Six European members of the Trans-Atlantic Consumer Dialogue network have revealed the high number of unsafe products being sold through online marketplaces.

The organisations tested 250 electrical goods, toys, cosmetics and other products bought from these marketplaces and found that 66% of them fail EU safety laws.

Among others, the organisations found smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that do not detect smoke or carbon monoxide, toys that contain chemical levels 200 times over the limit, harmful teeth whitening products, and a power bank that melted during testing.

The organisations’ Brussels-based European umbrella organisation, BEUC, criticises the insufficient action by marketplaces to tackle the problem, as illustrated by products reappearing after having been taken down. BEUC calls upon the EU to make marketplaces liable for the dangerous products sold on their platforms.

The tests were conducted through the International Consumer Research and Testing (ICRT) network, on behalf of Test Achats/Test Aankoop (Belgium), Altroconsumo (Italy), Consumentenbond (Netherlands), Forbrugerrådet Tænk (Denmark), Stiftung Warentest (Germany) and Which? (United Kingdom).