Million dollar watches are sold on counters

The mass protests that broke out on the streets of France over the high cost of living and the deterioration of public services turned into a wave of widespread looting targeting luxury stores across the country.

Products of global brands such as Rolex, Louis Vuitton and Sephora, whose showcases were destroyed by groups clashing with the police last Saturday, fell on second-hand shopping platforms within hours.

Following attempts to dispose of looted luxury watches, designer bags and cosmetics online, second-hand clothing and goods app Vinted launched an emergency audit to weed out suspicious listings.

The company announced that it has removed many advertisements considered to be related to looting since the weekend.

The scene that followed the violence on the streets also spurred the French government into action.

French Minister of Small Businesses Serge Papin, in his statement on the X platform; Marketplace managers stated that they would hold an urgent meeting with officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Justice after the looted goods were put up for sale online.

French government officials stated that, in addition to Vinted, giant platforms such as Amazon, eBay and TikTok were also invited to this critical meeting held yesterday.

Speaking to the Reuters news agency on the issue, an unnamed Vinted spokesperson emphasized that accounts that violate the rules may be permanently blocked.

"The sale or solicitation of stolen goods is strictly prohibited at Vinted and we have zero tolerance for this," the company representative said.

The Lithuania-based company announced that it is cooperating with French authorities and law enforcement in order to eliminate new risks, and that they also rely on notifications from retailers and users to detect suspicious ads.