Ordering off websites with low prices is awesome because you don’t have to pay as much, but you must consider the quality of what you may be ordering. With websites such as Temu and Shein, something to consider is why exactly their items are cheap.  

Shein is a company that started in 2008 and became its own supply chain in 2014 after buying Romwe. Their employees work long hours in horrible conditions while having exposure to toxic chemicals in the air. They work these long hours for low pay, and even have child labor. In June of 2022, many videos on social media became famous for claiming that these Shein workers have been putting hidden negative messages in their clothing. Shein was additionally in a lawsuit for stealing three independent designers’ clothing designs and selling them on their website claiming to be theirs.  

Shein is a fast fashion retailer, but they ignore the production waste while other companies agree that the waste should be eliminated as much as possible and are trying to perfect lean manufacturing. Their clothes are made of handmade materials since cotton is too expensive, these clothes can be recycled but most of it just ends up in a landfill, therefore damaging the environment even more. Eliminating waste is the key to industry success, but Shein is successful without it. Shein is worth an estimated $100 billion in 2022.  

Not to mention, Shein had influencers go to their factories to fix up their bad reputation, but these influences only received hate for it. A handful of American Influences went out to factories in China and posted false glowing reviews. Many people say that the whole ordeal was a “publicity stunt” to help Shein’s reputation, others are saying that it was propaganda that was filled with misleading information and lies.