Are fast-fashion shopping apps hurting local economy?

[Ultegra134]

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?

[jrrsparkles]

Some of the merchants you buy products from Amazon are actually buying products from Alibaba the B2B platform of Aliexpress so you can save money if you directly buy from the manufacturer for half the price but if you want a replacement policy, one-day delivery then you need to pay the price for it and choice is yours.

These shopping platforms are benefiting the economy by connecting merchants throughout the country which means more sales and more revenue so now if they are struggling to sell then people are not interested in buying them which needs to be addressed by the manufacturer and make necessary changes.

[bittraffic]

Should the country tax those shopping sites if they hurt the local economy?

I don't really see them hurting the local economy but people today prefer them since it's more convenient already since the covid, they are the ones serving the public. And they have cheap prices too which even if they hurt the local economy, they will not hurt the pockets of the shoppers.

[Fortify]

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.

[Upgrade00]

Do you believe that their ridiculously low prices could be hurting the local economy, and why?

They form a huge part of the local economy, both in the country of origin and the destinations. It has one of the largest community of online shoppers and buyers offering a wide range of products with different qualities, exactly similar to any online shop which is available, except one was produced using very cheap (and possibly exploited) labour.

Have you purchased from them?

One or twice. Was an okay experience.

[MFahad]

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;

I have only used Ali Express from where I have ordered my small items and I have received great response and the quality has been excellent. The best thing I have found is that you get your money back if the order is late or the item is damaged. So there is reliable dealing.

Do you believe that their ridiculously low prices could be hurting the local economy, and why? Have you purchased from them?

The very great offers and good prices of these applications are having a profound impact on the local economy and local vendors.People order things online instead of buying things from their region and country,Due to which valuable foreign exchange is going to other countries. Most of the countries also import things from abroad, rather big vendors order things from abroad, but if people buy online themselves instead of buying from local places, then it will definitely have an impact on the economy.

[harapan]

Do you believe that their ridiculously low prices could be hurting the local economy, and why? Have you purchased from them?

In countries with a very high cost of living, this is a big opportunity for them. They have an opportunity to buy what they could have bought for a very high price for almost half the price on AliExpress.
Also, this can help the local economy by giving people an opportunity to buy and sell imported goods without much hassle. People order stuff from AliExpress and resell them in their countries for cheaper prices that the local market. I see this as a healthy form of competition and it has the potential to reduce the cost of living of a region. I know this is long shot though.
Many local vendors get their products from AliExpress. This has created employment for many people. People that ordinarily won't be able to order goods from China.

[dothebeats]

It hurts, but also creates some jobs on the side if you think about it. Here in the Philippines, online shopping apps are more preferred nowadays than people going to the malls to buy stuff. This demand increased the number of delivery men needed to deliver the packages. In turn, it created a huge job opportunity to the people, which will then have their salaries spent back to the local economy to provide the needs of the family. For the first part of the equation, it may seem that online shopping apps are hurting the local economy, but the packages have to be delivered somehow, and that's where the riders come in, and get paid for their service.

[oktana]

I heard about wish, even saw people download and use it but I never liked the sound of the platform so I didn’t use them. Anyways, I do not think nor do I see how the low prices of items on these websites can negatively impact the local currency. I have purchased from aliexpress before and I can say that it is a really good place to buy from. The item normally matches the price you see and I think you’d barely buy something there and think it is overpriced (even if the sellers are independent).

[franky1]

no country has equal economics.
one country that pays the farmer to grow cotton and the seamstress to stitch fabric $15 an hour may make that end clothing for $60
one country that pays the farmer to grow cotton and the seamstress to stitch fabric $1.50 an hour may make that end clothing for $6
one country that pays the farmer to grow cotton and the seamstress to stitch fabric $0.50 an hour may make that end clothing for $2

its same material, same skill, same quality but different cost.
no one can help that because no world economies will ever be on the same equal pay

this does end up converting the developed high income country to become net importers rather than domestic producers.

the issue becomes when the developed countries retailers get greedy and want to sell developed country priced goods($60) but at "75% discount" ($15) by using the $2 countries (still good quality) goods..

this then makes developed countries domestic goods unable to compete as a $60 genuine domestic clothing cant be sold if a nearby retail is selling similar things for $15 imported

..
the next thing is these online stores (temu, shien) then approach the $2 countries offering quality and.. then imploring that the $2 country make the same clothing for $1 by skipping a few quality steps.. which then makes even the quality $15 import retailer not be able to compete

..
the only way we can defy these economics. is by the consumers(customers) making responsible choices which can only be done if the supply chain of farm to retailer is transparent. so people can make an informed choice about what they are buying, and only buy from local sources or sources that ethically pay locals for their skills

[AmoreJaz]

It hurts, but also creates some jobs on the side if you think about it. Here in the Philippines, online shopping apps are more preferred nowadays than people going to the malls to buy stuff. This demand increased the number of delivery men needed to deliver the packages. In turn, it created a huge job opportunity to the people, which will then have their salaries spent back to the local economy to provide the needs of the family. For the first part of the equation, it may seem that online shopping apps are hurting the local economy, but the packages have to be delivered somehow, and that's where the riders come in, and get paid for their service.

online shopping actually gives a lot of convenience to people these days. you can easily browse things that you need at the comfort of your home. get good deals, discounts, free shipping and all. because if you are a busy person, hard to find time to roam around malls, or physical shops and still ended up nothing.

so am not against with online commerce. i am actually one of their avid buyer especially those items that you can't easily find in your local store.

[poodle63]

it does hurt local economy otherwise it wouldnt be raised as a concern in many media, i've seen many media raising this problem to their platform few years ago and its only getting worst.
the only thing that could stop this is the government with their taxing towards imports of such products otherwise it will just gonna be some people trying to import product from 3rd world country where everything is cheaper to the 1st world country and get that margin in between, i mean thats just how it is with import business in general just finding cheaper high quality goods oversea and then import it hoping to make some good profit by taking advantage of the gap of prices between the domestic product and the imported ones.
moreover, these fast fashion are leaving so many trash behind that honestly it should be among the thing that urgently need to be solved but somehow people in general just ignore it because its cheap.

[Darker45]

Whether we like it or not, eCommerce is the future. Convenience, of course, is the primary reason. But a lower price is also very attractive to consumers. Of course, online stores can offer much lower prices for their products because they don't spend much on expenses that brick-and-mortar stores will have to bear. This could significantly affect the local economy if the majority of the population shifts almost completely to online shopping, ordering cheap products from abroad, and avoid malls and shops and stores.

In terms of fast-fashion shopping, it might kill local products which are more expensive and probably less fashionable or trendy. Especially with the trend nowadays in which people seem to prefer fashion over quality or even comfort, mass produced cheap products could sell more. Fast-fashion affords young consumers to easily shift to new trends, buying new clothes, for example, while quickly disposing the old ones. This cheap products feed the consumerists in them.

[tbterryboy]

I don't think so. The whole world is getting digital over time. These e-shopping platforms weren't as widespread as they are today a couple of years back. When COVID-19 took the world by surprise, people were using these platforms to do their shopping, they would even buy their groceries from these online stores which isn't what someone would normally do because you would generally just go to a supermarket and buy groceries and other necessary stuff but since every public place was closed during the pandemic, these platforms were useful.

Now when things are back to normal, some people still use those platform, maybe more than some because they have a lot of customers around the globe, but the quantity of people making online purchases have decreased drastically after the pandemic was over.

So, local stores and markets are operating normally once again, and these platforms are useful as well based on how advanced the world is becoming with time, we need all sorts of conveniences.

[joniboini]

I've read news about how traditional stores or big shopping center, in general, is losing money due to e-commerce apps in my country. So yeah, some of them definitely hurt. On the other hand, nothing is stopping these sellers from opening their own store on the app too. The beginning is probably difficult since they need to compete with tons of other stores, but it is not like they won't find customers as long as their price is competitive. Most of the time, distance and shopping fee is the biggest factor why people choose one store over the other.

Personally, though, I never use Alibaba for fashion, etc since most of them require overseas shipping. I can easily find most of the stuff you tell me in my city, which is just a 30-minute trip at most. Not a bad trade for me, and even if I need to buy new shirts, I'd rather use other apps. What I tend to use them for is for electricity, like batteries and stuff like that. There is no option if nobody can provide me with the product that I need. It is always a gamble though, since what I bought might be a dead product on arrival too.

[yhiaali3]

Of course, such things harm the local economy, because most people look for cheap things, even if they are of lower quality, which means harm to the local economy that is associated with this type of services provided.

If all people buy these cheap materials from electronic stores without shopping online, it is certain that local industries will be greatly harmed because this will cause the recession of these products and they will not find a good market to sell their products, or they will be forced to reduce prices and this may cause them to stop in the end.

[Yamane_Keto]

1) One of the things that makes me prefer paying in cash and from a local store is that paying with cash is more painless than using banking services, so having to count $200 to buy something from a store is more painful than paying with a card.

This research study describes that cash payment represents a stronger tool for self-regulation, these findings could be relevant to those interested in regulating compulsive shopping or digital gambling. So I advise you to read it.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6856651/

digital services give you alternatives such as discounts, free delivery, or buy now and pay later, all of this to push you not to buy with cash and enhance your remorse.

2) The ability to pack many purchases: In the store, when you buy one or two products, you feel that this is enough and that the shopping bags have become heavy and that I must stop spending, but when you buy a number, this feeling is less. On the contrary, you will try to fill the shopping cart due to the presence of discounts.

[slapper]

On one hand, you, me, we're getting items at a steal. But consider the real cost. It's terribly obvious? Local enterprises are weakened by these platforms. Every time we buy a €5 item over a €20 locally manufactured one, we say, "Hey, I don't care about local economies." It's brutal, but it's the truth. Cheap imports are a tsunami smashing on our local markets

Discussing quality now. All of us have experienced these apps' hit-or-miss nature. Anybody remember a semester-long rucksack or earbuds that die like mayflies? Our greed for discounts is blinding us to environmental waste, quality compromise, and local artists and companies being slowly strangled. Numbers are reliable. Greece alone: €250,000/day? A wake-up call, not just a statistic. We are giving food to a huge animal that doesn't care about quality or the environment. Are we clever shoppers or part of the problem?

[icalical]

I think it's depends on the Platform, in my country the popular online marketplace platform is local platform, only few people shop on international marketplace like AliExpress, Temu, or Amazon, they only use those when there is no other alternative local product.

These local online marketplace were User Generated and totally autonomous, and most of the merchant is local business, the platform only act as moderators and escrow so scam and fraud could be minimized and the scammers could be banned. Each merchant were totally indepenndent and fully in control of what product they sell, the price, and how they ship their products. As I said that most of the merchant were local brands, it really helps those local brands to grow, before the trend of this online marketplace there are only less 10 local fashion brand, but after this online marketplace emerge many local brands were become popular because it usually cheaper, since it's produced locally less shipping and no custom and import fee.

[tabas]

Do you believe that their ridiculously low prices could be hurting the local economy, and why? Have you purchased from them?

I believe that it does. I've seen an ad from temu before and that promising discount first purchase of a mechanical keyboard is what made me interested. But after downloading the app, it was too hectic as there's a lot of information that needed to be filled so I just quit it and it made me uncomfortable. Whilst for Shein, I've been seeing them lately that there are a lot of supply of their tees in the local market. But regardless of these apps, I still buy in the local market, no brand, not fake but just plain tees and plain colors. I just like wearing those and I always get to check if it fits me and as well as the fabric if it's cotton or comfortable for me. I have never bought from any of those apps but with aliexpress, I used to see ecom people that gets their supplies there together with alibaba.