The RealReal Blocks AI Bots

An artificial intelligence agent from Meta was holding designer clothing on The RealReal for hours, preventing human shoppers from buying the items. The RealReal, a consignment retailer for luxury fashion, has updated its bot defense system to stop this behavior. The change makes it harder for AI agents to navigate the site and complete purchases.

The issue centers on the retailer's item reserve system. When a user places an item in their shopping cart, the product goes on hold for 20 minutes. During that window, other customers cannot buy the item. Previously, a human shopper might keep an item in the cart while deciding whether to buy it. An AI agent, however, can automatically re-add the item to the cart the moment the 20-minute timer expires. This cycle can repeat indefinitely, blocking access to the item for hours or longer.

Luke Friang, the chief technology officer at The RealReal, confirmed the company addressed the specific use of Meta’s Muse agent. In an email, Friang stated that the new configuration makes it much more difficult for all agents to log in, add items to carts, and check out. He noted that agents can still surface listings and direct users to product pages. The RealReal plans to continue strengthening its protections as AI shopping evolves.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company has been promoting Muse as a personalized assistant that can handle tasks like scheduling and purchasing. Meta reported in its third-quarter earnings call that shopping is the most common use case for Muse. The company stated that average purchases through the agent exceed $200. Muse gained 10 million downloads in the United States within 40 days of its release.

Retailers are increasingly wary of automated shopping agents. Amazon and other major retailers have already restricted agent access to their sites to protect advertising revenue and customer relationships. The RealReal’s move reflects a growing trend among businesses to limit how AI tools interact with their platforms. The update specifically targets the loop of adding and re-adding items to carts.

The RealReal’s inventory system relies on a reserve mechanism that assumes a human level of indecision. A person will eventually decide to buy or remove an item. An agent performs this task without fatigue or hesitation. The RealReal’s new defenses aim to balance the need for automated assistance with the need to keep inventory available for human buyers.