Over 90% of toys bought from online marketplaces 'illegal' to sell in the UK

More than 90% of the toys bought through online marketplaces in a Which? investigation can’t be legally sold in the UK, with over half posing a danger to any child playing with them.

We bought 23 toys from AliExpress, eBay, Fruugo, Temu, Tiktok and Wish and found serious safety problems with 12 of them including:

A toy pig bought from a seller on Fruugo whose eyes fell off in testing. This is a choking hazard for a small child if they were swallowed.

A magnetic fishing set where the magnets detached during testing, bought from an eBay seller. The tiny magnets are a choking hazard and could seriously hurt any child who swallowed them.

A baby’s teether with ribbons, from Fruugo, so long that they pose a strangulation risk. And the bells had sharp edges that could cut a baby’s soft skin.

A musical, elephant-shaped hanging crib toy bought from a seller on Wish. The batteries weren’t safely secured and that posed a swallowing risk for small children.

Find out how to 

Small parts – a choking risk for small children 

Toys with small parts that a child could swallow pose a serious choking risk – whether the parts themselves are small, or when the toy is made so badly that small parts can easily break off. We found both in our tests.

The keys and the dial knob on a busy board broke into small pieces during our tension test and, similarly, small bits broke away from a toy phone. Both were sold on AliExpress. 

The toy pig from Fruugo with the easily removed eyes was a real worry – something small like this could choke a baby.

Small and swallowable parts were also a problem for the magnetic fishing set toy we bought from eBay. And two baby toys from TikTok Shop also broke into bits during our testing. Both should have been strong enough to withstand this kind of test.

A customer review of the busy board from AliExpress stated concern that the '2 small keys can be dangerous and super easy to eat'. Among many customer reviews complaining of poor quality and loose parts of the fidget toy from TikTok Shop, one said 'my baby choked on the long stands'.

Read our guide to find out 

Cords – a strangulation risk for small children

A ring teether with bells and ribbons (Fruugo) was doubly worrying when we tested it. The ribbons were found to be 44cm long – that’s almost 50% longer than the 30cm legal limit – and posed an obvious strangulation risk for babies. And this wasn’t the only problem we found with this toy. See, ‘toys with sharp edges’, below.

Two crib toys from eBay failed to comply with the cords regulations for toys strung across cradles. Neither came with the legally required safety warnings. Another two crib toys from Wish, a bear and bunny hanging toy and an elephant crib toy, were also missing the same safety warnings.

Sharp points that could puncture a small child’s skin 

If ever there was an accident waiting to happen in a toy safety test, it’s the busy cube we bought from AliExpress. It looks like a baby toy knocked-up by woodwork student. With keys, a fidget-spinner, a castor and a tap attached Heath Robinson-style to a wooden cube, it’s a million miles away from a toy fit for a child aged 0-3, as it’s advertised. 

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We found the key came to a sharp point that could puncture a child’s skin. And wherever we looked we found poor finishing and exposed edges of brackets and screws. The sensory toy board, also bought on AliExpress, came with a dangerously sharp key too.

Customer reviews on AliExpress showed we weren't the first to notice – one stated 'dangerous sharp edges, loose screws',  and another was 'scared it's a choking hazard'.

Toys with sharp edges that could cause cuts to a baby or a small child

One of the metal bells on this teether had edges so sharp that it posed a risk of cutting a baby playing with it. This is the same toy from Fruugo that presents a strangulation risk, too.

Toys with magnets and the dangers they pose children

This is magnetic toy fishing set from eBay was advertised for babies and toddlers with accompanying photos of very young children playing with it. The problem is, with only minimal force in our tests, the magnets came away from the end of the fishing rods. This creates a choking hazard for babies and toddlers, and swallowed magnets can also cause serious harm. 

The magnets themselves were too powerful to be used in toys for very young children.

If magnets are swallowed they can attract each other inside a child’s digestive system, tearing through the lining of the gut and causing severe injuries. If you suspect that your child has swallowed a magnet, take them to A&E and let staff know.

Button batteries and the dangers they pose if swallowed 

Button batteries are very dangerous if swallowed. Kids like putting things in their mouths so regulations exist to control how this kind of battery is secured. You’re meant to need a tool, such as a small screwdriver, to access the battery compartment. This regulation is in place to make it harder for awful accidents to happen.

But the button batteries powering the music echoing out of this cute elephant, bought from Wish, weren’t safely secured inside the battery compartment. If a young child got their hands on them, they’d pose the double threat of swallowing and choking along with the harm that a battery can do if it doesn’t pass through a child’s system quickly. And this toy also lacks the required warnings for toys strung across a cradle.

Markings and documentation 

Only two of the 23 toys had all of the markings and documentation they needed to be sold legally in the UK. 

We look for a UKCA or CE mark on each product we assess. Products need to carry one of these marks by law. Both show that the products meet all of the requirements needed for them to be sold within the UK (UKCA) and EU (CE). 

In the case of toys, a UKCA or CE mark shows that the manufacturer of the toy has verified that it meets the legal requirements of the Toy Safety regulations 2011 or the Toy Safety Directive. The Toy Safety regulations state that toys sold in the UK need to comply with regulations including those covering mechanical and physical safety, flammability and the migration of certain elements into the body if swallowed.

Six toys were completely missing either mark. More worryingly, 12 products that failed our safety tests displayed either CE or UKCA marks. Our test results lead us to believe that the CE and UKCA marks on all 12 of these toys would seem to be suspect. 

We also look for the manufacturer’s and the importer’s name and address, as well as a batch code for the products. Any product that doesn't have any one of these marks can’t be sold legally in the UK.

Which? warns against unbranded toys from online marketplaces

Our work to uncover dangerous toys shows that the best advice we can offer parents and grandparents as we approach Christmas is – don't buy unbranded toys from an online marketplace. The results of our work this year and our 2021 investigation show that the risks are too great.

Which? is working as part of a coalition with Trading Standards, Electrical Safety First (ESF) and the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) to call for new legal powers to make marketplaces responsible for the products listed on their platforms. 

Kerri Atherton from the British Toy & Hobby Association told us:

'We welcome the government’s new Product Regulation and Metrology Bill which intends to address this issue but encourage the government to introduce strong and enforceable legal duties on online marketplaces to put an end to these practices. 

'Until online marketplaces are legally responsible for the safety of products sold by their third-party sellers, consumers should be careful when buying toys through these marketplaces as there is no guarantee anyone has checked they are safe. We urge consumers to do their research and buy from trusted brands and sellers.’

Which? calls for tougher controls on online marketplaces

Ahead of the new Product Regulation and Metrology bill, which has the opportunity to ensure consumers are far better protected from dangerous and illegal products bought online, Which? is urging the government to put strict new legal responsibilities on online marketplaces to prevent the sale of unsafe products front and centre.

Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said:

'We would recommend that shoppers be careful about buying unbranded toys on online marketplaces, as it is hard to have confidence that they will meet UK safety standards set in law to protect consumers. 

'The UK government must act fast and use its Product Regulation and Metrology Bill to put much greater legal responsibility on online marketplaces for keeping unsafe items off their platforms. This must include allowing tough enforcement action, such as heavy fines, if they breach the rules.'

How we test toys

We tested the toys to extracts from the standards BS EN 71-1 Safety of toys and BS EN 62115 Electric toys to see whether the toys would be safe for children to play with.

We looked for whether the toys had sharp edges and points (injury hazard), small parts (choking hazard), had cords attached (strangulation hazard), came with magnets or used small batteries (swallowing hazards). We also looked for the safety warnings provided on the packaging of the toys and we checked the required markings, manufacturer, importer and batch code information. 

We have shared the findings of our research with the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS).

What did the platforms say of our findings?  

We shared our findings with all of the online marketplaces where we found dangerous toys and toys that can’t be sold legally in the UK. All of the 21 listings for products that failed our tests and assessments have been removed from sale.

AliExpress told us:

'However, due to the high volume of parcels, it is challenging to inspect all items. Should a merchant be found non-compliant, AliExpress will take appropriate actions, which can include suspension or closure of the seller's store for serious violations.

'We thank Which? for bringing your test results to our attention and for the improvement of our control mechanisms. The listings of the products that failed the test have been removed from the site. We have been and will continue to work closely with the OPSS and other regulators to prevent non-compliant product sales on our marketplace.' 

Ebay said:Fruugo told us:Temu told us: TikTok said:Wish.com

source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/toys-bought-from-online-marketplaces-illegal-to-sell-in-uk-a5IhD8f2klyZ