In a press release published on Monday 26 May, the European Commission and the European Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (CPC) were of the opinion that the online sales platform Shein is in breach of several European directives relating to online consumer protection, particularly with regard to its commercial practices.
The CPC network and the European Commission opened a joint investigation last February against the platform (see EUROPE 13573/5), which was suspected of breaching four European directives: the Unfair Contract Terms Directive, the Price Indication Directive, the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and the Consumer Rights Directive.
The Commission has accused Shein of offering “false discounts” based on fictitious prices, using “pressure tactics” to force consumers’ hands, providing “incorrect information on their returns and refund policy”, and engaging in “ greenwashing”, which consists of making false claims about the sustainability and environmental impact of the products sold.
In addition, Shein was already in the EU’s sights under the Digital Services Act (DSA) (see EUROPE 13442/6). The platform now has one month to put everything in order and to respond to the grievances raised by the CPC Network.
In November 2024, the CPC and the European Commission launched a similar action against Temu (see EUROPE 13521/10), accused of breaching European consumer law in a number of ways – false discounts, high-pressure sales, missing and misleading information... – undermining consumers’ rights. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)