The RealReal has tightened its bot defences after a report showed an AI agent could lock other shoppers out of its listings. The secondhand luxury retailer confirmed the change this week.
The problem sat in a feature most shoppers never think about. Items placed in a cart go “on hold” for 20 minutes and disappear from sale during that window.
Twenty Minutes, Repeated Forever
The Verge reported that Meta’s Muse agent could exploit that rule. Instructed to re-add a listing the moment each hold expired, the agent kept items out of circulation for hours.
No human could sustain that. A person gets bored, hesitates, or simply forgets. An agent does not. It will follow the instruction until told to stop.
Chief technology officer Luke Friang said the company has addressed the specific Muse case. Bot defence settings now make it much harder for any agent to log in, add items to cart and check out.
Agents are not locked out entirely. Friang said they can still surface RealReal listings and send Muse users to product pages. Only the part that touches inventory and checkout is fenced off.
Shopping Is What Agents Actually Do
Meta has been unusually clear about where Muse earns its keep. On its Q3 earnings call the company said shopping was the most common use case so far, with purchases averaging over $200. Ten million people in the US downloaded the app in 40 days.
That success explains the pushback. If buyers reach stores through a chatbot instead of a website, retailers lose the shelf, the recommendation, and the ad slot. Walmart chose to open its catalogue to agents, while Amazon said no.
Reserve systems were never built for infinite patience. Retail rules assume a shopper who eventually decides. An agent removes that assumption entirely, and it can turn a fair queue into a permanent reservation.
The trend is broader than one resale site. Banks and other sites have been shutting agents out for months, mostly over fraud and load concerns rather than stock.
Friang said The RealReal will keep strengthening protections as AI shopping develops. Meta did not respond to a request for comment.
The wider fight is only starting. Every retailer with a cart, a hold timer or a limited drop now has to ask the same question. Is this customer a person, and does it matter?
Source: The Verge — The RealReal won’t let AI agents hog designer clothing
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