Hundreds of potentially dangerous products are still being sold on major online marketplaces, according to new research from Which?, despite matching items that have already been flagged as “unsafe” by the UK product safety regulator.
Using a tool based on a Google image search, the consumer group identified nearly 800 listings on platforms such as Amazon Marketplace, eBay and Etsy that appeared identical or very similar to products previously reported as unsafe by the Office for Product Safety and Standards.
It is understood that most had been highlighted months earlier, yet remained freely available to buy.
Which? tested a selection of 15 products and found that all but one posed serious safety risks. Many of the issues involved items aimed at young children, such as toys and baby sleeping bags that contained choking or suffocation hazards.
The consumer watchdog also found more than 140 examples of a ladder design that has repeatedly failed safety tests, as well as knock-off electrical goods carrying risks of fire or electric shock.
Researchers said many of the dangers are impossible for shoppers to spot online, with more than 500 listings linked to products carrying so-called “invisible risks”.
One example is a handheld electric saw design that appears under dozens of brand names across multiple marketplaces. Lab tests on one model found it breached machinery safety rules and was illegal to sell in the UK.
Which? said its findings show how easily marketplaces could act on regulator alerts to remove unsafe products, but claimed they are failing to take even basic steps to protect buyers, with research showing around 8.8 million UK consumers have experienced harm from faulty or unsafe items bought via online platforms.
“Our latest research shows just how easily marketplaces could step up their efforts to tackle this problem if they were taking product safety as seriously as they claim,” said Which? head of consumer protection policy Sue Davies.
“When a product looks identical or highly similar to one declared unsafe by the OPSS, marketplaces should act with common sense and remove it immediately.
“The government must urgently prioritise secondary regulations for the Product Regulation and Metrology Act to impose a clear legal duty on online marketplaces, with tough enforcement for those that fall short.”
An eBay spokesperson said: “Consumer safety is a top priority for eBay. We have reviewed the listings identified by Which? and taken action where required, including removing items and notifying buyers where appropriate.
“We work diligently to prevent and remove unsafe product listings through seller compliance audits, block filter algorithms, AI-supported monitoring by in-house specialists, and close partnerships with regulators.
“In 2024, we proactively removed approximately 5.9 million potentially prohibited or counterfeit items from our platform. Several of the unsafe listings highlighted by Which? had been removed or ended before the investigation was shared with eBay, showing how existing filters and monitoring systems work to reduce unsafe products on the site.”
An Amazon spokesperson added: “We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and Amazon policies, and we proactively monitor our store for safety alerts and product recalls and remove relevant products and email customers who purchased them.
“Safety alerts are specific to an individual products’ unique characteristics, including brand name, model number or design features, and our initial findings show that the vast majority of products highlighted by Which?’s research do not fall under the scope of these alerts.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we temporarily delisted the products tested by Which? and will remove any non-compliant items identified by our investigation and further refine our controls.”
In July, the UK watchdog found more than 65% of beauty products sold on online marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, TikTok Shop and Vinted are likely to be counterfeit.
Etsy has been contacted for comment
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