A recent article published by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) addresses longstanding concerns for UK consumers about the safety of products sold online, following a significant ruling made in America by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
The CPSC ordered Amazon to recall over 400 thousand products due to safety risks, including death and electrocution, reinforcing the warning issued by UK Trading Standards to consumers regarding the dangers of purchasing products – especially in categories like toys, electrical items, and cosmetics – from online retailers and distribution platforms.
Currently, UK legislation does not hold online marketplaces responsible for the safety of goods sold by third-party sellers on their platforms. This issue has been a major concern for several safety and trading standards organisations, including CTSI and the London Trading Standards (LTS) – the body that represents Trading Standards Services across the capital – and has been highlighted in the recent ‘Mind the Gap Between the Chain and the Platform’ report published by the CTSI.
In a letter sent to the new Secretary of State for Business and Trade, LTS highlights the urgent need for legislative changes, arguing that the current product safety laws are outdated, having been established before the advent of these online marketplaces, which often promote cheap and potentially dangerous products from regions outside of the UK.
The article highlights that the UK Government plans to introduce a new Product Safety and Metrology Bill as part of its legislative agenda. This Bill is expected to address the responsibility of online platforms to ensure the safety of products sold by third-party sellers, a move that CTSI and LTS strongly support. The organisations are calling for swift legislative action to protect consumers and maintain confidence in the online marketplace sector.
Steve Playle, spokesperson for London Trading Standards said, “It is a pretty drastic step for us to take to warn consumers so bluntly to think carefully before buying from online platforms, but we really have no choice. Products that are shipped halfway across the world that are sold at ridiculously low prices really should be ringing alarm bells for us all.” Mr Playle continued, “We are very concerned about products that carry a higher safety risk to the end user, in particular electrical products, toys and cosmetics.”
Chief Executive at CTSI, John Herriman, added: “The UK Government should take some learnings from the ruling made by the US product safety body. In the recent King’s Speech a new Product Safety and Metrology Bill was announced and we hope this will bring much needed clarification on who is responsible for the safety of products sold by third-party sellers on online marketplaces. For too long, online shopping has been something of a gamble for consumers, with a flood of unsafe and illegal goods being listed alongside compliant and legitimate products. Consumers often have no way of telling which products have been tested and approved for sale in the UK, and there are few incentives for third-party sellers to take their responsibilities seriously.”
Source: read the full article here – CTSI and LTS respond to US product safety ruling
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) is a national not for profit established in 1881 which supports the UK’s Trading Standards profession and works to protect consumers and safeguard honest businesses. CTSI’s members are engaged in delivering frontline Trading Standards services at local authorities and in businesses www.tradingstandards.uk
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