双语阅读：Temu遭中国供应商围堵 “维权”，被指压榨商家

过去两年，由中国电商公司拼多多支持的Temu购物应用在全球范围迅速崛起。图片来源：Richard Drew/Associated Press

Bargain site Temu has won over hundreds of millions of customers around the world with its rock-bottom-priced hairpins and pet toys. Some suppliers say consumers’ gains are coming at their expense.

廉价商品网站Temu凭借超低价格的发夹和宠物玩具赢得了全球亿万客户的青睐。但一些供应商抱怨说，消费者得到的好处是以牺牲他们的利益为代价的。

A throng of Chinese merchants who supply Temu stormed a company affiliate’s office Monday in Guangzhou, southern China, to protest what they consider unfair penalties that left some bankrupt.

周一，一群为Temu供货的中国商家冲进位于广州的Temu关联办事处，抗议所谓的不公平处罚，这些处罚导致一些商家破产。

Video clips provided by protesters showed scores of angry merchants at the office whistling and demanding a resolution, with police maintaining order. It was one of a number of economy-related protests in China as the country grapples with sluggish growth and a real-estate downturn.

据抗议者提供的视频片段显示，几十名愤怒的商家聚集在办公室里，吹着口哨要求解决问题，现场有警察在维持秩序。在中国艰难应对经济增长乏力和房地产市场低迷的背景下，一些与经济相关的抗议活动开始涌现，这次商家维权就是其中之一。

Suppliers said that many Temu merchants have shut down factories and incurred debts after Temu started imposing hefty penalties over what the platform deemed after-sales issues. Such issues arise if Temu finds fault with the products delivered or if consumers complain about their merchandise and demand a refund.

供应商称，在Temu开始对其平台认定的属于售后问题的商品处以高额罚款后，许多Temu商家关闭了工厂，背上了债务。如果Temu发现交付的产品有问题，或是消费者投诉要求退款，就会出现这类问题。

A spokesman for Temu confirmed that the merchants were unhappy over Temu’s handling of after-sales issues and said they were disputing an amount totaling several million yuan, equivalent to around $1 million or less.

Temu的一位发言人证实，商家对Temu处理售后问题的方式感到不满，并表示这些商家对总计人民币数百万元（约合100万美元或更低）的罚款提出异议。

The spokesman said Temu’s policies ensured a high level of customer service and penalties were needed to maintain a high-quality marketplace. “The majority of our merchants experience success under these guidelines, benefiting from increased sales and positive customer feedback,” the spokesman said.

这位发言人说，Temu的政策确保了高水平的客户服务，而且需要通过处罚维持一个高质量的电商平台。该发言人表示，Temu的大多数商家在这些规定下都取得了成功，这得益于销售额的增长和积极的客户反馈。

The shopping app backed by Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings has enjoyed a meteoric rise globally in the past two years. With 234 million users in more than 70 countries, Temu has provided a new avenue for thousands of Chinese factories and wholesalers to sell products to the world.

过去两年，由中国电商公司拼多多(PDD Holdings)支持的Temu购物应用在全球范围迅速崛起，目前已在70多个国家拥有2.34亿用户，为成千上万的中国工厂和批发商提供了一条向全球销售产品的新途径。

Competition with other e-commerce sites such as Amazon and Shein is fierce, and suppliers face constant pressure to lower prices without compromising service.

Temu与亚马逊(Amazon)和Shein等其他电商网站的竞争非常激烈，供应商始终面临降价压力，并且服务不能因为降价而打折扣。

Temu allows buyers to get full or partial refunds without having to return their items in certain cases. Articles and videos that teach consumers how to receive free goods from Temu have circulated widely online, and suppliers believe they are bearing the brunt of the generous return policy.

在某些情况下，Temu允许买家申请全额或部分退款且无需退货。教消费者如何从Temu获得免费商品的文章和视频在网上广为流传，供应商认为，是他们为Temu慷慨的退货政策埋单。

“The more you sell, the more penalties you pay,” said Xiang Shihua, a Guangzhou-based garment-factory owner. “We’re all neck-deep in debt.”

“卖得越多，罚款越多，”广州服装厂老板Xiang Shihua说，“我们都欠了很多债。”

Xiang, who participated in Monday’s protest, said that since he started supplying Temu late last year, he has lost $41,000, laid off all his workers and built up tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Protesting merchants said they counted more than 400 suppliers at the demonstration.

Xiang也参加了周一的抗议活动。他说，自从去年年底开始向Temu供货，他已经亏了4.1万美元，他把所有工人都解雇了，还欠了几万美元的债。参加抗议的一些商家表示，估计有400多个供应商参与了这次抗议活动。

Sellers say that after they ship products to Temu, the company conducts quality and size checks and returns items not meeting standards.

卖家表示，他们把货发给Temu，Temu会检查产品的质量和尺寸，退回不符合标准的产品。

Earlier this year, suppliers such as Xiang said they started to notice frequent penalties amounting to as much as five times the shipment price of their products. The penalty notices usually cited subpar quality or sizes or colors failing to meet shoppers’ expectations, but Temu didn’t provide documentation or offer a way for sellers to appeal, according to suppliers.

今年早些时候，Xiang等一些供应商表示，他们开始频繁遭遇相当于产品出货价格五倍的处罚。供应商称，处罚通知往往提到质量不合格，要么就是尺寸或颜色不符合购物者期望，但Temu没有提供证明文件，也没有为卖家提供申诉途径。

“We have no visibility into return information and no contact with shoppers,” said Ke Ling, a Temu supplier based in Dongguan near Guangzhou. “I will willingly accept fines if you show me evidence. How can you not provide any documentation at all?”

“我们看不到退货信息，也没办法和买家联络，”广州附近东莞的Temu供应商Ke Ling说。“只要拿出证据，我愿意接受处罚。怎么能什么文件都没有呢？”

The Temu spokesman said, “We prioritize transparency and clearly communicate our rules and penalties.”

上述Temu发言人说：“我们很看重透明度，在规则和处罚政策上也有明确说明。”

The suppliers also said Temu holds back full payment on goods, citing the need to reserve some of the money in case of after-sales disputes.

一些供应商还表示，Temu不会一次性支付全部货款，说是要预留部分货款，应对可能发生的售后纠纷。

When she started supplying Temu in early 2023, Ke said there was no mention of penalties in contracts. Later the contracts were frequently updated and penalties started piling on, she said.

Ke说，2023年初她开始给Temu供货时，合同里没提到处罚。她说，后来合同频繁更新，处罚也接踵而至。

“We were forced to sign those contracts,” Ke said. “There’s no way to proceed in the system without doing so.”

“我们是被迫签这些合同的，”Ke说。“不签就没办法在系统里操作。”

The Temu spokesman said, “Merchants are not obligated to sell on Temu and are free to leave the platform at any time.”

上述Temu发言人说：“商家没有义务在Temu平台上销售商品，可以随时选择离开。”

Since May, hundreds of Temu suppliers have formed online chat groups to commiserate and discuss solutions. They have staged smaller-scale protests at Temu-affiliate offices and local government buildings in China.

从5月份开始，几百个Temu供应商组成了在线聊天群组，抱团取暖并讨论解决方案。他们奔向中国境内的Temu关联办事处和地方政府大楼，举行小规模的抗议。

Temu is based in Boston. In a May document for suppliers, Temu directed dispute arbitration to the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre. Most suppliers are small-business owners lacking the means to seek international arbitration or a legal resolution.

Temu总部设在波士顿。在5月份的一份涉及供应商的文件中，Temu指出可向香港国际仲裁中心(Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre)提出纠纷仲裁。多数供应商是小企业主，缺乏诉诸国际仲裁或法律途径的手段。

At a protest in July, local police in Guangzhou collected merchants’ names and complaints and promised they would respond in a week, suppliers said. When no response came, hundreds of the suppliers descended on the Temu-affiliate office, with some flying in from other parts of the country, said Xiang, the garment-factory owner.

供应商表示，在7月份的一次抗议中，广州警方收集了商户的名字和意见，承诺一周后答复。服装厂老板Xiang说，后来发现石沉大海，几百个供应商赶到了Temu的关联办事处，有些是从国内其他地方坐飞机过来的。

Xiang said he stopped selling on Temu in April but still hasn’t been able to recoup the portion of his sales held by the platform as a reserve against penalties. On top of that, he said he was still paying penalties every day.

Xiang说，他4月份就停止在Temu上卖货了，但至今没有收回被平台扣留用作处罚准备金的部分货款。而据他说，他每天还在支付罚金。

He left the Monday protest without a clear resolution. “We’ll have to keep protesting,” he said. “How can we survive if we don’t get our money back?”

周一抗议活动结束时，他没有得到明确的解决方案。“我们还要接着维权，”他说。“拿不回钱，叫我们怎么活？”

注：中文译文更新较英文原文有所延迟，因而中英对照版本有可能出现部分不一致的情况。（CP，WSJ）