PARIS, France | October 21, 2026 | France has ordered online resale platforms, including Vinted, eBay and Amazon, to strengthen efforts to identify and remove listings suspected of offering goods stolen during recent riots, after allegedly looted merchandise began appearing for sale online.
The French Ministry of Finance said on October 20 that representatives of major online marketplaces had committed to intensifying monitoring, removing suspicious listings, sharing relevant seller information with investigators and reporting their enforcement actions to the government. The platforms were also asked to alert consumers to the legal consequences of buying or selling stolen goods.
The measures followed reports that cosmetics, clothing and other merchandise, including items apparently still bearing security tags, had appeared on resale platforms after shops were looted during the October 17 unrest. Images of suspicious listings also circulated on social media.
Vinted said it had taken immediate action to identify and remove advertisements potentially linked to the looting and had strengthened checks on suspicious listings. The Lithuania-founded company maintains a zero-tolerance policy on stolen goods and warned that accounts violating its rules could be permanently banned. It also said it was cooperating with French authorities and law enforcement.
The government meeting on October 19 was convened by Small Businesses Minister Serge Papin and Digital Affairs Minister Anne Le Hénanff, with officials from the interior and justice ministries present. Participating platforms included Vinted, Amazon, eBay, Leboncoin, Meta and TikTok.
Under the commitments announced by the government, platforms must pay closer attention to unusually low prices, large quantities of new merchandise, visible security devices and advertisements explicitly referring to stolen goods. Monitoring will also cover requests to purchase such merchandise.
The government has activated its VigE-commerce unit to coordinate the work of relevant agencies and monitor sales on online marketplaces. Authorities warned that people found knowingly selling or handling stolen property could face prosecution.
The controversy highlights a challenge for second-hand marketplaces, where stolen merchandise can be listed quickly among legitimate used goods. While suspicious advertisements do not by themselves establish that an item was stolen, French authorities are seeking closer cooperation between retailers, digital platforms and law enforcement to trace merchandise taken during the unrest.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
