Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake has told key Online Marketplaces they must do more to keep unsafe products off their platforms.
The message was delivered at a Round Table attended by a number of Online Marketplaces - Amazon, eBay, Etsy and Alibaba. It was called by the Minister after the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) found consumers were repeatedly able to access unsafe products from their platforms.
Minister Hollinrake told the Online Marketplaces that the government expects them to take greater steps to ensure consumers can shop as safely online as they can on the High Street.
The Round Table follows a series of meetings during 2022 at which OPSS identified problems with products on the platforms and identified better controls to stop the supply of unsafe products. These included:
- controlling the relationship with third party suppliers
- ensuring products were safe before they are placed on the market
- improving the response to new safety information
- giving consumers better information about products and third-party suppliers
Since then, OPSS has carried out a programme of product purchasing and assessment of consumer products available through Online Marketplaces. The Round Table was an opportunity to hear from the platforms themselves about the progress made to date.
This event precedes the imminent publication of the government's Product Safety Review which will include policy proposals relating to Online Marketplaces.
