A Paris court on Friday rejected the state's request to suspend e-commerce site Shein in France over the sale of illicit products, saying the platform had removed harmful items from its marketplace.
Judges ruled that a bid to block Shein for three months was "disproportionate" given the sale of the items in question had been "sporadic" and the site had since removed the listings.
French authorities requested the ban in November after weapons, banned medications and childlike sex dolls were found on the platform.
The Paris judicial court nonetheless said Shein must not resume the sale of "sexual products that could be considered pornographic" unless it puts in place measures to check buyers' age.
The company has already acknowledged that effective age filters are difficult to implement. The adults-only sexual category of its marketplace will therefore remain closed for the time being, the company's lawyers indicated.
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French investigation
The ruling follows a high-profile investigation by France’s consumer watchdog, which found prohibited items on Shein’s marketplace – the section of the platform that hosts third-party sellers – including banned weapons and sex dolls designed to resemble children.
The court described the listings for such dolls as “particularly serious” but said Shein had removed them swiftly.
Shein welcomed the decision. “We remain determined to continuously improve our control processes, in close collaboration with the French authorities, with the aim of establishing some of the most stringent standards in the industry,” a company spokesperson said following the ruling.
“Our priority remains protecting French consumers and ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations.”
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Broader scrutiny
Shein has disabled its marketplace in France since 5 November, but the part of its website offering its own clothing range is still accessible.
It also announced it had stopped selling any type of sex doll on its marketplaces worldwide.
The fast-fashion giant faces broader criticism in France over its ultra-low-cost business model, which critics say encourages waste and contributes to environmental degradation.
French authorities have already fined Shein three times in 2025, totalling €191 million, for false advertising, cookie law violations, misleading information and failure to declare the presence of microplastics in its clothing.
Earlier this month, European Union finance ministers agreed to impose a flat duty of €3 on low-value imports into the bloc from July 2026 to help tackle a flood of small parcels ordered via sites such as Shein. Such packages were previously exempt from customs duties if they contained goods worth less than €150.
European retailers argue they face unfair competition from overseas platforms, which they claim do not always comply with the EU's stringent rules on products.
(with newswires)
