France Intensifies Crackdown: Shein Faces Potential Three-Month Suspension

France’s offensive against ultra fast fashion is entering a new phase. Shein has appeared this Wednesday before the Paris court, where the Ministry of Economy has requested the suspension of its activity in the country for a minimum period of three months, as well as its eventual reopening under strict conditions. The hearing is part of an accelerated procedure, and the decision will be made public in the next few days, according to the Ministry itself.

The trigger was the detection on the platform of the sale of child-like sex dolls and weapons classified in category A, the highest level of danger, in parallel with the opening of Shein’s first physical store on the market. Bercy has indicated that the State has decided to act to stop the “repetition” of these failures and to set new obligations for Shein in its operations on the French market.

In the event that the court orders the suspension, the government has requested that the digital environment regulator, Arcom, be the authority in charge of verifying the measures implemented by Shein before resuming its activity. The objective, according to Economía, is to ensure that there is no recurrence of violations related to pedophile content, weapons or filtering deficiencies for minors.

Shein appears before the French courts for the sale of illicit products through its ‘marketplace’

The criminal framework is blunt. The sale of pedopornographic content can lead to up to seven years in prison and a fine of €100,000 in France. The lack of filtering mechanisms to protect minors or the marketing of prohibited weapons is punishable by three years’ imprisonment and fines of up to €75,000.

The Executive stresses that this procedure does not constitute “an end in itself”, but a step within a broader strategy to curb “the systematic recurrence of drifts” of Shein and other platforms operating in the country. The regulatory pressure is articulated in parallel with European initiatives and new customs obligations.

On November 5, Bercy had already attempted to suspend Shein’s activity through an administrative channel, granting 48 hours to remove illegal products. In response, Shein blocked all sales channeled through its marketplace in France and also suspended transactions of non-textile items, a move interpreted by the government as a “first victory.“

In addition, Paris has welcomed the future abolition, scheduled for early 2026 across the European Union, of the exemption from customs duties for shipments of less than €150, a mechanism frequently used by non-EU platforms.

AliExpress, Temu and Wish are also in the crosshairs of the French judiciary

This Wednesday’s hearing is in addition to an investigation opened in early November by the Paris parquet and entrusted to the office of minors. In parallel, other inquiries have been launched against AliExpress, Temu and Wish. This Tuesday, the Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to AFP that a fifth investigation has been opened, this time on eBay.

The legal action brought by a coalition of French trade federations against Shein for “unfair competition” also continues to make progress, a procedure that is independent of that brought by the government and which reinforces the institutional and sectoral pressure on the Asian platform.