This Girl Found a Tracking Device Sewn Into the Shein Overalls She Ordered and Folks Are Worried

It’s no surprise why so many people shop on retailer sites like Shein and Temu — they’re cheap and offer fairly decent quality, depending on what you buy, that is. In today’s world, cheap and mildly reliable is often enough. I can buy clothes, toys, and shoes, and still afford groceries — count me in!

But shopping on Shein might be riskier than it seems. A viral TikTok from a Shein shopper claims she found a tracking device sewn into a pair of overalls she purchased. Yes, sewn inside, meaning it was completely hidden!

Why would a tracker come with a Shein order? And more importantly, why was it hidden? Let’s unpack the story and find out what’s really going on.

TikToker @bandanabixch14 took to the platform on Oct. 29, 2024, to share a truly unusual (and, let’s be honest, scary) experience after ordering a pair of overalls from Shein. Her video, which has racked up nearly 14 million views as of this writing, features the text overlay: “So I found a tracker in my overalls from Shein.” Naturally, I needed to know more — after all, I shop at Shein too!

In the video, she starts by explaining how she was minding her own business when she noticed something odd in the back of the overalls she’d recently ordered. Specifically, it was in the mid-back area, just below where the straps meet to hang over the shoulders. Curious, she presses the spot, and you can clearly hear a beeping sound, like when you press a button.

“Y’all hear that?” she asks viewers, her tone quickly shifting to concern. “What the f--k is that?” she adds, leaving us all wondering the same thing.

Realizing she hadn’t shown viewers where the overalls were from, @bandanabixch14 unbuckles them and flips the tag to reveal the Shein label. Despite initially giving the overalls a positive review, she decides to take them off to investigate exactly what’s hiding in the back.

Armed with what looks like a steak knife, she carefully cuts open the fabric around the foreign object. After some effort, she pulls out a small, white, circular device that clicks and even beeps when pressed. Engraved on it is the word “Chipolo.” Shocked, she exclaims, “What the f--k is this?” and adds, “I’m going to have an anxiety attack.”

She then fast-forwards to the part where she Googled the device and discovered it was a Bluetooth tracker, commonly used to find keys. Even more surprising, these trackers are sold on websites like Amazon. One viewer confirmed her findings in the comments, writing, “That's a Chipolo I have one on my keys.”

According to the Chipolo website, the Bluetooth range extends up to 200 feet, meaning whoever wanted to track the device would need to stay within that distance for it to work.

While one commenter speculated that Shein might have included the tracker to ensure the order arrived — possibly to prevent false claims of lost packages — it’s unlikely, since tracking beyond 200 feet wouldn’t be possible. So, what would even be the point?

Either way, the TikTok sparked serious concerns from viewers, while others couldn’t resist adding a few lighthearted jokes to the mix.

Two days after discovering the tracking device in her Shein overalls, TikToker @bandanabixch14 returned to the platform with a follow-up video. In it, she addressed the naysayers accusing her of lying and shared an important update — she had filed a police report.

However, some viewers were left scratching their heads when she revealed that while the police provided her with a report, they also gave the tracker back to her. Huh? Understandably, this raised even more questions about the situation.

While we still don’t know the reason behind the tracking device, there’s already been concern surrounding Shein, including claims that the app tracks users’ activity and even listens to their conversations. Not going to lie, I once had a conversation about something random — and having never searched for it, the item somehow popped up in my Shein recommendations.

Now, I’m not saying Shein isn’t legitimate (it’s a real site, and I’ve ordered from it plenty of times), but these claims have definitely raised some eyebrows.