Secondhand luxury consignment retailer The RealReal updated its bot defenses after finding that automated shopping agents could exploit its cart reserve system and block human shoppers from buying listed clothes. The change followed testing by The Verge, which showed Meta’s Muse assistant could repeatedly refresh a temporary cart hold to lock out other buyers for hours without buying anything. Chief technology officer Luke Friang said the retailer adjusted its defensive systems to make logging in, adding items, and checking out much harder for autonomous software [1].
Cart Holds on The RealReal
The RealReal runs a resale marketplace where almost every designer item is unique. When someone puts a designer jacket or handbag into a digital shopping cart, the platform puts that piece on hold for 20 minutes so nobody else can buy it [1].
The holding window was created to give shoppers time to type in payment information without worrying about losing rare pieces. Rivalry among buyers for fresh listings has grown so fierce that the company sells a $12-per-month subscription, known as First Look, giving members early access to incoming inventory. Eager shoppers often race against the clock to secure scarce garments before anyone else spots them. If an indecisive shopper lets the 20-minute window expire without paying, the listing returns to the open store. A human shopper rarely spends an entire afternoon sitting at a desk to re-add an unpurchased coat every 20 minutes. An automated script will repeat a task as long as its code runs. Software doesn’t face fatigue [2].
Because catalog stock consists of individual consignment goods rather than warehouse pallets of identical items, holding a single designer garment in a cart freezes the entire supply. A rare piece, like a $2,000 Chanel handbag or vintage sneakers, can’t be replaced from a back storeroom. When a cart holds that piece hostage, all potential sales for that listing stop on the spot [3].
Testing Meta Muse on Cart Holds
The cart vulnerability came to light during testing conducted by The Verge reporter Mia Sato. Sato tested Meta’s new Muse shopping assistant, an application designed to act as an automated personal buyer. The mobile application attracted millions of new users shortly after its launch, passing 10 million downloads in the United States within its first 40 days of public release [2].
To test how well the software handled a real checkout environment, Sato unleashed Muse on The RealReal. She instructed the assistant to grab the 10 newest items from a favorite brand and put them into her digital shopping basket. She had no intention of purchasing any of the clothes, but she told Muse to watch the 20-minute countdown clock and re-add every item the moment each hold expired. Muse obeyed the prompt and refreshed the cart holds all day long, locking up designer inventory without interruption. Other shoppers were completely shut out from buying those pieces while Sato walked away from her desk. The automated tool maintained the hold for hours without spending a single dollar. Nobody else could check out [2].
Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton said Muse applies ethical browsing principles and is programmed to ask for user permission before finalizing any transaction. But the demonstration showed that an assistant doesn’t have to buy goods to harm a store. Simply refreshing a digital shopping bag on a schedule can freeze inventory indefinitely [5].
The RealReal Updates Bot Defenses
Following publication of the report by The Verge, The RealReal took steps to eliminate the cart loophole. Chief technology officer Luke Friang told the outlet in an email that the consignment retailer adjusted its security systems to address the Muse use case. The updated bot defense configuration makes it much harder for automated agents to log into user accounts, add listings to carts, or complete checkout steps on the platform. Friang said agents will still be permitted to browse catalog listings and send users to product pages, but autonomous checkout commands will encounter defensive barriers. Human buyers retain normal access. The company moved quickly to safeguard its catalog [1].
The updated defenses rolled out on October 26, 2026, introducing behavioral tracking to the platform. The platform analyzes browsing speed, purchase velocity, and user interaction patterns. When suspicious automation appears, the system presents enhanced CAPTCHA checks and restricts flagged accounts [4].
Before the changes, Friang explained that the retailer wanted to balance open access with platform protection. “Our approach is to remain open to third-party AI agents, allowing them to browse, log in and interact with our marketplace, while maintaining safeguards against automated activity that could disrupt the customer experience,” Friang said. As automated assistants grow more capable, the retailer plans to keep adjusting its bot defenses [6].
Scarcity and Resale Economics
Online luxury consignment depends on a sales structure that differs completely from big-box merchants like Amazon or Costco. Most designer pieces on The RealReal come from individual closets rather than factory production lines, meaning each listing is a single garment in one specific size and condition. If an automated script monopolizes that item, other buyers can’t purchase it, hurting both the consignor waiting for a payout and the company taking a sales commission. Scarcity forms the core foundation of luxury resale, and cart-holding scripts undermine that model by keeping genuine shoppers from spending their money. The financial impact adds up fast. Without real buyers, listings sit idle and consignors lose trust [3].
Automated shopping tools create artificial scarcity on resale sites by snatching up underpriced goods. High-speed purchasing programs can scan through newly published listings within milliseconds, identify undervalued designer items, and reserve them in carts before any human shopper can click a mouse [4].
Luxury fashion resale continues to grow as consumers seek sustainable wardrobe options and rare vintage clothing. But automated shopping tools invert the familiar pleasure of finding unexpected pieces on the web. As The Verge reported, agentic shopping feels like looking at the world through a pinhole rather than wandering through an open marketplace. When bots grab the best pieces first, human shoppers walk away empty-handed [2].
Retailers Push Back on Autonomous Shopping
The RealReal is far from alone in restricting automated software. E-commerce leader Amazon blocked Meta’s Muse from browsing and shopping on its platform after expressing concern over autonomous scrapers. Amazon also sued AI startup Perplexity, claiming the company ignored warnings to keep its shopping agent off Amazon listings. Amazon spokesperson Maxine Tagay confirmed that Amazon asked Meta to remove it from Muse. “We think it’s fairly straightforward that third-party applications that offer to make purchases on behalf of customers from other businesses should operate openly and respect service provider decisions about whether or not to participate,” Tagay said in an email [2]. The clash highlights how protective retailers have become over their customer data.
Other industries are putting up identical barriers. In finance, JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon banned outside shopping agents from accessing client accounts, calling the practice “too risky” for customers. Transportation providers like Delta Air Lines and Amtrak have similarly blocked third-party automated tools from reserving tickets [2].
Target spokesperson Loni Monroe said Target uses safeguards that prevent unauthorized bots from entering customer accounts or initiating transactions [2]. Meanwhile, tech giants continue selling automated assistants as indispensable tools for daily life. Meta executives revealed during the third-quarter earnings call that shopping had already become the most common use case for Muse, with purchases averaging over $200 per completed order. But as retailers defend their checkouts against automated cart hoarding, shopping agents face a much tougher road online [1].
- ONLINE NEWS Sato, M. (2026, October 26). The RealReal won’t let AI agents hog designer clothing. The Verge. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Sato, M. (2026, October 22). AI agents are ready to shop. Some retailers are wary. The Verge. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Petersen, B. (2026, October 26). RealReal blocks AI agents from hogging designer items. AI Daily Post. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Singh, P. (2026, October 26). RealReal blocks AI agents from buying designer resale items. Emergent. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Shukla, A. (2026, October 26). The RealReal takes a stand against AI agents hoarding designer fashion. Skoar. [Article Link]
- WEBSITE Today for AI. (2026, October 26). The RealReal updates anti-scraping mechanisms to restrict AI agents. Today for AI. [Article Link]
