The way we shop has transformed. With physical stores on the decline and online marketplaces booming, the landscape of consumer safety is changing—often not for the better. Trading Standards, our front line for ensuring product safety, are underfunded and stretched thin. Meanwhile, the sheer volume of goods entering the UK is overwhelming, and most products go unchecked. Dangerous items may be seized and destroyed, but that’s just a drop in the ocean.

Given this, it’s safe to assume that anyone, whether UK-based or not, can bring products into the UK and sell them—whether they’re safe or not.

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Are Products Really Safe?

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The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) found that only 17% of people prioritise safety when purchasing products. Most consumers assume that if it’s for sale, it must be safe—that’s what the law states, after all. But reality isn’t so clear-cut.

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The Rise of Online Marketplaces

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Online marketplaces like Amazon, RangePlus, and B&Q’s expanded platform let anyone set up a virtual store and sell goods directly to consumers. This bypasses the traditional model where products would be sold through distributors and importers, who are legally responsible for ensuring safety.

Now, all a seller needs to do is get their products into an Amazon fulfilment centre. Once there, they’re distributed straight to customers, and Amazon takes a cut of the sale price. But here’s the issue: under the current General Product Safety Regulations (GPSR) law, the distributor/importer is responsible for product safety. With direct-to-consumer sales, there often isn’t an importer, leaving consumers vulnerable to unsafe products.

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Trading Standards: Fighting with Both Hands Tied

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In the physical world, Trading Standards can inspect shops, test products, and remove unsafe items from the market. But in the online world, things aren’t so simple. Anyone can set up an online store, and Trading Standards lack the power to investigate sellers who don’t have a physical presence in the UK.

If a small seller in the UK is selling dangerous electrical equipment, Trading Standards can’t touch them unless they’re operating from business premises. And if the seller is overseas? Trading Standards can’t prosecute them either—they can only remove the goods from sale, which might just be seen as the cost of doing business.

This lack of control can have serious, even life-threatening consequences. Take the rise in e-bike fires, for instance. Poorly designed batteries and chargers on cheap products are causing fires, with the London Fire Brigade’s “Charge Safe” campaign warning users of the dangers. Last year in London, there was an e-bike or e-scooter fire caused by a faulty battery every two days on average.

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Buyer Beware

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The situation has gotten so dire that Trading Standards Officers in London are now issuing warnings: think twice before buying from online platforms. While online shopping offers convenience, it also comes with risks—especially when sellers aren’t held accountable for the safety of their products.

So next time you’re browsing online, remember: if a seller is happy to evade VAT, what else are they cutting corners on? Is your wellbeing worth saving a few quid?

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John Darby is a specialist in the testing and certification of access products at the Test and Research Centre in Soham, Cambridgeshire .​

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