default-output-block.skip-main
BoF Logo

The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Temu Sellers Are Now Copying Entire Amazon Storefronts, Lawsuits Allege

Temu
Temu app. (Shutterstock)

Amazon sellers say that Temu sellers are copying their listings and eating away at their sales.

According to an article by tech publication Wired, Amazon sellers have discovered their products are being sold on the ultra-cheap marketplace Temu for less. While the site has been known to sell counterfeit and knockoff goods, in some cases, Temu sellers have copied product photos, descriptions, and keywords directly from the original Amazon listings.

The sellers Wired interviewed told the publication that their sales have recently declined and when they requested Temu remove the listings, most were met with radio silence.

Wired spoke to a Temu seller who said it’s a common tactic to find best-sellers on Amazon and ask manufacturers to create the same products for lower prices.

Temu did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

“If you can find one item that gets popular on Temu, you can make a lot of money with the current popularity Temu has,” the seller told the publication.

Temu has skyrocketed in popularity since it first launched in the US in September 2022. It’s the most downloaded iOS app and US spending on Temu in May was 20 percent higher than on the fast-fashion app Shein, Bloomberg reported.

As both Temu and Shein have developed third-party marketplaces to compete with Amazon, they’ve also shared similar counterfeit issues. Last month, sneakerheads discovered Nike Air Jordan knockoffs on both sites. Shein quickly took the listings down, but Temu did not.

Dozens of brands such as Stussy, Ralph Lauren, Oakley, and Dr. Martens have sued Shein for selling products they claimed infringed on their intellectual property. Now several lawsuits allege that Temu and its sellers have violated copyright and trademark laws, Wired reported.

In 2020, Amazon established its Counterfeit Crimes Unit, which works with brands to identify and remove counterfeit products. It also conducts investigations and sends criminal referrals to law enforcement. In some cases, Amazon has filed civil lawsuits.

Last year, the company removed more than six million counterfeit items from the marketplace and referred over 1,300 individuals to law enforcement in the US, UK, Europe, and China, according to Amazon’s annual Brand Protection Report.

By Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins

Learn more:

Temu’s Ambitions Are Bigger Than Beating Shein

With a Super Bowl ad and a social marketing blitz, the Chinese-owned e-commerce platform has quickly built a big fast fashion business in the US. Analysts say its business is set up to potentially compete with Amazon and TikTok.


In This Article

© 2023 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions

More from Technology
Analysis and advice on how technology is disrupting fashion and creating new opportunities.

The data and technology business has developed proprietary tools that allow analysis of customer engagement, marketing strategies and lifetime value, working with the likes of The Economist, MyTheresa and Diageo. BoF speaks to Good Growth’s CEO and co-founder to learn more.


The sneaker brand has faced challenges in the year since it launched a 3D online space and introduced NFT-linked sneakers, but it sees a long-term opportunity ahead in virtual goods and experiences, including a chance to make them a significant part of its business.


The company, which rolled out its Shop feature to all US users this week, is banking on its powerful algorithm to help it succeed where Instagram and others have failed by delivering a constant stream of products along with its targeted content into users’ feeds.


view more

Subscribe to the BoF Daily Digest

The essential daily round-up of fashion news, analysis, and breaking news alerts.

The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
CONNECT WITH US ON
Introducing The BoF Brand Magic Index
© 2023 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and Accessibility Statement.
Introducing The BoF Brand Magic Index