France keeps Shein under surveillance even after removal of illicit items

E-commerce platform Shein has, for now, escaped a suspension in France after removing all illicit products from its website, but remains under “close surveillance”, the French government announced today. The country’s authorities had given the platform, on Wednesday, a 48-hour deadline to remove “prohibited” products from the portal, after the discovery of child-looking sex dolls and category A weapons.

The French government said in a statement today, however, that it had achieved “the withdrawal, by Shein, of all illicit products sold on its platform.” To this end, the Asian company decided to suspend its “marketplace”, a space in which third parties can offer products online.

Founded in China and headquartered in Singapore, the company opened its first permanent physical store in the world on Wednesday in Paris. But the company remains under pressure in France. A new meeting is scheduled for next week, at the request of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, to reassess the situation. Shein is not out of the woods yet, as it remains “under close surveillance” by public authorities while legal proceedings against the company continue.