Customs Inspect Shein Shipments at Roissy: 25% of Non-Textile Products Deemed Non-Compliant

A massive customs inspection at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport uncovered significant non-compliance among Shein's non-textile shipments, with one in four products failing to meet safety and regulatory standards. Launched on November 6, 2025, the operation saw customs officials examine 320,474 small packages containing over 500,000 items originating from the Chinese e-commerce platform Shein.

Customs authorities found that 25% of non-textile products inspected were non-compliant. This verdict includes a variety of infractions such as counterfeit goods, missing labeling on cosmetics, absence of required technical documentation for electrical devices, and safety violations in toys. These figures contrast with earlier government reports suggesting that 80% of roughly 200,000 packages inspected were non-compliant during a preliminary phase of the operation.

Textile goods exhibited low levels of non-compliance — a positive development largely credited to Shein's recent policy change, which temporarily closed its marketplace to third-party sellers before the inspection, limiting sales to Shein-branded textile items only. Despite this, the French government maintains vigilance due to continued risks posed by imported products, especially considering that past targeted operations revealed very high rates of counterfeit or dangerous products, such as a 60% non-compliance rate in toys identified in recent surveys.

Amid this backdrop, French authorities also sought to suspend Shein's operations citing the sale of controversial dolls. However, a Paris court denied the request, labeling it disproportionate since Shein had already withdrawn the disputed products, a ruling currently under governmental appeal.

The surge in small package shipments to France emphasizes the scale of the challenge; from 170 million parcels in 2022 to 773 million in 2024, with 97% sourced from China. European nations plan to impose a new tax on small packages starting July 1, 2026, which could reach up to five euros in France depending on legislative outcomes, aiming to regulate this booming market segment further.

This comprehensive inspection at Roissy highlights France's intensifying efforts to safeguard consumer safety and enforce compliance amid rising imports of goods from international e-commerce platforms.