The RealReal says AI agents face tougher bot defenses

The RealReal, the resale marketplace for authenticated luxury goods, says it has reconfigured its bot defenses so that AI agents struggle to complete purchases on its site, The Verge reported on Monday, October 26. Luke Friang, the company's CTO, said in an email to the outlet that the change addresses a Muse use case the publication had flagged, and that signing in, carting items and checking out are now far harder for any agent. Agents can still find RealReal listings and send Muse users to the product pages, he said.

The loophole that prompted it

On The RealReal, putting an item in your cart holds it for 20 minutes, during which no one else can buy it. In a report published Thursday, October 22, Verge features writer Mia Sato described telling Meta's Muse agent to load the ten newest listings from one brand into her cart, then put them back each time the hold lapsed. The agent kept at it all day, with no purchase intended, until she stopped it. With a $12 monthly plan sold for early access to new items, an endlessly renewed hold shuts other buyers out.

Before the fix, Friang had told The Verge by email that the company stayed open to third-party agents, sign-ins included, while guarding against automation that disrupts the shopping experience. Now he says protections will keep getting stronger as agent shopping evolves.

A patchwork of doors

The RealReal joins a growing list of companies limiting what outside agents can do. Amazon blocked Muse in September, per GeekWire via The Verge, and Amazon later confirmed to The Verge that it had asked Meta to remove Amazon from Muse. Target told The Verge that agents may reach some parts of its site and not others, and that it has safeguards against unauthorized bots entering customer accounts or making transactions. Enki has also covered how Delta, Yelp and Chase are turning agents away. Others are moving the other way, as when Walmart opened its store to AI shopping agents.

The stakes are rising for Meta. Per The Verge's account of Meta's third-quarter earnings call, the company said shopping leads Muse usage to date, with an average order above $200. Sensor Tower data cited by TechCrunch puts Muse at 10.2 million U.S. downloads within 40 days of launch. Meta did not immediately respond to The Verge about the change. For the earlier report, Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton told The Verge in an email that Muse "is designed to always ask permission before buying."

What we don't know yet

• How the new defenses tell agents from people, and whether human shoppers will meet more friction.
• Whether The RealReal will change the 20-minute hold or offer agents a sanctioned way to buy.
• Whether Meta will adjust how Muse handles reservation systems like this one.