France imposed a fine of 22 million euros on clothing company Shein for issues related to product returns and orders. For its part, Shein characterized the fine as disproportionate and stated it would take legal action.
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Massive fine against Shein
Specifically, the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control noted that it imposed a fine of 16.7 million euros on Shein for order confirmation issues and 5.8 million for returns.
“Technical issues with no impact on consumers that are already being addressed where necessary have been used as the basis for an extreme penalty,” a Shein spokesperson said in a statement. “Therefore we intend to challenge both sanctions in their entirety,” they added. It should be noted that France had imposed a 40 million euro fine on Shein for misleading practices in July.
Strict controls
Shein faces strict scrutiny in France, as the consumer protection authority found child-like sex dolls and weapons on its website. “We have decided not to leave these platforms alone and will continue to take action until they completely change their practices or leave our market,” Serge Papin, minister responsible for small and medium enterprises, said in a post on X.
