The items from TikTok Shop were somewhat how we expected them to be since we didn’t have super high expectations. We were pleasantly surprised that everything arrived in less than a week, in addition to every item being discounted with coupons that are given through the app. We wouldn’t recommend buying any of the items if you’re concerned about quality since everything is produced so cheaply, but it was definitely a fun experience.
A review of social media’s newest e-commerce enterprise: TikTok Shop
TikTok, the social media app most popular among teens, launched a connected e-commerce business in Fall 2023 to promote products to its users. Since its roll-out, influencers have bombarded their followers with ads promoting the newest products. As avid users of the app, we wanted to see what all of the hype was about. To test the legitimacy and quality, we ordered a wide variety of items from technology, to clothing and even food.
February 2, 2024
Counterfeit Sol de Janeiro:
Many products being sold on TikTok shop seem suspiciously cheap. We ordered the popular Sol de Janeiro ‘68 Beija Flor hair and body mist for $6.77. At Sephora, it’s currently being sold for $24. Although the two looked identical, we compared the scent of the spray from TikTok Shop and Sephora and they did not smell the same. The one from TikTok Shop smelled like cheap soap you would find at a motel. Because of the inconsistencies, we can assume that the Tiktok Shop fragrance is FAKE.
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This Sol de Janeiro counterfeit sold on TikTok shop for $6.77 compared to its $24 pricetag on Sephora. (Cecilia Saltzman)
Mini Massage Gun
Similar to the counterfeit Sol de Janeiro, this product was super inexpensive–only $3.12. It took forever to be charged and once powered on, the massage gun worked for less than a minute before dying. While it has three settings, we couldn’t tell the difference between each one. We were underwhelmed by the massage gun’s performance and disappointed by the misleading reviews.
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Skims Long-Sleeve Dupe
TikTok Shop offers a variety of dupes of popular items. Skims, Kim Kardashian’s clothing line, sells a variety of high-quality loungewear and shapewear popular among teens and young adults. The $2.75 long sleeve we ordered was promoted by influencers as identical to the $56 one from Skims. The TikTok Shop shirt fit nicely and looked cute, but it definitely did not look the same as the expensive one. The stitching and material feel much cheaper and anyone who knows the quality of a Skims shirt would be able to distinguish the two. We’re still going to wear the shirt because it’s comfortable and worth the price of under three dollars, but we’re not getting away with saying it’s from Skims.
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Wireless Automatic Curler
This product was $8.13 which made it surprising that the curler charged and heated up really quickly. We put the front strands of our hair in the contraption and they somewhat curled. The second time we tried, the curler would not let our hair go and we had to yank our hair out. You need to put your hair in at the perfect angle to produce a curl that doesn’t get stuck. The curler would make sense for touching up a few pieces of hair, but would not be practical for curling your whole head. If you were planning to curl all of your hair with this product it wouldn’t work because you would be unable to reach the back strands by yourself and it would take a ridiculously long time.
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The Chamoy Pickle Kit
The Chamoy Pickle Kit was arguably the most promoted product. If you’ve been on TikTok recently, you’ve definitely seen the unique appeal of this sweet-and-sour snack. The $12.59 kit includes everything to assemble the loaded chamoy pickle: the pickle, Takis, Gushers, tajin, sweet and sour powder, chamoy sauce and a fruit roll-up.
To begin, we laid out everything and began assembling the pickle. We added everything the kit came with except the questionable home-packaged tajin spoon. Our hands were dyed bright red from the pickle juice, so gloves would’ve been useful.
We were so excited and nervous to try the pickle. We both took a big bite and instantly regretted it. There were too many flavors at once which became overwhelming so we both had to spit it out. We both agreed that it was disgusting and would not recommend it to anyone looking to try a trendy snack.
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Every ingredient in the Chamoy Pickle was bright red. Our hands were dyed for many days, no matter how much we washed them. (Sam Mayster)
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About the Contributors
Cecilia Saltzman, Print Managing Editor
Senior Cecilia Saltzman is looking forward to working as a Print Managing Editor this year. In addition to writing, she enjoys dancing, hanging out with friends and listening to music.
Elizabeth Finn, Print Managing Editor
Junior Elizabeth Finn is a Print Managing Editor in her third year on The Pitch. Outside of The Pitch, Elizabeth runs for the cross country and track team at WJ.