- Amazon just launched Haul, a section on the app that sells cheap stuff.
- It's a move to fend off competition from Temu and others.
- I was excited to shop! But the selection is … disappointing.
Let me just say that I'm not too good for Temu — I think it's a guilty pleasure and have bought fun things from there. So I came to Amazon's new Temu-like offering — called Haul — with an open mind.
I've gotta say, sadly: It's the Temu version of Temu.
(Not familiar with that sick burn? Calling something "Temu" has become a common insult in modern internet slang — it's the cheap imitation of the real thing. As in: "Ava Max is Temu Lady Gaga.")
This week, Amazon launched Haul as a section on its app. (It's not on the browser.) It sells ultra-cheap items shipped directly from China — all for under $20. It's Amazon's attempt to compete with cheap e-commerce apps like Temu, Shein, and the TikTok Shop.
Like I said: It's Temu.
The problem is the product selection, which isn't really differentiated from Temu — or even a lot from what Amazon already sells on its regular site. Sometimes, the prices are actually a little higher on Haul than on Amazon proper.
On Haul, I found categories of stuff I've seen on Chinese e-commerce sites since the Wish app launched during the Obama administration: makeup sponges, phone cases, workout leggings, small kitchen items, hair scrunchies, and cheap jewelry.
There's a section for sweaters, and yes, they appear to be sweaters.
There's a lot of similarity to the aesthetics of the clothing retailer Shein: oversize, slouchy sweaters modeled over tight jeans by women with long blond Utah curls. But Shein has far more trendy items and a much wider selection.
Some of the household items on Haul aren't exciting — and are redundant with regular Amazon: A 6-pack of silicone reusable food storage lids on Haul was $3.99. There's a similar item on regular Amazon with two-day shipping for $3.97. (Because stuff on Haul is coming directly from China — and not a US warehouse — its shipping is slower, with an estimated 1-to-2-week delivery timeframe.)
I recognized other familiar items, like a replacement silicone band for an Apple Watch, priced at $5.49. A few months ago, I bought a nearly identical version on Amazon for about $10. Sure, I'd be happy to save a few bucks, but the availability of a cheap Apple Watch band isn't novel or exciting.
I leave it up to you how you might feel about Temu. There's certainly plenty to consider when shopping there, like concerns over forced labor that were discussed in a congressional report last year. And there's the general issue of overconsumption. (Young people are teasing their Gen X and boomer parents for becoming "Temu victims".)
But having spent a fair amount of time on Temu and hearing directly from lots of our readers about what they buy on there, something that makes it stand out is that it has all sorts of whimsical things you didn't know you needed. When you open the app, you don't see the same cheap rubber phone cord clips you see everywhere else — you find strange, new, cheap delights. In my opinion, Temu's greatest strength is its variety of new products — not just the bargain bin prices.
A representative for Amazon told Business Insider that it plans to expand Haul's product selection in the coming weeks. It's in "beta" mode right now, so maybe it'll feel fresher and more interesting soon. But for now, to me, it just feels like a sort of crummy version of Temu.