Anna Marie didn’t order a vial of blood from Shein, but that’s what she says arrived in her package from the clothing company after it was delivered via FedEx.
The TikToker (@anna_200.1) posted about the strange experience on her social media page where it has garnered 6.2 million views as of Friday. In her clip, she states how shocked she was to discover the vial, which only contained the name of the testing facility/lab that it came from and no other information.
Wanting to get to the bottom of the situation, she says she contacted the lab but was still left with several questions, which she shared with her TikTok following in a series of clips.
“The lady from the testing company said they’re trying to track it down,” Marie says. “She said that it was completely mishandled, they don’t even ship to residents they only ship blood back and forth between doctors.”
The TikToker took matters quite seriously, adding that she put in a call to the CDC after finding the vial, to make sure that she wasn’t on the receiving end of a potential biohazard, as well as to her local sheriff’s office.
“We called the CDC they’re aware of it and they’re filing a report and they’re looking into it, because it’s a major biohazard,” she says. “We called the local Sheriff, the Sheriff’s department came, they took the vial, they’re gonna be testing it, and they said that they can reach out to the CDC if they find anything concerning.”
She urged her followers to be wary of any FedEx packaging from Shein.
@anna_200.1 Just ordered dresses from SHEIN and the package came with an unidentified human blood sample #foryoupage #fyp #shein #sheinhorrorstories #cdc #biohazard ♬ original sound – Anna Marie
“So basically, just, if you receive a Shein package especially one that’s in a FedEx like, if you’ve done express shipping, dump it out on a table and look at everything before you touch it,” she advises. “And then sanitize your hands, be extremely careful.”
“I wanna see it,” a viewer urged. Marie, did, in fact, oblige this request in a follow-up post where she stated that the clothing brand denied having any involvement in the shipping fiasco.
Another person said they wouldn’t have been perturbed by seeing the vial of blood in their order, writing, “The way I would have just thrown it away and moved on with my day.”
Someone else joked that the amulet of plasma revealed what the clothing manufacturer’s “side gig” is: “Sheins side gig exposed.”
@anna_200.1 @SHEIN is denying that they have anything to do with it. And the @CDC.govOfficial ♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs – Skittlegirl Sound
Marie believed this blood vial could’ve been an instance of sabotage from a rival affordable goods competitor.
“I’ve even wondered if it could be TEMU or someone sabotaging them,” she wrote.
Someone else wondered just how Shein got its hands on some blood in the first place, asking, “How did SHEIN get a vile of blood anyways??”
Then there was another user who thought that they might have an idea as to who the blood belonged to.
“In 2021 my blood sample that I sent out for sneak peek gender reveal was lost in the mail… wonder if that’s it,” they said.
Blood vials sent through the mail have previously been the subject of controversy. In 2006, a man mailed a vial of HIV-infected plasma to former President Barack Obama, probably in the hopes that the nation’s former commander-in-chief would, through a series of unfortunate events, have it enter his bloodstream.
Slate, which covered the story, also writes that as long as folks don’t intend to harm, kill, or injure the person with said blood, it’s entirely fine for plasma to be mailed—as long it’s being packaged appropriately.
In a follow-up video, Marie posted an update to her blood vial story, where she confirmed the origin of the sample and stated that the issue was more than likely with FedEx and not Shein.
“Initially, I just thought maybe it was a prank I thought it might be fake, but I did get in touch with the lab and they just called me so I’m updating you on what they said,” she says.
@anna_200.1 @FedEx ♬ original sound – Anna Marie
She says how the lab director from Exact Sciences claimed the tubes of blood were for cancer screenings and not to test for infection or from sick people.
“He said it’s usually sent in a special kit, and sometimes they use FedEx and he said in order to ship it back after being tested, it’s usually an 8-inch box that has a styrofoam container and like cold gel packs in it,” she says. “So he said they have no idea how it got in there but someone would have to see that it’s an official blood sample and take it out to put it in my package.”
She says again that it seems the issue may lie with FedEx and not Shein. In an email to the Daily Dot, a SHEIN spokesperson gave the following statement:
“When we were made aware that a customer received a package that had been tampered with, we launched an immediate investigation. This indicated when the package completed our quality control process and left our facility it contained only the SHEIN items ordered. We will continue actively supporting the customer in her continued investigation into what occurred once her package left a SHEIN facility.“
The Daily Dot has reached out to FedEx via email and Marie via TikTok comment for further information.
Update 11:54am CT, Mar. 16, 2024:
A spokesperson from FedEx shared the following statement:
“We sincerely apologize for this experience. We are committed to treating our customers’ shipments with the utmost care, and we are taking the appropriate steps to address this matter.”
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