The RealReal tightens bot defenses after AI agent exploits item holds

The RealReal says it has updated its bot defenses after an AI agent repeatedly reserved designer clothing on its site, making the items unavailable to other shoppers.

On the secondhand luxury retailer’s website, an item placed in a shopping cart is put on hold for 20 minutes. The Verge reported that it used Meta’s Muse to instruct an agent to add listings to a cart again as soon as each hold expired. The tactic could prevent other customers from buying the items for hours or longer.

After the report, The RealReal’s chief technology officer, Luke Friang, said by email that the company had addressed the Muse use case. He said the updated bot defenses make it much harder for agents to log in, add items to carts, and check out. Agents can still find listings and direct Muse users to product pages. Friang said the company will continue strengthening its protections as AI-powered shopping evolves. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meta said during its Q3 earnings call this month that shopping was Muse’s most common use case so far, and that purchases averaged more than $200. The company also said 10 million people in the US had downloaded the app in 40 days. Retailers including Amazon have blocked agents from shopping on their sites, citing concerns about the effects on businesses, including advertising revenue.