The Chinese ecommerce marketplace Temu lists low-cost everyday items from sellers across the world.
Joining the ranks of these sellers exposes you to a large new potential audience: Temu was the most downloaded shopping app in the world in 2025. But selling your own products isn’t the only way to make money on Temu.
This guide covers how to earn money on Temu as an affiliate, seller, or app user.
What is Temu?
Temu is an ecommerce marketplace that sells a wide range of products at low prices. PDD Holdings launched Temu in 2022 as the foreign-market version of their popular Chinese ecommerce platform Pinduoduo.
They quickly acquired US customers through aggressive marketing strategies. The company purchased Super Bowl ad spots in 2023 and 2024 and heavily promoted their affiliate program on social platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
Originally, only Chinese companies could sell on Temu. These manufacturers shipped their products to Temu warehouses, then Temu listed, priced, and shipped the items.
In 2024, Temu opened their marketplace to US and European sellers with their Local Seller Program. Now, sellers in more than 30 markets can use direct fulfillment rather than relying on Temu’s warehouses.
Ways to make money on Temu
- Become a seller on Temu
- Join the Temu affiliate program
- Become a Temu influencer
- Earn credits and free gifts
- Use Temu as a dropshipping supplier
Whether you’re an established ecommerce merchant looking for a new sales channel or an influencer with an engaged following, there are several creative ways to make money on Temu:
Become a seller on Temu
To get started as a Temu merchant, sign up on Temu’s Seller Center.
If you’re selling as an individual (not as a business), you’ll need to provide information including your government ID or passport, birthday, and address. If you’re applying to sell as a business, you’ll need info including your employer identification number (EIN) and business address.
From there, you can create a profile, list products, and set up shipping.
If you’re on Shopify, you can install the Temu app for Shopify to cross-list your inventory on the marketplace. The app lets you manage your product listings and shipping options, and it syncs your inventory so you don’t oversell.
Like other marketplaces such as Amazon and Etsy, Temu charges selling fees and payment processing fees as percentages of sales prices.
Join the Temu affiliate program
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing strategy in which businesses reward affiliates for driving sales. Affiliates share unique, trackable links with their audiences. When someone purchases through their link, the affiliate receives a commission.
Participants in the Temu affiliate program can earn up to a 30% commission, plus $12 for app downloads. Affiliates that recruit other affiliates earn up to $50 per invite. Temu deposits commissions into affiliates’ PayPal accounts or hands out Temu credit.
Temu has a 30-day cookie window. This means affiliates earn as long as shoppers make a purchase within 30 days of clicking an affiliate link.
Become a Temu influencer
Temu’s influencer program is designed for creators who post on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Creators can receive up to $3,500 worth of free product samples, up to 50% commission rates, and up to $12 commission per eligible app download. Temu also gives influencers a chance to be featured on official Temu channels and have their sponsored posts boosted.
Temu accepts applicants based on their follower count and engagement metrics. Here’s an example of an influencer promoting Temu products on Instagram. Creator @dianneduran encourages viewers to purchase Temu clothes through her link:
If you already have an online following, posting Temu affiliate links—whether as a member of the Temu affiliate program or the Temu influencer program—can be a way to make money quickly.
Keep in mind that Temu’s products are priced low, and many items sell for just a few dollars, which means small commissions. You can make larger commissions by working with companies that sell higher-value products. The Shopify Affiliate Program, for example, distributes up to $150 per referral.
Earn credits and free gifts
If you’re simply looking for some extra spending power, you can earn coupons and site credits through pop-ups in the Temu app. You can also access these promotions in the Coupons & offers section under the “You” section of the Temu app.
Promotions include free products with purchase and cash back toward Temu orders.
Use Temu as a dropshipping supplier
With a dropshipping business model, you list products for sale on your ecommerce website and your dropshipping supplier handles shipping and fulfillment. This means you don’t need to store inventory, manage shipping, or pay for products upfront, making it a great way for beginners to make money online.
Temu doesn’t explicitly offer dropshipping services on their platform, unlike the similar online marketplace AliExpress. But because its products are so cheap, some dropshippers will sell Temu items on their ecommerce websites at a markup, using apps like Dropshipman or Zopi.
These apps let you fulfill orders from Temu manufacturers from your Shopify store and from marketplaces like Amazon and eBay.
Just make sure you’re selling original products to avoid legal issues.
“Do not sell products that are copyrighted. So if it’s got Marvel on it, if it’s got any big brand like Coca-Cola in it, stay away from it,” dropshipping expert Kamil Sattar, known as The Ecom King on YouTube, says on Shopify Masters.
How to make money on Temu as a seller
Here’s how to set yourself up for success once you’ve found a great product to sell on Temu:
Optimize for search
Temu is a crowded marketplace. To get your listings in front of customers, follow search engine optimization (SEO) best practices for your product names and descriptions.
Use keyword research tools to find commonly searched terms, then incorporate relevant terms into your listings so your product will appear when people search for it. For example, this product listing for a pack of five headbands includes both materials-focused keywords (“soft elastic” and “anti-slip”) and use cases (“fitness and face washing”).
Source: Temu
Set low prices
Temu has a reputation for affordability, so you’ll need to set your prices low to stay competitive. You can use Shopify’s free product pricing calculator to find a competitive price that still allows you to earn a profit.
You might also consider using psychological pricing: Guide customers’ spending behaviors by appealing to psychological needs for savings or perceived value. For example, strikeout pricing (where a discounted price is presented beside a crossed-out “original” price) can make shoppers feel like they’re getting a great deal. Limited-time-only sales can prompt impulse buys.
Provide top-notch customer service
Provide excellent customer service by responding to messages with questions or problems quickly. Quickly responding to return or refund requests also shows commitment to quality customer service.
With the Temu for Shopify app, you have 24 hours to respond to return or refund requests before Temu takes over. You’ll see these requests in the Temu sales channel in your Shopify admin.
Sell high-quality products
Temu has historically been accused of inaccurately representing product quality and selling counterfeit products.
If you plan to sell your own products on Temu, you can avoid these problems by finding a trustworthy manufacturer. This involves researching quality control procedures, lead times, and more. It also involves ordering samples to test out products yourself.
You can find manufacturers through a simple Google search or in directories like Thomasnet or Maker’s Row.
If you plan to use Temu as a dropshipping supplier, you’ll have less control over the customer experience—and you may run into problems yourself as an intermediary. A December 2025 lawsuit from the state of Arizona accused Temu of manipulating customer reviews and charging for undelivered products. (Other allegations included privacy violations through the Temu app and forced labor abroad.)
The best way to make money online is by selling products on your own ecommerce site. This gives you full control over the customer experience and lets you share your brand identity. Shopify’s pre-built themes and drag-and-drop editor make it easy to set up a website without coding experience. Shopify’s AI site builder even lets you create a professional-looking site in minutes.
Make money on Temu FAQ
How do you make money with the Temu affiliate program?
Temu pays affiliate commissions to a linked PayPal account or as Temu credit, and tracks purchases through a 30-day cookie window, so a sale shortly after a click still counts. You can earn up to 30% on each sale as a Temu affiliate marketer, with $12 for app downloads and up to $50 for referrals.
What types of products are sold on Temu?
Temu sells a wide variety of products, including clothing, appliances, electronics, and home goods. Listings come from both Temu-managed sellers, who ship from Temu's warehouses, and, since 2024, direct-fulfillment sellers in the Local Seller Program, who ship directly to customers themselves.
Does Temu give away free money?
Temu occasionally offers free items and credits to attract shoppers. As an affiliate, you can earn up to a 30% commission on the sales you generate.
