A French consumer watchdog has levied €22.5m ($26.1m) in administrative fines against two Shein entities over violations of consumer protection and environmental disclosure rules on its French website.
The Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) fined Shein-branded product seller Infinite Styles Ecommerce Co Limited (ISEL) €5.7m, following a 2025 investigation into consumer protection and environmental information compliance.
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Investigators found that Shein had breached withdrawal rights rules by failing to provide customers with the legally required means to cancel orders.
ISEL also failed to meet product traceability disclosure obligations.
Additionally, the company did not inform buyers that textile products containing more than 50% synthetic fibres release plastic microfibres into the environment during washing.
The latter disclosure is a requirement under French environmental law.
A separate €16.7m fine was imposed on Infinite Styles Services Co Limited (ISSL), the operator of Shein’s French website, for breaches of distance-selling requirements under the Consumer Code.
Investigators found that order confirmations sent to customers omitted several mandatory pieces of information, including the price of goods, delivery dates or timeframes, and seller identity and contact details.
Information on legal guarantees, mediation options, withdrawal forms and related rights was also absent from the confirmations.
The DGCCRF said that order confirmations are critical to enabling consumers to exercise rights such as cancellations and refunds, and that deficiencies in this area undermine consumer protection when disputes arise.
The regulator reiterated that e-commerce operators must comply with business-to-consumer rules covering consumer information, product compliance, delivery deadlines and withdrawal rights, including the 14-calendar-day withdrawal window.
The fines come after France called on the EU last month to tighten enforcement against online platforms, including Shein and Temu, over the sale of unsafe Chinese-made products.
DGCCRF head Sarah Lacoche said the number of hazardous goods identified on Asian e-commerce platforms was significantly higher than on other online marketplaces.
Items flagged by authorities included hairdryers prone to overheating, electronic devices with potentially explosive batteries and teddy bears with unsafe components.
That same month, the European Commission fined Temu €200m under the Digital Services Act, finding that the platform had failed to adequately assess risks linked to illegal products listed on its site.
