Online marketplaces easily infiltrated with dangerous and illegal products, Which? finds

A Which? investigation has shown how easy it is to list dangerous and illegal products on online marketplaces - suggesting they are failing to protect millions of shoppers who use their platforms. 

The consumer champion's researchers signed up as sellers on Amazon, eBay, Etsy and TikTok Shop and successfully listed an illegal heater that Which? reported to three of the online marketplaces earlier this year and appears identical to one officially recalled by authorities due to serious safety issues with the product. 

Which?'s latest findings demonstrate how important it is that the government uses its Product Regulation and Metrology Bill to give online marketplaces more legal responsibility for cracking down on unsafe products being sold on their platforms. 

The item Which? listed for sale was a plug-in heater that appeared identical to one recalled by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) in December 2022. Which? tests found that identical looking products were unsafe for similar reasons to those outlined in the original recall - and could explode, cause electric shocks or start house fires. The consumer champion has previously flagged these items to each online marketplace, with the exception of TikTok Shop. 

After easily listing the illegal product on Amazon, eBay, Etsy and TikTok Shop and seeing either inadequate or no action taken, Which? took a series of steps to make the product more easily identifiable by the platforms. 

With the exception of Amazon, which had removed the product, researchers edited the listing to include the same barcode, product description and all the risks outlined in the OPSS Product Safety report - a document outlining why the product was deemed unsafe by the regulator and needed to be recalled. Researchers subsequently reported the listing from another user's account. Finally, using the same seller ID, researchers attempted to relist the same product again. 

Worryingly, TikTok Shop never took action to remove the product from sale, even after Which? edited the listing name and description and reported the listing anonymously, indicating a concerning lack of action to protect its customers. It was only when Which? formally approached TikTok with the results of its investigation that the product was removed - nearly three months after it was initially listed. 

Etsy fared only slightly better. The product listing edit failed to prompt the platform to remove the dangerous heater but Etsy did take action after Which? anonymously reported it. However, the product was easily relisted again and was only removed after Which? approached the platform with its findings around three weeks later. In total the unsafe heater was able to be listed for sale for over 10 weeks on Etsy.

Listing the product on eBay was simple. The platform even recommended a price based on similar listings, which suggests its algorithms should be capable of spotting a product identical to one that has been recalled. Sellers are not required to provide any product safety information. 

EBay failed to spot the dangerous listing - even after Which? edited it to include the same wording as OPSS' product safety report. It required Which? to anonymously report the listing for eBay to take action – at which point it swiftly removed the listing – seven weeks after it was put up for sale. It subsequently took eBay around two weeks to remove the relisted product. 

Amazon initially appeared to have tighter controls than its rivals when the item was first listed but its checks were flawed. The tech giant asked for product ID documentation before providing a seller exemption that researchers did not ask for. It then requested confirmation that the product complies with official safety standards - but there was a stated two-month grace period to submit this evidence - with the seller seemingly free to sell the product at will during this period. Amazon removed Which?'s item from sale due to 'safety and/or non-compliance issues' after identifying it as a recalled product, but only after it had been on sale on the platform for two weeks.

However, researchers then successfully relisted the illegal product from the same Amazon seller account and it was removed just over one week later. Despite its tighter controls, Amazon still effectively allowed the unsafe product to be listed for sale for more than three weeks. 

Which? believes online marketplaces are failing to put in place adequate measures to prevent dangerous products being sold to consumers on their platforms, even those clearly identified as unsafe, and could be putting lives at risk as a result. Online marketplaces can currently mostly avoid responsibility and pass the buck to third-party sellers.

The consumer champion is calling for the government to be unequivocal in ensuring the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill gives online marketplaces clear legal responsibilities, which are long overdue, to prevent the sale of unsafe products and for the regulator to be given effective enforcement powers, including the ability to issue heavy fines. 

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said:

“Our investigation shows how some of the largest and most popular online marketplaces are failing to prevent dangerous and illegal products being sold to consumers and are leaving them at risk of severe harm. 

“Despite their assurances, it is clear that current measures taken by online marketplaces to detect and prevent unsafe products from appearing on their websites are not working and some of the platforms appear to be treating safety as an afterthought. 

“The government's Product Regulation and Metrology Bill is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to place clear legal responsibilities on online marketplaces to prevent unsafe products being sold. New laws must be robustly enforced by a regulator that has the ability to issue heavy fines.”

-ENDS-

Notes to editors

• Which?'s investigation took place between June and September 2024. 

• Which? only listed the illegal electric heaters and did not actually sell the products to any consumers.  

Case studies

Separate to its investigation, Which? spoke to one person who bought a metal adapter, to allow a coffee maker to rest on a gas ring on the hob, from Amazon.

He said: "It appeared to be black cast iron and was in fact just mild steel painted black. It caught fire when used and produced copious toxic smelling fumes. I have since seen feedback on the Amazon website from others who had purchased the same item and had similar experiences. It's depressing that the product is still live on the platform."

The product has a poor overall rating of 2.9 out of 5 with 46% one-star reviews.

Another shopper told Which?: "I bought a USB plug charger from Amazon in February 2024. It overheated to the point that I could not touch it without burning my fingers. Even the charging lead became hot. I stopped using it immediately. Amazon reviewers have mentioned this item being dangerous to use. Despite the warnings the item remains on sale."

Right of replies

An Amazon spokesperson said:

“Safety is a top priority at Amazon and we want customers to shop with confidence on our stores.

“We require all products to comply with applicable laws and regulations and we take action to maintain a safe selection for our customers.

“Although this was a fake product listed with the intention to evade our controls, it was detected and removed by our checks and no customers purchased the product.”

An eBay spokesperson said:

"Consumer safety is one of our top priorities. We have implemented block filter algorithms aimed at preventing unsafe and prohibited listings, and we use image recognition, plus regular monitoring by our in-house specialists, supported by AI, to identify any listings that may evade our filters. If we find an unsafe product, we remove it swiftly and alert any buyers. In addition, our Regulatory Portal also enables authorities to report listings of unsafe, non-compliant or illegal products to us for automated removal within 2 hours. To address this specific item, we conduct multiple sweeps every week of our marketplace, and we are committed to continuously refining our approach to monitoring the site to ensure we detect prohibited listings."

An Etsy spokesperson said:

“Keeping our users safe is paramount, and Etsy prohibits the sale of dangerous items on our marketplace, including items that have been recalled by governments or manufacturers. Our Trust & Safety team works constantly to remove items that violate our policies, using a combination of automated controls, human review, and community flags. We reviewed and removed the flagged listing as soon as it was brought to our attention.”

TikTok Shop

After Which? formally flagged the product, TikTok confirmed that it had been removed for violating its policies on Electricals and Electronics.

TikTok has stated that it uses a combination of technology and manual moderation to enforce its policies for TikTok Shop and that if it finds merchants or products that violate its policies, it removes them.

There is no finish line for customer safety and that moderation at this scale requires it to constantly look for ways to improve both its policies and enforcement strategies, according to TikTok.