The RealReal tightened its bot defenses so AI agents can no longer tie up designer items in carts, a sign that stores are still writing rules for shopping bots.
The RealReal, a secondhand luxury fashion consignment retailer, has made it much harder for AI shopping agents to use its site. The change came days after The Verge showed that an agent could keep designer items out of other shoppers' hands for hours.
On The RealReal's site, an item goes on hold for 20 minutes once it lands in someone's cart. No one else can buy it during that time. The Verge used Meta's Muse app to tell an AI agent to add listings back to the cart the moment each hold ran out. That locked up products for hours or longer.
Chief technology officer Luke Friang said in an email that the company has addressed the Muse case The Verge flagged. Its bot defense settings now make it much more difficult for any agent to do three things:
Agents can still find listings on The RealReal. They can also send Muse users to product pages. Friang said the company will keep strengthening its protections as AI shopping changes. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An agent is an AI helper that takes actions for you, such as booking a meeting or buying something. Shopping is already the most common use of Muse, Meta said on its Q3 earnings call this month. Purchases averaged over $200. Meta also said 10 million people in the US downloaded the app in 40 days.
Shoppers could end up competing with other people's AI helpers for the same item. A person gives up on re-adding a dress to a cart after a while. An agent does not get tired. Even small features, like a 20-minute hold, can break when software uses them nonstop.
Retailers face a bigger question too. If people shop through chatbots instead of visiting sites, stores sit one step away from their customers. The Verge notes that Amazon has seen this risk, especially for advertising revenue, and has blocked agents from shopping on its site.
The RealReal's fix covers all agents, not just Muse. Whether other stores will follow, and what rules they will set, is not yet known. The Verge describes retailers as playing catch-up, while millions of shoppers are just starting to learn what agents can do.
AI shopping helpers can do more than save time, and stores like The RealReal are now setting limits on what those helpers can do.
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