AliExpress bans Chinese sex doll seller after article

Alibaba’s AliExpress said it has banned a China-based seller of childlike sex dolls from its marketplace after a Reuters story about whether the sale of the products complied with European Union and US laws.

- HUGO LHOMEDET MARIA RUGAMER HELEN REID

People visit the AliExpress pop-up store in London on Nov 11.

(REUTERS)

Reuters first alerted AliExpress to the listings on Nov 14, when the company said it would remove them as a precaution but that the dolls did not breach its policies because they were of rigid construction with no sexual function.

However, in a subsequent statement to Reuters on Tuesday, AliExpress said it had “decided to permanently close down this seller because of their dishonesty on this serious matter”.

Reuters identified four listings of dolls resembling minors that were on sale in Europe and the United States through AliExpress in the week after Paris prosecutors said both it and online retailer Shein were being investigated for disseminating images or representations of minors of a pornographic nature.

In interviews, four lawyers said the images found by Reuters on AliExpress included features commonly associated with child sexualisation, including school uniforms and infantile expressions.

The products were offered by Guava Dolls, whose seller page on the AliExpress marketplace showed it as being based in China’s Shandong province.

Guava Dolls did not respond to multiple requests for comment made via email and social media.