A court has rejected the French government’s request to temporarily suspend Shein’s operations in France. It ruled that the measure would be disproportionate—despite acknowledging that manifestly illegal items had previously appeared for sale on the online retail platform.
According to the ruling in Paris, the sale of illegal products by Shein—including weapons, banned drugs, and childlike sex dolls—was limited to “isolated” cases, and the company had removed the items in question.
While the court found that the violations caused “serious harm to public order,” it ruled that blocking the entire platform for three months would be excessive. At the same time, it ordered Shein not to sell products classified as pornographic content without implementing appropriate age-verification measures.
As a result, the company’s marketplace will not fully reopen immediately, and certain product categories intended exclusively for adults will remain closed for the time being.
The French government has announced it will appeal the decision, arguing that Shein’s business model poses a systemic risk.
The case forms part of a broader Europe-wide effort in recent months to increase pressure on Asian e-commerce giants, as EU institutions and member states push for fairer competition and stronger consumer protection.
