Resale site removes listings for stolen French goods amid protests

Updated: 9:31 AM CDT Oct 20, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ CNN

The second-hand online marketplace, Vinted, has removed listings of stolen French goods and stepped up checks on  suspicious  adverts, as the country's authorities seek to prevent goods stolen during riots from being sold online.

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Vinted says its teams have taken  immediate action to identify and remove listings linked to the looting,  following a weekend of unrest that saw shops ransacked across France, with the cost of property damage and theft estimated to be several hundred million dollars.

 The sale of stolen goods, or soliciting them, is strictly prohibited on Vinted, and we have zero tolerance for it,  the company said in a statement, noting that it had  stepped up monitoring of suspicious listings. 

Accounts found to have breached its rules could face permanent bans, Vinted said, adding that it is working with law enforcement and French authorities to  detect and counter emerging risks and malicious behaviour. 

The response comes as the French government increases scrutiny of online marketplaces following reports that goods stolen during Saturday's unrest were being offered for sale online.

Serge Papin, France's small businesses minister, said on ​X that authorities had called a meeting Monday with online marketplace operators and officials ​from the interior and justice ministries.

On Tuesday, he said the government had obtained commitments from platforms to detect and remove ads for stolen items, and was also monitoring sales itself, warning that anyone selling stolen goods would be tracked down and prosecuted.

Major retailers including luxury groups such as Louis Vuitton and Rolex and beauty retailer Sephora were caught up in the violence, Reuters reported.

Sephora said several of its stores in France had been ransacked, with employees facing  violence, fear and great tension. 

In a statement posted on LinkedIn, the company's EMEA president, Catherine Spind
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