Resale websites including Vinted are flooded with 'stolen' goods in the wake of French looting
Protesters vandalise a retail store during a demonstration near Place de la République, as the the Gilets Jaunes join students for a weekend of action on October 17, 2026 in Paris, Franc Carl Court/Getty Images Screenshots of Vinted listings circulating on social media show products being offered for a fraction of their retail prices.
The suspected stolen merchandise was listed after looting in France.
Vinted told The Telegraph it had taken immediate action to identify and remove listings connected to the violence.
Resale websites including Vinted have removed suspicious listings after they were flooded with apparently stolen goods in the wake of riots that swept across France.
Perfumes, designer handbags, cosmetics and even Pokémon cards have appeared on second-hand marketplaces following a weekend of violence that saw shops ransacked, The Telegraph — which, like Business Insider, is part of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network — reported.
Screenshots circulating on social media show products being offered for a fraction of their retail prices, including bags overflowing with Sephora cosmetics advertised for as little as €10 (£8.40).
The listings have triggered suspicions that looters are trying to sell stolen goods online. eBay and Vinted have removed some items and stepped up their monitoring of suspicious activity.
One advert on Vinted showed six Sephora lip glosses being sold for €15, while another offered six tubes of cleansing cream for just €12.
Sephora France sells comparable own-brand lip glosses for around €13 each, meaning six would ordinarily cost around €78.
A screenshot of a Vinted listing showing suspected stolen Sephora beauty products Screenshot Other listings included Christian Dior perfumes advertised for €250 and large quantities of make-up still in their original packaging.
In one case, Pokémon trading cards allegedly stolen from a shop in Lille were advertised on Vinted, with some still bearing their original price stickers.
Hundreds of cards were reportedly found scattered across streets in the northern French city after a fire at Le Coin des Barons, a shop specialising in collectable cards.
A trophy said to have been stolen from French e-sport club Team Vitality was advertised on eBay for €1,250.
The silver StarLadder Counter-Strike trophy was photographed against a graffiti-covered wall and listed under the title: "STOLEN RARE VITALITY CS2 TROPHÉE." Team Vitality confirmed that its Paris premises had been looted during Saturday's unrest, with trophies and computer equipment stolen and display windows smashed.
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