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A survey conducted by the European consumer organization BEUC in February shows that two out of three tested products purchased on Amazon, AliExpress, eBay and Wish, among others, had serious errors and omissions.
Six consumer groups bought 250 electrical items, including toys, children’s clothing, cosmetics and other potential Christmas gifts, and tested them in accordance with EU and EEA standards.
Three out of four USB chargers and travel adapters, the vast majority of them cheap and unmarked, were overheated or at risk of electric shock, or both. Another aggravation was smoke alarms, where none of the seven products passed the test: no one reacted to carbon monoxide, while four did not react to any smoke.
One cosmetic product that may not be tempting to buy abroad after this is tooth whitening agents, where seven out of ten products contained too high levels of hydrogen peroxide, between 14 and 70 times higher than what is allowed here. at home.
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The Consumers Council issues a pre-Christmas trade warning that goods purchased outside the EU / EEA can be very harmful to health. If you buy these, you are responsible. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB
The life and health of children
The Consumer Council says these are findings that fit in the series of studies showing that it can be risky to shop online outside the EU / EEA. The council has also discovered toys that can directly endanger the lives of children and cosmetics containing harmful substances that are banned in the EU and Norway.
– Toys and cosmetics that contain harmful chemicals, as well as toys that can cause choking or have parts that can get stuck in the stomach, and lead and mercury content are among the surprising findings, says Gunstein Instefjord, Trade Director in the Council of Consumers.
In the BEUC survey, 14 of the 16 children’s garments examined had an increased risk of accidents, such as suffocation.
Your responsibility
The Consumer Council emphasizes to NTB that once you shop in a country outside the EU / EEA, you go from being a consumer with associated rights to becoming an importer, with associated responsibilities.
– If you buy from Norwegian or European online stores, the seller is responsible for ensuring that the products comply with the European health, environment and safety requirements. If you buy from stores outside the EU / EEA, such as China, the US and Taiwan, it is your responsibility to ensure that the products meet the European requirements. And no, it is not enough that the manufacturer has CE marked the products, says Instefjord.
One of your obligations as an importer is to guarantee the standard if you sell or transmit the product to others.
– In the event of resale, whether new or used, you are responsible for ensuring that the product complies with European health, environmental and safety requirements, says Instefjord.
So a cheap purchase can be a costly affair if something were to happen and you are held accountable.
