Shein faces protests and legal threats as Paris store opens

The planned opening in the landmark, city-centre department store sparked a backlash among Paris brands and shoppers

The flashpoint

Days before Shein’s first permanent Paris outlet opens at BHV Marais, France’s consumer watchdog said it found child-like sex dolls on Shein’s site and reported the platform to prosecutors and regulators. Shein removed the listings, banned sex-doll sales and vowed tougher marketplace controls, but the outcry intensified as officials called the items illegal and warned of a possible platform ban if violations recur, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Fallout at BHV Marais

The planned opening in the landmark, city-centre department store sparked a backlash among Paris brands and shoppers. Dozens of labels pulled their products, employees protested at the entrance, and a state entity dropped talks to buy the BHV building. Store operator SGM said the opening will proceed and that only Shein-produced goods for BHV will be sold with guarantees on traceability and compliance.

Escalating scrutiny

French leaders condemned the listings in sharp terms, with the finance minister threatening market expulsion for repeat offenses. The children’s commissioner said takedowns were insufficient and demanded supplier and buyer information. Regulators widened their lens, opening a probe into similar dolls on AliExpress. Shein, already fined in France this year and under European scrutiny on safety and marketing, said it is tracing sources and will act against offending third-party sellers.

Europe as the new battleground

With US tariff shifts and the end of a key de minimis waiver disrupting low-value imports, Chinese e-commerce players have leaned harder into Europe, where a €150 de minimis still applies—though Brussels plans to abolish it by 2028 and France is weighing a per-parcel fee and new advertising curbs on ultrafast fashion. Shein and peers are racing to build out logistics as legal and political risks rise.

What comes next

SGM plans additional Shein shop-in-shops in Galeries Lafayette locations it runs across France, even as prosecutors review the case and consumer authorities pursue broader checks. For Shein, the Paris debut meant to showcase mainstream appeal now doubles as a test of compliance and public tolerance amid intensifying European oversight.