How I saved thousands on my bathroom renovation by shopping at Temu
I bought a luxury shower, complete with hand-held shower and foot shower for R1,300 on Temu.
Image: Temu
I recently revamped my bathroom, and to the amazement (and occasional horror) of my friends, I bought all of the sanitaryware from Temu.
Yes, Temu. That online shopping rabbit hole where one minute you’re looking at kitchen gadgets and the next you’re redecorating an entire bathroom.
When I first started researching the cost of taps and bathroom accessories in South Africa, I nearly fell over. The prices were eye-watering, and the options painfully limited.
I had already decided on a gold-and-white palette - think regal rather than gaudy, but when I popped into the local plumbing shops, my hopes were swiftly dashed.
That’s when I remembered my earlier Temu triumph: a kitchen sink with all the bells and whistles, bought for the price of a mixer tap in South Africa.
The algorithms clearly knew I was renovating, because soon after Googling “gold bathroom taps,” Temu bombarded me with a glittering selection of showers, plugs, mixers, and every other shiny thing a bathroom could possibly need.
The temptation was too much. Before long, my cart was full, and I was planning a bathroom “fit for a queen” - everything from the shower grate to the toilet-roll holder in matching gold and white enamel.
Now, we all know that most products sold locally are manufactured in China anyway. With that in mind, I decided to trust Temu’s offerings - and honestly, the quality and designs rival what I’d seen in local stores, at a fraction of the price.
Cost comparison
Take my free-standing gold bath mixer with handheld shower: Temu price, R1,200. Local equivalent at Italtile? R13,999.
Installed, working perfectly, no regrets.
Free-standing bath mixer.
Image: Temu
My shower set, complete with hand-shower and even a foot shower was R1,300 on Temu. At Makro, something similar was just shy of R6,000.
The 50cm gold shower grate set me back R600. Leroy Merlin charges around R1,000 for what appears to be the same thing.
My basin taps? R600 for stylish white-and-gold mixers on Temu. The closest I found at Makro was R1,999 - and honestly, mine looks better.
My luxury gold and white mixer taps cost R600.
Image: Temu
Were there hiccups?
Admittedly there were a few fittingsthat weren’t quite standard, but my plumber easily worked around them with a couple of local parts.
The bigger surprise was the sheer negativity I encountered from local sanitaryware staff when I mentioned Temu.
They seemed rattled - and yet every time I visited, I saw plumbers buying parts for clients who had also ordered online. Clearly, a shift is happening.
Delivery took about 10 days, and the returns process was really smooth. I once ordered an extra tap by mistake; Temu collected it within 24 hours and credited me straight away.
Even with import duties, I reckon I saved about 70% compared to what I’d have paid locally, and I ended up with a bathroom that feels far more unique.
So, to anyone considering a bathroom revamp and hesitating about buying from China: don’t be. If you’re willing to wait a week or two, you can save thousands of rands and create a bathroom that genuinely feels your own.
IOL Lifestyle