French regulators have fined the online retailer Shein approximately €22.5 million, citing problems with its returns and order confirmations processes as well as its product information.

The Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) levied a fine of €16.73 million on Infinite Styles Services Limited, Shein’s European website and marketplace operator, as well as €5.77 million on Shein’s European operations and sales entity Infinite Styles Ecommerce Co. Limited.

The DGCCRF said Shein had failed to uphold a 14-day minimum period after purchases during which customers could process returns free of charge. In addition, it accused the firm of failing to provide mandatory product information such as where clothes are manufactured and the extent to which they contain microplastics.

Shein said it will contest both charges.

A Shein spokesperson told Retail Systems: “We dispute these findings and consider the fines manifestly disproportionate. Throughout this process, there has never been any doubt about the fairness of transactions on our platform, or the quality and safety of the products and services offered.

“Not one instance of consumer harm has been established. We are not even aware of a single customer complaint relating to these issues.”

Shein also stated that its returns and product information is available on its app and website but had not reproduced it in a confirmation email, adding that environmental information was temporarily unavailable “due to a technical fault, which we had independently rectified”.

The spokesperson accused the DGCCRF of using “an excessively rigid and clearly outmoded interpretation of how customers access order information on modern digital platforms”.

“What we find particularly troubling is that the authority was aware of this concern for more than a year, chose not to raise it with us as would ordinarily be expected, and then calculated the fine by applying an arbitrary amount to every email sent during that period,” they claimed.

The firm has faced several high-profile fines in 2026. In February, the European Commission launched a formal investigation into Shein after French authorities found child-like sex dolls for sale on the platform. The investigation also set out to investigate allegations that Shein’s recommendation algorithm was addictive.

In May, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced its own investigation into Shein, concerning the platform’s use of the personal data of EU citizens.

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