Yes, Temu does do refunds. In fact, almost everything from Temu is eligible for return and refund—we even got some refunds without a return.
Our experience of Temu refunds:
- We received multiple refunds without needing a return.
- Refunds were quick: one day for items without returns and four days for ones we mailed back.
- If an item you purchased on Temu drops in price within 30 days, you can request to be refunded the difference.
- Read on to find out how we put Temu’s refunds to the test and exactly how we scored a refund without a return.
Temu Refunds: A Breakdown
Overall score: 4.2/5
With Temu swift you can get swift refunds, sometimes without a return and even benefit from price drops within 30 days of purchase, but the returns process can be tedious.
Temu’s Refund Policy
Officially—although our experience was different—you can’t get a refund from Temu without a return.
Good news is, almost all of Temu’s products can be returned or refunded within 90 days of purchase, with a few exceptions like items marked ‘non-returnable’ items or clothes you’ve worn.
The first return for each Temu order is free. However, any further returns from the same order come with a $7.99 shipping fee deducted from the refund.
We found the returns process mostly quick and easy and we got refunds either instantly or within four days.
Our only gripe with Temu returns is you have to specify a reason for return for every single item.
Want more detail? Read all about our Temu returns experience here.
How We Scored a Refund Without a Return
We’d seen claims on social media that Temu often refunds customers without requiring a return.
Intrigued, we wanted to investigate further and returned our three hauls—clothes, kitchen gadgets and electronics—to see how Temu’s refund policy really operates.
Return 1: Straight-forward Return
The refund process: Submitted return request via Temu app.
Reasons for return: we selected “Fabric/material not as expected” and “Too large/long” to avoid having to provide photos for each item we were returning.
How quickly we got our refund: four days (from mailing our return to receiving the refund in our account).
Return 2: Refund Without Return
What we returned: low-budget kitchen gadgets x 12, which ranged in price from $1 (AU$2) to $6 (AU$10).
The refund process: before starting the returns process, we let Temu’s chatbot know our order had arrived in a damaged bag, we were transferred to a human and granted a refund instantly without needing to make a return or provide photos as evidence.
Reasons for return: we didn’t need to specify.
How quickly we got our refund: one day.
Return 3: Paid return
The process: Temu’s returns policy states the first return on each order is free, with subsequent returns from the same order $7 (AU$9), so we processed two separate returns on our tech haul. But we weren’t charged a fee, Temu refunded us $7 (AU$11.05) for a Magnetic Phone Holder informing us there was “no need to return”.
It also requested we pack the 3 in 1 Wireless Phoneholder/Charger/Selfie Stick in the same package as our clothes return to “Combine returns for sustainability,” although it was our choice whether we did or not, the return remained free.
How quickly we got our refund: one day.
We couldn’t believe we’d been granted another refund without a return—especially on electronics—so we hit up Temu customer service to find out why.
They couldn’t tell us an official reason, but the internet believes it could be because the item was low value.
Temu Refund Methods
When processing a return, you can opt for a quick Temu credit or a credit card refund, which can take 5-14 business days to appear in the original payment account, although sometimes up to 30 days.
We got almost-instant refunds for items not requiring returns (it took one day to hit our account), while a refund for a mailed-back return took four days altogether from visiting the post office to the money hitting our account.
Don’t forget that some deductions, such as fees for secondary returns from the same order, could impact the final amount you’re refunded.
If it feels like your refund is taking its time, you can check its progress in “Your orders” on Temu or contact its customer service for an update on the refund’s status.
Temu’s Refund Speed
A refund from Temu officially takes anywhere between 5 and 14 business days, though sometimes up to 30 days.
That wasn’t our experience, we received refunds for items we didn’t need to mail back within a day and for mailed returns, it took just four days from our post office trip to the refund appearing in our account.
This is Temu’s official refund timeline:
| Refund method | Temu’s refund time to your financial institution | Time for refund to show on your account |
| Temu credit | Instant | N/A |
| Paypal | Typically within 5 minutes | 5-7 business days |
| Credit / debit card | Typically within 5 minutes | 5-14 business days (up to 30 business days) |
| Prepaid credit card | Typically within 5 minutes | Up to 30 business days |
| Klarna | Typically within 5 minutes | 5-7 business days |
| Afterpay | Typically within 5 minutes | 5-7 business days |
More to Know
Refund Limits
We couldn’t find any information relating to Temu having refund limits. However, a customer service representative from Temu confirmed it processes refunds in all countries it operates in.
When we inquired about potential restrictions, such as a cap on the number of returns, the rep clarified, “Temu return/refund limits is for the items you have purchased.” This suggests that refunds are strictly for paid items, excluding any freebies.
Price Adjustment
If you buy something from Temu and find its list price decreases within 30 days of your purchase, Temu will refund the price difference.
This policy applies when the exact same item (identical in size, color, and from the same shop) has a price drop within the specified time frame in the same country or region.
Checking back over orders and then trawling the site to see if the price has changed sounds like a lot of work to get a few dollars back, but Temu actually does it for you.
While we didn’t qualify for a price adjustment on our orders, numerous TikTok videos discuss this feature. If you’re wondering about your own eligibility, here’s how to check:
- Navigate to the “Your Orders” section on Temu.
- Select an order.
- If you’re eligible, you should see a “Request a price adjustment” option at the top of the page. Click on it to proceed.
Cancellations and Change of Mind
While Temu promotes 90-day free returns, what about instant order regrets? Can you cancel swiftly and expect a refund? We tested this by placing a small order and canceling it just minutes later.
The result? An almost instant refund.
Feeling bold, we then re-made the same order and canceled it 24 hours later. We didn’t get an instant refund that time as our order had already been packed, so we will need to return it to get our money back.
