Shein is under scrutiny by the French Government, which has just officially requested that a Paris judge order the temporary closure of the platform for 90 days. Why? The sale of illegal products on its marketplace, including child-like sex dolls and prohibited weapons. Although Shein has already closed that section of its website in France, its main clothing catalog remains active… for the time being.
This suspension could result in the company incurring losses exceeding 520 million euros, as it would coincide with the holiday shopping period, one of the strongest sales seasons of the year. In 2024, the company reported 2.4 billion dollars in net sales in France. If revenues are averaged by quarter, a 90-day shutdown would easily cause losses amounting to 600 million dollars.
The government’s action is based on Article 6-3 of the Law on Confidence in the Digital Economy, which authorizes the court to intervene in order to prevent harm resulting from the content of an online service. In addition to the temporary shutdown, Shein would be required to resume operations in France only under new control and verification conditions, supervised by the French digital regulator, Arcom.
This takes place just 20 days after the opening of the first physical store of the Chinese brand in Paris, which was partially overshadowed by street protests.
The situation escalated when French authorities discovered the sale of child-like sex dolls and weapons such as machetes and brass knuckles. Although Shein responded by removing these items and blocking its marketplace in France as of November 5, the government considers this measure to be insufficient.
For this reason, on Tuesday, the Ministry of the Economy appeared before the Paris court to request the complete suspension of the website. The intent is that Shein may only resume operations in the country under strict conditions monitored by Arcom.
France has also flagged five other online platforms: AliExpress, Joom, eBay, Temu, and Wish, all of which are involved in the sale of similar products. In fact, judicial investigations have been initiated against these platforms, and there is already political pressure on the European Commission to act and strengthen enforcement of the Digital Services Act.
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In addition, textile industry federations in France have filed lawsuits against Shein for unfair competition, accusing the platform of destroying jobs, endangering public health, and allowing the sale of prohibited products.
The French Ministry of the Economy emphasizes that this proceeding is not an isolated case, but rather part of a broader strategy to curb what they describe as systematic abuses by certain platforms.
The court’s decision will be announced in the coming days. If approved, it would set a significant precedent in the regulation of eCommerce and the control of illegal content on international marketplaces.
Photo: Depositphotos
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