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Unsafe products on online marketplaces
Online marketplaces have become the shopping venue of choice for European consumers. But despite the competitive prices, range of choice and convenient delivery, even renowned platforms are selling unsafe products to consumers.
In the last decade, online marketplaces have increasingly become the shopping venue of choice for European consumers. The reasons are simple: online shopping delivers competitive prices, a large selection of products and convenient methods of delivery. Yet despite these advantages, even the most renowned platforms are often guilty of selling unsafe products to consumers.
Research and testing conducted throughout 2019 by Euroconsumers (together with Consumentenbond, Which, Stiftung Warentest and Forbrugerrådet Tænk) found that two thirds of all products ordered online were unsafe and therefore illegal. The study found that platforms such as AliExpress, Wish, eBay, LightinTheBox and Amazon o ffered faulty products such as childrens’ toys with toxic chemicals, phone chargers prone to melting and non-compliant clothing apparel.
Euroconsumers’ research clearly shows that consumers are not sufficiently protected against unsafe products sold on e-Commerce platforms. On the one hand online marketplaces fail to prevent unsafe products from going on sale and to remove them timely when already on sale. On the other hand authorities fail to deliver appropriate oversight and effective enforcement.
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