If Shein cannot guarantee the safety or suitability of their goods, then they should be barred from selling their goods into the European market.
This is the thoughts of Sinn Féin’s MEP for Dublin, Lynn Boylan.
MEP Boylan was speaking after it was discovered that Shein had been selling weapons and child-like sex dolls on their website.
While the items in question have been withdrawn from the website, Lynn has said that a number of concerns remain with the products that Shein is selling.
“I’ve raised a number of concerns around products coming from Shein already.
“A major issue was the fact that so many Shein goods simply don’t meet our safety standards, yet the sheer volume of them is overwhelming customs here.
“Tests carried out on products like cosmetics and children’s toys, sold by Temu, showed many did not comply with current rules, and were unsafe for people.
Lynn also made the point that Shein deliberately targets low-income families with these products, especially in the run up to Christmas, where they may feel pressured to buy these products due to to price of alternatives.
“The fact that Shein is targeted at people on lower incomes is really predatory, Shein knows that their products don’t meet the standards, but they push them towards these people anyway to take advantage of them.
As part of the EU’s trade committee, Lynn helped write a report detailing these issues and what can be done to address them.
“The report was very clear, if someone like Shein cannot stand over the safety, and suitability of the products that they are selling into the EU, then they should be blocked selling to our market until they prove that their products meet all the necessary standards.
“No one should have to choose between affordability and safety. The EU must step up, give customs the tools they require, and finally hold these online giants to account.”
