Temu
A low-price cross-border marketplace launched in the US in 2022 by a team linked to PDD Holdings.
Aliases: 拼多多跨境, Temu 全托管, Temu 半托管, Temu marketplace
What Temu is
Temu is a cross-border marketplace that opened in the United States in September 2022, run by a team linked to PDD Holdings, the parent of Pinduoduo, with headquarters in Boston. It sells to consumers in dozens of markets on a low-price positioning, supported by heavy app distribution and paid acquisition. The catalogue spans apparel, home goods, electronics accessories, beauty, pet supplies and seasonal items.
Two ways to sell
In full-custody selling, the seller offers a product at a wholesale price. Temu sets the retail price, buys the inventory, runs traffic, and handles delivery, returns and customer service. The seller's role is closer to a supplier than a retailer, and the offer survives only while it stays competitive inside the platform's price comparison.
In semi-custody selling, the seller lists on Temu directly, ships from its own or a local warehouse, and manages fulfilment and returns. Price is still set within platform boundaries, but stock risk, delivery performance and after-sales cost sit with the seller.
What the platform tests
Full-custody listings are tested on offer price, stock reliability and delivery time to the consolidation warehouse. A listing that loses price competitiveness is replaced rather than repriced. Semi-custody listings are judged on late shipment, cancellation and return handling, which makes local stock position and carrier choice part of the listing decision.
Product compliance is checked at listing and again at the border: safety test reports, CE marking for regulated categories, GPSR traceability in the EU, EPR registration where a member state requires it, and IP screening in categories with heavy design copying.
Policy exposure
Temu's cost base depends on low-value import. The United States closed the low-value exemption during 2025, ending the de minimis route that made direct-to-consumer parcels from China viable, and Section 301 duties apply to most China-origin goods. Landed cost therefore rises on exactly the price points the platform competes on. For sellers, tariff and customs treatment is a margin variable to track, not background news, and it is the main reason semi-custody volume has grown.