I ordered a cute starfish curtain tie from Temu for my nautical theme – it stunk when it arrived, then I realised why
A WOMAN who ordered a starfish curtain tie from Temu was left disgusted when she figured out why it smelled so bad.
Kelly explained that she’d seen the cute homeware addition on the budget site, so decided to order one.
But when it arrived, she couldn’t work out why it “stank of shellfish”.
In a video on her TikTok page, Kelly explained the situation, and revealed that she’d broken one of the legs to see what was inside.
Holding the broken leg apart to reveal the contents, it was clear to see there was some kind of skeleton beneath the surface – leading Kelly to believe it had, at one point, been a real starfish.
“Aww Temu!! Ick Ick,” she captioned the video.
Kelly’s video comes after someone else shared a clip of a croissant lamp that had attracted hundreds of creepy crawlies.
When they broke it open, they discovered that it appeared to be a real croissant that had been covered in resin to make the lamp.
“Have y’all heard about a girl that ordered a croissant lamp and it was real?” one person captioned the video.
As another said: “The croissant lamp now starfish…. do not order any stuffed animals!”
“Open it and make sure it doesn’t have organs,” a third commented.
But others insisted Kelly’s discovery inside the starfish is entirely normal.
“Do people not realise most starfish that are hard are just dead starfish?” one wrote.
“Temu literally states it on the item that it’s a natural starfish and smells slightly, read the description!” another insisted.
To which Kelly replied: “‘Starfish inspired cotton curtain ties’ is what I purchased.
“It should be obvious that I wish I read the description rather than run off ‘inspired’!”
“It’s very common to use actual sea creatures for decor,” a third wrote.
“In my seaside county they sell dried out starfish all the time.”
Why is Temu so cheap?
TEMU exploded onto the scene in late 2022, with people all over social media raving about the low prices.
The company is a Chinese-owned digital marketplace – essentially an online shopping app where people are connected to the retailer directly while the app takes care of the shipping element.
The frenzy over the app is not completely unfounded either as it offers a wide variety of products, including fashion, make-up, electronics and furniture.
According to a report from the US House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Temu takes advantage of a trade loophole that allows the company to ship duty-free goods directly to the US.
The loophole is called the de minimis exception and it means they can ship goods valued up to $800 (£643) to the US without it being inspected or taxed by US customs.
Temu connects customers directly to manufacturers and only manages how the items are sent to customers.
It means Chinese vendors can essentially sell their products directly to customers and ship it without building a network of warehouses across the globe.
By doing this, they cut down on huge costs and ensure the product itself isn’t marked up extra.
While many of the products seen on the Temu app are from brands with extensive, original collections, many more are dupes of designer brands.
“When you buy a starfish and get what you ordered,” someone else said sarcastically.
“Wouldn’t have ordered had I known it was real,” Kelly hit back.
“That’s the point!”