France to Shein: Clean up Your Site — or Get Shut out

The Guardian, AP, Bloomberg, and Reuters contributed to this report.

France just put Shein on notice. Hours after the fast-fashion giant opened its first permanent store in Paris, the Finance Ministry said it’s moving to suspend access to Shein’s online marketplace in France unless the company proves — fast — that everything on its platform complies with French law. Officials say they found “large quantities” of banned items this week, including firearms, and flagged earlier listings for sex dolls with childlike features.

Under France’s rules, platforms have 24 hours to take down clearly illegal content like child sexual imagery. If they don’t, authorities can order internet providers and search engines to block and delist the site. For now, Shein’s French site was still reachable Wednesday, but the government wants a first progress report within 48 hours and warned a full suspension could follow if prohibited items remain.

The timing was combustible: crowds — and protesters — packed BHV Marais as Shein cut the ribbon on a Paris boutique, its first permanent shop anywhere. A small group of demonstrators briefly disrupted the opening; outside, others waved “Protect children, not Shein” placards. BHV’s owner, Société des Grands Magasins, backed the government’s move.

“I hope we can finally stop the sale of illicit products on these marketplaces,” said SGM president Frédéric Merlin, while insisting the in-store merchandise meets French and EU standards.

Shein says it’s cooperating, banning all sex dolls globally, temporarily removing its adult-products section, and in France suspending third-party marketplace listings while it “reviews and strengthens” seller controls. The company also promised to share details of sellers and products with authorities.

Even before the scandal, Shein’s Paris push was under fire from City Hall, environmental groups, and fashion industry leaders who argue the brand’s ultra-cheap, ultra-fast model undercuts local businesses and piles up waste. Now there’s a fresh legal squeeze: France’s finance and small-business ministers have ordered all weapons pulled from the platform within 48 hours and asked a court to block the site given repeated breaches. The EU is already probing Shein over unsafe products, and Paris has asked Brussels to widen the scrutiny.

Whether Shein’s new brick-and-mortar bet pays off may hinge on what happens online. If France doesn’t like the answers it gets in the coming days, the country’s shoppers could find the Shein app and site suddenly out of reach.