A French court has rejected a government request to suspend the Chinese e-commerce platform Shein for three months, ruling that the proposed measure would be “disproportionate.”
The Paris court said a full suspension was not justified after Shein removed illegal products flagged by authorities. However, judges imposed a key condition: the platform must implement reliable age-verification systems before resuming sales of adult products that could be considered pornographic.
The case followed public outrage after Shein was found to be offering controversial and illegal items in France, including child-like sex dolls, prohibited weapons such as brass knuckles and machetes, and banned medicines. The revelations prompted French authorities to seek a temporary shutdown of the platform.
In its ruling, the court acknowledged that the sale of illegal goods caused “serious harm to public order,” but described the incidents as isolated and noted that the products had since been withdrawn.
Despite the court’s rejection of the suspension request, Shein said its platform in France will not reopen immediately. A company spokesperson said an internal audit is under way to identify weaknesses in its marketplace controls before sales resume.
During the hearing, Shein’s legal team argued that the company was being targeted by what they described as a political and media “witch hunt.”
The decision does not end the legal and political pressure on the company. A criminal investigation has been opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office and assigned to France’s Office for the Protection of Minors. The probe also covers other major online marketplaces, including AliExpress, Temu, Wish, and eBay.
France is also pushing for tighter oversight of foreign e-commerce platforms at the EU level. The European Commission has requested information from Shein, though it has not yet opened a formal investigation, unlike ongoing probes involving other platforms.
