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EU fines Temu €200M for allowing sale of illegal products

bbc.co.uk

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Re: EU fines Temu €200M for allowing sale of illegal products

#231

Post by throw_a_grenade »

gib444 wrote: post #193
throw_a_grenade wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my world people are innocent until proven guilty before a court of law, twice. Yes, even business people. Executive branch shouldn't be able to just bankrupt a company and tell the owners to go through the courts to maybe recover the money in 10 years, if they're innocent after all. There were several such cases in my country before we joined EU, most high profile one was against Optimus SA (predecessor to CD Proj…

Just to be clear, you're so desperate to disagree with me or be contrary that you're saying that people need to be convicted by a court twice for the same crime for real justice to be properly served?

They cetainly get to argue before two sets of judges. Otherwise it's not justice.

I wanted to make clear that press release is not a valid substitute for a court order. And it's OK to publish one before the final instance issues it's verdict.

Re: EU fines Temu €200M for allowing sale of illegal products

#232

Post by thesimon »

munk-a wrote: post #226
dsign wrote: post #109

Say what you may of Temu, and I do think more vetting of certain goods is a good idea, but they fill a very real need. In the part of Europe where I live, the choice is only between intermediaries for the same products coming from China. The local intermediaries sell a very limited picking at staggering margins. And when it comes to certain things, like electronic components, the choice is between importing (old) Ame…

I know your mileage may vary in different areas of Europe but in Italy and Spain you'll find a plethora of random general stores that resell Aliexpress sorts of goods at a very low markup over direct ordering. The stock variety is obviously more limited but those stores are amazing and fit a really key need.

These stores are a big thing in Portugal as well, but doesn't really seem to be a thing in Germany. Closest I guess would be Action [1].

[1]: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Nederland

Re: EU fines Temu €200M for allowing sale of illegal products

#234

Post by RobotToaster »

tobz1000 wrote: post #229
retired wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you ban Temu chargers, people will go to stores to buy the cheapest ones which are identical to the ones on Temu, just for 10x the price. Edit: Reply to Scroll_Swe as I am rate-limited to posting new comments. The chargers in budget stores are identical to Temu chargers are are frequently recalled.

At least in the UK, the main high-street retailers will only stock goods from reputable brands with a (relatively) decent track record and safety standards. I don't believe there is any intersection between products sold on Temu and e.g. Argos, John Lewis.

Identical chargers to temu ones are sold on amazon for 5x the price.

Re: EU fines Temu €200M for allowing sale of illegal products

#235

Post by B1FF_PSUVM »

alephnerd wrote: post #105
acd wrote: post #99

Big corp penny slap on the fingers. I dont this amount will change behaviour or incentive to make larger profit.

It sets precedent, and has already led to a (by Chinese foreign policy standards) fairly vicious response [0][1][2]. This is also part of the EU's larger tariffs against China [3]. [0] - https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202605/1361926.shtml [1] - https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202605/1362200.shtml [2] - https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202605/1362161.shtml [3] - https://www.ft.com/content/e28fe696-ac30-4543-a105-febc8…

> [0]

Ahah, China going Adam Smith on the EU.

Peacefully, so far. Let's hope they don't go "opium war" on free trade.

Re: EU fines Temu €200M for allowing sale of illegal products

#237

Post by alephnerd »

B1FF_PSUVM wrote: post #235
alephnerd wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sets precedent, and has already led to a (by Chinese foreign policy standards) fairly vicious response [0][1][2]. This is also part of the EU's larger tariffs against China [3]. [0] - https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202605/1361926.shtml [1] - https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202605/1362200.shtml [2] - https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202605/1362161.shtml [3] - https://www.ft.com/content/e28fe696-ac30-4543-a105-febc8…

> [0] Ahah, China going Adam Smith on the EU. Peacefully, so far. Let's hope they don't go "opium war" on free trade.

That's already happening with synthetic drugs [0] and the Ukraine War [1].

[0] - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/30/china-traf...

[1] - https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/russians-...

Re: EU fines Temu €200M for allowing sale of illegal products

#238

Post by zamadatix »

dmurray wrote: post #195
notaustinpowers wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

€200M accounts for roughly 1.6% of their €12.3B net profit in 2025. The average EU salary is €39,808. It's equivalent to a €636 fine. Though this is based on income, not net profit so it's actually more impactful to the average person than to Temu.

Most people would find being fined a week's wages significant. It's not what they'd expect to get for, say, murder, but worse than any parking fine and enough that they'd give serious consideration to not doing whatever they did again.

Depends how much you made doing the activity you got fined for. Temu says the fine is disproportionate (of course) but I'd be surprised if they made actually less than 200M selling such goods over the years. Ideally it should be several multiples of what was truly made, otherwise it's just a bet you might not get caught or, in the worst case, a loan until you are fined.

Re: EU fines Temu €200M for allowing sale of illegal products

#239

Post by RobotToaster »

grizzo wrote: post #212

I once bought one of those cheap portable consoles from them (or Aliexpress) and after two month I was given a full refund as the welding of the motherboard contained too much lead. This news really doesn't surprise me that much.

Leaded solder doesn't really pose a health issue to the consumer.

Re: EU fines Temu €200M for allowing sale of illegal products

#240

Post by leonhard »

thesimon wrote: post #232
munk-a wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know your mileage may vary in different areas of Europe but in Italy and Spain you'll find a plethora of random general stores that resell Aliexpress sorts of goods at a very low markup over direct ordering. The stock variety is obviously more limited but those stores are amazing and fit a really key need.

These stores are a big thing in Portugal as well, but doesn't really seem to be a thing in Germany. Closest I guess would be Action [1]. [1]: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Nederland

What are these stores in Spain/Italy/Portugal?
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