Amazon’s Discount Store Is Here, and It’s Full of Junk

Budget Chinese retailers such as Temu and Shein successfully made Amazon feel insecure enough for it to come up with its own version, Amazon Haul. The e-commerce giant had been talking about launching a similar discount store with all items priced under $20. It launched in beta today and is available as a separate tab on the Amazon phone app, titled Haul.

It kept its promise and ensured a $20 price cap with most items under $10. The product categories include fashion, home, lifestyle, and electronics. It says the delivery time will be between one and two weeks, much longer than Amazon’s typical delivery timelines of within a week and a day or two if you’re a Prime member. However, the longer delivery times make sense since the Amazon Haul products will be shipped directly from a fulfillment center in Guangdong, China.

Scrolling through the items, you’ll quickly realize they’re fairly poor quality but nothing different from what Temu and Shein offer. Unlike the regular Amazon, Amazon Haul is more for impulsive shopping during late-night doom scrolling. This might be why the feature is mobile-exclusive. It’s similar to the in-app shopping feature TikTok introduced because it knows how impulse shopping works.

Haul launched just in time for the holiday season, though most of its products may be too low-quality to be considered decent gifts. Only some items qualify as potential stocking stuffers or last-minute Secret Santa gifts. The platform offers items as low as $1, a 5% discount on orders above $50, and 10% off on orders $75 or more.

If you can’t see the Haul tab on your Amazon app, first try updating the app on the store. Then, look up “Haul” in the app search bar. If that doesn’t work, visit Haul on your desktop and scan the QR code with your phone.

If you’re wondering how a necklace, bracelet, and earring set can cost $3, the answer won’t shock you. According to a U.S. Congressional Select Committee findings, discount retailers like Shien and Temu use a labor exploitation model that relies on underpaying and severely mistreating millions of Uyghur Muslims living in China.

Let’s not forget the Marketplace report that says many of these dirt-cheap items may contain toxic levels of lead inside them to enhance their colors, add weight, and make them corrosion-resistant.