Consumer group “Which?” is calling out both Amazon and eBay. The group wants the two online giants to put more effort into stopping unsafe toys.
Shopping online is very convenient and it can be cheaper. But it also poses some risks. One of them is the fact that unsafe products can slip through more easily.
The consumer group says that it monitors the actions of online retailers in such cases. “Which?” claims eBay removed 12 products it flagged as possibly unsafe, while Amazon removed 5.
The group used the EU’s safety gate system to look for toys flagged as dangerous since 2017. And the organizations wants more effort from governments to step in with more regulations.
“It’s clear that consumer protections have not kept pace with the changes to the retail industry, and it is not acceptable for marketplaces to pass the buck for the responsibility of the items sold on their sites by simply pointing the finger at sellers. The next government must make marketplaces legally responsible for preventing unsafe products from being sold on their sites, establish clearer requirements for taking down dangerous products and ensure better enforcement is in place to keep consumers safe”, Caroline Norman, director of advocacy at Which?, says, quoted by ToyNews.
Naturally, both companies say they do put in a lot of effort in finding and removing unsafe products. eBay says the listing of dangerous and/or recalled items is not permitted. Sellers also are requested to issue refunds to customers who have bought such products.
Amazon also says it has rules in place to punish such offenses. They include potentially removing the account of the seller. Both companies though seem to not address the call for more regulation.
