Amazon Vs Temu Vs Shein: Choose Best Fit for Online Selling

In today's world of e-commerce, there are abundant options for a seller to list their products. While sellers are opting for multi-channel selling, they still have to choose the sales platform that serves their requirements based on the nature of the business. Amazon, Temu, and Shein are some of the most prominent sales channels serving different audiences and purposes. Though the three seem similar from a distance, they have a world of difference on having a closer look. This blog is going to give you an in-depth glance into the nuances of the Amazon storefront, the Temu marketplace, and the Shein store.

Brief Understanding of Amazon, Temu, and Shein

Amazon, being the oldest sales channel amongst the three, has the highest number of customers and sellers. The platform serves selling and purchasing of goods belonging to a vast variety of categories like clothing, electronics, furniture, food, groceries, etc. Apart from this, Amazon also provides fulfillment services to its sellers for easy and efficient delivery for the customers. Advertising, SEO, and inventory support an additional facilities provided by Amazon to its sellers for streamlined selling.

Shein, a relatively new player in the market, is a global e-commerce platform that specializes in fast fashion products sold at affordable prices. It functions on-demand manufacturing system that produces the products as per the demand. Also, the platform allows easy removal of the items that are low in demand. With a wide consumer base spread across 150 countries, this sales platform is a great place for fashion businesses to grow.

Temu, being the youngest of the three, has shown remarkable growth in less than three years. The sales channel sells products from a variety of categories at unbeatable low prices as it sources them directly from producers, avoiding middlemen. Temu originates from China, but it has recently stepped into the United States market and plans to expand further in the region. It provides a great platform to sellers willing to make high sales at a low price.

Drawing Distinction between Amazon, Temu, and Shein

Fulfillment Duration

Fulfillment duration refers to the delivery time.

Amazon	Shein	Temu
Amazon is the king in this area. With its vast fulfillment network and expertise in fulfillment, Amazon delivers the fastest among the three. Prime shoppers get their ordered within 1-2 business days while standard shipping takes 3 to 5 days in general.	With Shein, customers receive their orders in 8 to 11 days. The order value in this case has to exceed $29. Also, the orders with total payable amount more than $129, the platform provides free express shipping.	Temu takes to longest to deliver the products to the customer. The standard shipping service takes 5 to 14 days for delivery (with no additional fee). However, customers can avail express shipping service to get their orders within 3 to 9 business days.

Reverse Logistics

Reverse logistics refers to the return policy.

Amazon	Shein	Temu
Amazon gives its customer a manageable return window of 30 days from the receipt of the order free of cost. Once, the order is checked at the Amazon facility, refund is processed immediately.	Shein provides a larger return window of 45 days starting from the day of purchase. In this case, the customer is supposed to pay for the return shipping unless Shein is at fault. Also, it needs return authorization before sending the product back.	Temu provides the largest return window of 90 days starting from the day of purchase. The return in this case is also free of cost without any need of prior authorization.

Product Worth

Product worth is determined by the quality given at a certain price of the product.

Amazon	Shein	Temu
With Amazon, the buyer has to be careful regarding the quality. One needs to check the reviews and quality assurance by Amazon to make sure that a worthy product is delivered. Amazon sellers are different, hence the products sold by them are different giving variable quality of the product.	Shein sellers provide affordable fashion to their customers. The quality of goods in this case is also inconsistent. Also, the worthiness of fashion goods is highly user dependent.	Temu is the new player in the market that offers low priced products with varied quality. The customer reviews on this platform are limited, making it difficult for the customers to understand if the product is worthy or not.

Seller Support

Seller support refers service provided by sales channels to its sellers for a smooth selling process.

Amazon	Shein	Temu
Amazon presents the sellers with a robust seller support that is all time active to support the sellers on the sales platform. It has abundant resources that helps the channel to provide seller services of good quality.	Here, the Shein sellers get limited support which is largely focused on the logistics and order fulfillment. Other issues faced by the seller are not well catered.	In case of Temu as well, the Temu sellers are provided with seller support limited in nature dealing primarily with logistics and order fulfillment.

Consumer Base and Market Reach

Consumer base and market reach refer to the audience and geographical reach of the sales channel.

Amazon	Shein	Temu
Amazon has a huge consumer base from all walks of life, belonging to different age groups due to the vast availability of products. Also, the market reach of the sales channel is global with millions of active shoppers.	Shein targets a younger audience base, lured towards fast-fashion. It also has a global reach with a focus on fashion trends.	Temu as a sales channel targets adults between the age of 25 to 34. It used to sell in China only but has recently entered the US market widening the scope of sales.

Seller Fees

Seller fees refer to the fee that is to be paid by the online sellers to list or make sales on a certain sales channel.

Amazon	Shein	Temu
Ecommerce sellers have to pay standard seller fees including referral fees, Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) fees and subscription fees (if applicable).	Shein charges lower fees for product listing and selling with an additional fees for advertising and promotions.	Temu does not charge fees for selling on the platform but advertising and promotions are rechargeable here as well.

Amazon Strategy Planning to Tackle Temu

Even after being the biggest player in the global e-commerce market, Amazon cannot ignore that the ecom audience is attracted to low-cost goods provided by sales channels like Shein and Temu. Hence, Amazon came up with its discount store, Amazon Haul. Launched in November 2024, Amazon Haul is a mobile-only storefront within the application. It offers a variety of products which primarily belong to fashion, home goods, lifestyle, electronics, etc, all under $20.

Specially designed for budget-conscious consumers, this platform is all set to compete with Temu and Shein. The following are the specifications of Amazon Haul:

It is currently available on the mobile version only.
The price is lower than $20 for all the products.
It has a completely distinct system of search, cart, and checkout, driving a streamlined shopping experience.
The visual identity is also different, with vibrant colors, emojis, especially targeting young buyers.
Amazon's A-to-Z Guarantee protects customers who purchase products from Amazon Haul.

Who Wins The Battle ?

Considering all the factors mentioned above, different platforms serve different purposes and audiences. Shein is a go-to platform for sellers dealing with fast fashion products for young buyers willing to stay updated with the trends. Temu, on the other hand, serves a cost-conscious US and China based audience who want to buy directly from producers. Amazon is the global giant that is the ultimate platform where sellers wish to list their products for global sales. By introducing Amazon Haul, it has further extended its arms into the low-cost goods market, giving tough competition to Temu and Shein.