By
AFP
Published
December 29, 2025
French customs authorities told AFP on Saturday that during an inspection of 320,474 Shein packages in early November, 25% of non-textile products were found to be non-compliant, confirming a report by Le Parisien.
Among the irregularities identified during this notorious operation at Roissy-CDG airport, Customs cited forgeries, lack of labels or instructions on cosmetics and electrical devices, as well as non-compliance with standards for certain toys.
This evaluation revises downwards the figures previously announced by the government shortly after the operation. At the time, it stated that of 200,000 packages inspected, 80% did not meet standards.
Regarding textile products – the main business of the Shein platform – “few non-compliances were found,” Customs reported, attributing this better result to the closure of its market “a few days before the customs operation.”
The transaction took place on November 6 and Shein said it had temporarily closed its marketplace to third-party sellers in France on November 5. The legal result of these controls was not specified nor the number of official reports issued.
The inspection took place a day after the government initiated a procedure to suspend the platform, following protests over the sale of pedophile dolls.
The Paris Judicial Court subsequently rejected the request for a temporary blocking order, considering the measure “disproportionate”, given that Shein had removed the illicit products from sale. The government has appealed.
The Asian platform also launched an internal audit and said it would gradually allow European third-party sellers who pass this internal verification to sell on its marketplace again.
In France, the number of items contained in small packages increased from 170 million in 2022 to 773 million in 2024, according to Customs. These products arrive 97% from China.
A previous targeted operation in 2022 found that 96% of items were non-compliant or counterfeit, according to a parliamentary report from December.
European countries want to impose a 3 euro tax on small plots from July 1, 2026, which could even be increased to 5 euros in France, depending on the outcome of the finance bill in the French Parliament.
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