It does look like every cloud has a silver lining. The Chinese Amazon-clone, TEMU, is clearing it out its United States "Local Warehouses" (distribution centers) at what in many instances are unbelievable discounts. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that they are jettisoning their pre-tariff inventory load prior to March inventory tax time or maybe even abandoning their in-country U.S. local warehouse business model.
TEMU seems to be a paradigm of Chinese "pirate" marketing, but most of the complaining is being done by their competitors, you have to figure that for better or worse we live in an international free market economy, or we don't and it's up to the buyer to cover their butts. I haven't yet made up my mind whether beating Jeff Bezos at his own game is a good thing or not. (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temu) In the meanwhile, I thought I'd give you guys a heads up that there are bargains to be had for modelers (and others) at TEMU if you choose wisely.
Having a few bucks worth of "mad money," I thought I'd see what they had to offer and was quite amazed. Discounts of 75% and more weren't uncommon! Now, TEMU's platform us something of a nightmare and you have to play with its search engine and filters to narrow down what you're looking for. Everything is a "jumble" until you start searching by category, if not item. Searching by item is often frustrating because the language translation is often "Chinese-ish." Items are posted in picture format, (sort of like the menu in a lot of Chinese restaurants.) When you go to their home page (https://www.temu.com/) you want to pick a category for general browsing. If you want to get more specific, just type in what to look at in the "search" box. It's a very powerful platform and responses are instantaneous. For example, you can type in "hobby tools" and get a bunch of hobby tools, but if you want to put a finer point on it, you can type in "ship modeling tools" and get a tighter selection. Don't stop at "ship modeing tools," though, because there's a lot of stuff you will want to see in other areas, such as "jewelery making tools" or "machine tools," or "woodworking tools." I found some really nifty rigging tools in the "fly tying tools" section. It's sort of like shopping at Costco. You never know what you are going to run into. Just keep scrolling down.
There are, however, some "tricks" to doing business with TEMU. They often list items in several different places, or the same item listed by several manufacturers, and so on. If are interested in buying something, it it wise to put it in your "cart" (easily removed with a click or by reducing the number ordered to zeor.) and then search for that exact same item just as TEMU describes it. You will usually find that an item is listed several times, or as part of a range of sizes in a set, etc. for a different price (sometimes radically different) or with or without free shipping. Also, there's around a four-dollar shipping charge on some items below a twenty-dollar order minimum. No shipping charges at all for items shipped from U.S. warehouses, as clearly marked. So, shop carefully for the best deal. Also, they are big on coupons.
When you are looking at an item listing, you must be careful. Temu apparently has a bunch of midgets working in their advertising department whose job it is to serve as "hand models" who hold the products for photographing. Expect that everything will be smaller than it looks in the pictures. Somewhere on the listing, the dimensions of the item will be given. Be sure to check that before ordering. Often, also, a number of the same item will be photographed together, but the price isn't for the multiple items pictured, but rather than for just one. Sometimes also a "set of five" will be a "set of eight" in another listing, with additional items of different sizes included in one set and not the other for the same price! Another thing that isn't immediately apparent on TEMU is that sometimes differently sized items will be listed in a single listing and you must check the box for the size you want. One size will be selected on the listing when you open it and that size will be priced in the listing. If you want another size of that item, you must check the box for the size you want. You've got to carefully read the listing before ordering!
They do have a very liberal return policy, like most all online retailers. In my first order, I bought a set of four sized flat-head screw countersinks (for machining, not only woodworking) and misread the order where it asked "how many" and, thinking it was how many parts, I checked "4". I figured it out and thought I had removed the item from my order and reordered just one. I ended up with five because the first order for four wasn't removed from my cart. Since they ran around six bucks (for the set of four,) I returned four of the sets I received. That was easy. "Ordered by mistake" was one of the "reasons" suggested in their return form. On their website's "returns" selection, you send them a picture of the item you received, put it back in the package, and drop it off at your local UPS store (or mail it, but I did the drop-off.) No postage charge for returns. In about a week, they'd credited the cost back to my account. I used PayPal for payment. That way there's no real inconvenience if somebody in Bulgaria gets their hands on my account number.
Quality, as with anything from China, is "questionable, but improving." With some items, you can tell it's junk by looking. Look carefully for decent fit and finish. (Their pictures are accurate.) With tools, you definitely won't be buying the best, but if you look carefully, you can buy things that are "close enough for modeling work" and, with anything CNC manufactured, you are pretty sure of getting a very exact copy of "the best," thanks, perhaps, to forced labor production. (Allegations denied, of course.)
So, by now, you are probably wondering why anybody would do business with this hinky outfit. Well, it's fun, for one thing. For another, the prices are so cheap that you can afford to take a chance. My first order was for some really cheap stuff, in total about $35. I was ready for the "corn flakes box let down." Remember the stuff you could write away for on the back of corn flakes boxes when we were kids? It always looked so good on the box but was a huge letdown when the mailman delivered it. But no! All of this stuff was completely acceptable. There's a ton of crap on TEMU, but I'd selected this stuff carefully and I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't order the quick change tool post and the collet holders until I'd gained some confidence with the cheaper stuff, but even at that, where else would I ever be able to buy a really good Aloris clone AXA QC toolpost and ten assorted toolholders for my 12" Craftsman/Atlas lathe for a total of $140.00 They aren't Aloris but they didn't cost over $1,500 and their plenty good enough for my tolerance requirements. The same goes for the full set of ER32 collets in 1/32" increments and a couple of collect holders (one for holding in a three-jaw chuck and the other in a four jaw chuck.) for $66. These were two "biggies" that I couldn't pass up. I'd wanted them forever but could never justify the cost before.
I don't know if you need anything in the TEMU catalog, but I'm pretty sure if you have a few bucks in your loose change jar, there's definitely something that you can use from this source. I don't know how long this clearance sale will last. It may be like those places in the City when I was growing up that were "Going Out of Business" sales continuously for years! The prices are right and the merchandise is interesting.
All prices include tax and shipping as applicable:
4pcs
COUNTERSINK DRILL BIT SET HSS Chamfer Tool for Wood Metal Plastic PVC Round Shank
$6.45 4pcs×1
Two-Pack Straight + Curved Tip Scissors, Multiple Sizes, Suitable for Office, Paper Cutting, Household, DIY Crafts, Laboratory Scissors
$6.77 16cm/6.3inch / Straight + Curved 2pcs×1
Industrial Manual Needle Nose Pliers - Heavy-Duty Bend/Straight Hand with Precision Needle Nose Tip & Secure Clamping Fixture Suitable for Electronics, Automotive Repair, DIY, Hobbyists, Workpiece Clamping Fixture, No Assembly Required
$5.85 2 Pcs×2
Hand Held Steel Taper Cutter- Hex Hole Reamer Set for Wood, Metal And Plastic- Drill Compatible Chamfer Tool Accessory
$2.14 Hex Shank 3-13mm 1Pack×1
2pcs Stainless Steel Slant-Tip Tweezers for Handcrafting, DIY Tools
$1.59DIY Tweezers×1
AXA Tool Post Set 250-100 Wedge Type Quick Change Tool Post Set 12 Inch Swing Dia 6pcs
$100.57 AXA for Lathe Swing 6-12 250-100
6-12"
AXA 2# Quick Change Tool Post Boring Turning Holder 250-102 5pcs
$39.66 Black ×1
ER32 Hex Collet Block, ER32 Hex Collet Holder, ER32 Hex Collet Chucks Block, 0.005mm Accuracy Carbon Steel Work holding Holder for CNC Lathe Engraving Machine
$12.58 silvery ×1
High Precision Square ER32 Can Replace The Extended Rod Square Handle Fixture for Milling Machine Collet Conversion Adapter
$15.61 ER32-cube ×1
26pcs ER32 Collet Chuck Set Heavy-Duty Spring Collets with Power Clamping Force, Ground Accuracy (0.0005" Run-Out) & Size-Marked for CNC Milling Lathe, Engraving Machines - 1/32"-13/16" Tool Holder Compatible for Workpiece Holding
$37.53 Silvery ×1
C Shape Wrench High Carbon Steel Portable Clamping Tool for CNC Lathe ER32 Nut
$15.40 As pictures showed ×1
Red Metal Isometric Parallel Scribe Ruler with Thick Needle – Adjustable Precision Marking Tool for Accurate Engraving, Includes L-Shaped Wrench for Easy Handling
$6.33 RED x1
7pcs/ 11pcs
Milling Cutters 4-Flute Titanium Coated HSS End Mill Set 1.5-10mm CNC Router Bit For Wood Steel Milling $14.30 1.5-10mm(11pcs)×1
18pcs Rotary Grinding Bits Set | 3mm Handle, Suitable for Grinding, Polishing, Carving on Steel, Wood, Metal, Stone, Tiles - Compatible with Rotary Hammers, Wood Carving Tools, Burr Removal Drills, Milling Tools
$8.2118 pieces - Upgraded version×1
10pcs Tungsten Rotary Burr Set with 1/4-Inch Shank, Double-Cut Rotary Cutting Burrs for Grinding, Polishing, Engraving Steel, Wood, Metal, Stone, Tile - Compatible with Electric Drills $4.97 10 Pcs ×1
3pcs Serrated Rotating Grooving Multi-Functional Drill Bits, Suitable for Woodworking, Metal and Plastic- Cutting, Drilling, Grooving Tools $2.21 3pcs (3+4+5) / Golden×1
2 Pipe Simplified Bobbin PR GT PR FG Knot Winder Knotter Circuit Sub Fast Knotting Machine Lure Trolling Fishing Gear
$10.81 Black×1
5pcs
Stainless Steel Fly Tying Tools Set | Bobbin Thread Holder, Whip Finisher, Disc Bobbin Threader, Arrow Scissor, Winder Threader - Silvery,
$13.15 5 Pieces×1
30pcs Professional Wire Brush Set - Golden, Designed for Polishing, Deburring, And Rust Removal | Ideal for Rotary Tools, Featuring a Durable Metal Construction with an Ergonomic Handle And Polishing Brush | Precision Cleaning | Professional Grade
$6.72 30-piece set (10 pieces + 10 pieces + 10 pieces) ×1
1pc Precision Woodworking Hole Opener & Reaming Drill for DIY Projects and Model Making – Safety Sleeve Included, No Electricity Required
$6.40 1pc×1
Heavy-Duty 2.5" Cast Iron Vice Machine with Manual Crank & Adjustable Jaw - Precision Drill Press Vise Clamp for Milling, Machinery Maintenance, DIY Workshop Tool - Compatible with Drill Press & Milling Machines (Workbench Vise)
$13.26 Tool Only ×1
