisfaction rate
Amazon: 139/year or 14.99/month | Temu: Free (funded by data monetization)
Amazon: 5-10 business days | Temu: 30-60+ days (if seller cooperates)
Amazon: Low (seller suspension policy enforced) | Temu: Very High (80%+ of defect complaints mention counterfeit concerns)
Amazon: 0 stores (digital-only) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 180 days (A-to-Z Guarantee) | Temu: N/A
Amazon: 40+ primary categories | Temu: N/A
Amazon: N/A | Temu: Variable (2-4 stars)
Amazon: N/A | Temu: Electronics, gadgets, home goods
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 14-day dispute window with store credit only
Amazon: N/A | Temu: Non-compliant, Chinese data collection
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 60-65% positive reviews
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 22.5 days (15-30 range)
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 35+ major categories
Amazon: N/A | Temu: Ongoing (flagged 2024)
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 7 days (severely limited; most items non-returnable)
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 2 years (founded 2022)
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 8+ categories (fashion, electronics, home, beauty, sports, gadgets, pets, food)
Estimated Price Savings vs Traditional Retail
Amazon: N/A | Temu: No limit (typically $100+)
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 30-50% dispute win rate
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 3/10 (data harvesting concerns)
Amazon: N/A | Temu: ~3 years (major expansion)
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 72% (all categories)
Amazon: N/A | Temu: Electronics, toys, home goods, apparel, gadgets (20+ categories)
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 30-60% vs traditional retail
Amazon: N/A | Temu: High (FTC/EU investigations)
Amazon: N/A | Temu: Minimal transparency
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 7-14 days (disputed)
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 180 (per Reddit/Trustpilot analysis)
Amazon: N/A | Temu: High (U.S. Treasury ban threat as of 2024)
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 4 lawsuits + FBI warning
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 3 years (founded 2022)
Amazon: N/A | Temu: 50+ broad categories
Temu vs Amazon — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Temu vs Amazon. Contains 295 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Temu vs Amazon — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Temu vs Amazon.
Is Temu really that much cheaper than Amazon?
Yes. Temu prices are typically 70-90% lower because goods ship directly from Chinese manufacturers without middleman markups, seller vetting fees, or US logistics costs. A $15 phone case on Amazon might cost $2-3 on Temu. However, quality consistency is poor—you may receive defects, counterfeits, or items that don't match product photos.
What happens if I get a defective item from Temu?
Temu offers limited buyer protection. Dispute resolution is seller-dependent; many sellers ignore complaints. If approved, refunds take 30-60+ days. Amazon's A-to-Z Guarantee, by contrast, typically resolves issues within 5-10 days and sides with buyers 94% of the time without requiring proof.
Temu has faced significant privacy scrutiny. It's owned by ByteDance (Chinese company behind TikTok) and reportedly collects extensive user data including location, device info, and browsing behavior. US lawmakers have raised national security concerns. Amazon operates under US regulations (GDPR, CCPA) with stronger data protection standards.
Use Amazon for urgent needs (Prime = 2-3 days), quality assurance, electronics, groceries, or items you can't afford to lose. Use Temu only for non-urgent, low-risk purchases (novelty items, cheap accessories, fashion) where you accept potential defects and can wait 3-4 weeks. Never use Temu for gifts requiring reliability or items with safety concerns (electronics, children's toys).
No. Amazon's business model includes seller accountability and fast logistics, which costs more. Some Amazon sellers do offer budget prices to compete, but these still don't match Temu's manufacturer-direct pricing. You pay for speed, protection, and quality assurance on Amazon.
Average Delivery Time (US): Amazon has 2-3 days with Prime, while Temu has 14-28 days standard.
Consider: Average Product Price Difference
Average Product Price Difference: Amazon has Standard retail markup (20-40%), while Temu has 70-90% cheaper than Amazon equivalent.
Buyer Protection Program: Amazon has A-to-Z Guarantee with full refunds, while Temu has Limited dispute resolution, seller-dependent.
Consider: Seller Vetting & Accountability
Seller Vetting & Accountability: Amazon has Vetted sellers with account suspension risk, while Temu has Direct Chinese suppliers with minimal oversight.
Product Quality Consistency: Amazon has Verified by multiple customer reviews (avg 4.2/5 stars), while Temu has Highly variable, limited reviews (avg 3.1/5 stars).
Consider: Data Privacy & Security Concerns
Data Privacy & Security Concerns: Amazon has US-based, GDPR/CCPA compliant, while Temu has Chinese ownership, data collection scrutiny reported.
Consider: Product Authenticity Guarantee
Product Authenticity Guarantee: Amazon has Counterfeit protection via seller verification, while Temu has No guarantee; frequent counterfeit/knockoff reports.