A three-euro t-shirt, a charger delivered in 48 hours, a toy "just like the picture"... and sometimes an unpleasant surprise upon unpacking. On Thursday, on Europe 1/CNews, Trade Minister Serge Papin revealed some sobering figures: over the course of a year, the DGCCRF (French Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control) inspected 700 product references sold online, and 70% were found to be non-compliant, while 45% were deemed dangerous. All this against the backdrop of a surge in "small packages" imported from Asia, often via platforms like Shein or Temu.
In practice, these checks go beyond simply glancing at the label. The tests examined marketing claims, advertised features, and ingredients, according to the ministry. The 700 products analyzed actually represent "hundreds of thousands of products," a significant change in scale compared to the approximately 200 products examined annually previously. The message is clear: buying at the lowest price protects neither the consumer nor, sometimes, their safety.
700 references scrutinized, an alert that falls like a guillotine.
Since April 2025, the French Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) has tripled its checks, sampling, and analyses of items from these e-commerce platforms. Serge Papin urged consumers to be cautious, questioning the compliance of some marketplaces with regulations. The detailed results of a "comprehensive investigation" are expected "in the coming weeks," his ministry announced, promising a more precise inventory of shortcomings, category by category.
On the economic front, Paris is also trying to slow the flow. Since March 1st, France has been applying a two-euro tax per category of item purchased on a major e-commerce platform, targeting shipments under 150 euros that had previously escaped customs duties. The minister also asserts that some companies are attempting to circumvent the measure by routing goods through other European countries before delivery in France, while the powers of customs officers have recently been expanded to better combat these practices.
One stubborn reality remains: the temptation of bargain shopping persists, fueled by apps that make purchasing almost automatic. Between increased controls, taxation, and crackdowns on circumvention, the government aims to regain control over a border that has become digital, where people click faster than they check. And in the coming weeks, when the details of the investigation emerge, the entire balance between cheap consumption and security requirements risks being thrust into the spotlight.
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