Hello there,
This is something that I've been wondering about for quite a while. What are your thoughts regarding shopping platforms such as AliExpress, Shein, Temu, and so on? I've personally used Aliexpress a few times in the past and had zero problems; it was usually something small and unsignificant, such as something for my bicycle or car. Cheap and decent quality for the price I paid. I had also noticed a period where Wish.com was being advertised everywhere, but I refrained from using it because I wasn't keen on installing an app just to browse their website. Similarly to Shein, it was everywhere for a relatively long period of time, and you'd hear everyone talking about it. I had installed their app, browsed through a few items, and then uninstalled it for good.
Here's where the difference was made: I did fall victim to Temu's advertising practices; their first user bonus, which I took advantage of a few times, bought me a decent backpack, which I'd find for €30 on Aliexpress, and a dish drying rack, which would cost me over €25 for one, along with a few other things. Most were decent quality, at least for the price paid, with a few being completely crap: some sunglasses, decorations that arrived broken, earbuds that died after a day,, and so on. I wasn't fond of these apps because I wasn't keen on the idea of waiting 20 days to receive some cheap stuff from China that I don't actually need. I usually ordered through Aliexpress if it was something I couldn't find here or was extremely expensive, while at the same time I wasn't in a hurry.
Personally, I've tried to limit my purchases to items that are at least useful andusefulndom things that are never going to be used or have no use whatsoever, but still, I can admit that I've fallen victim to fast-fashion apps. It is being said that solely in Greece, they're receiving €250.000 worth of orders aday., At least a few months ago, when the article was posted, I could not verify the validity of those data, but it's safe to say that they're receiving hundreds of thousand orders per day in Europe alone.
Do you believe that their ridiculously low prices could be hurting the local economy, and why? Have you purchased from them?
Ultimately a lot of these products are what ends up in your local shops anyway, just with a premium added on top. As long as you put some thought and research into what you're buying, don't just go for the cheapest option which can often be misrepresented or get lost in the mail. If you buy a cheaper item online it doesn't necessarily impact your local economy, as you might still happily spend the left overs on other necessities that you buy in person. A lot of people are very wasteful and materialistic anyway, so buy far too much junk. Beware buying stuff on places like Amazon or eBay if your stance is to buy from "local" sellers because it's much more hidden these days but you might end up buying from the same sellers that are on AliExpress or Shein.
