Trading standards issues urgent advice to last minute Christmas shoppers
They've shared their top safety tips for panic buyers using online marketplaces to tick off their Christmas shopping lists
East Sussex Trading Standards have issued urgent advice to panic buyers headed online to polish off their Christmas shopping lists.
With just a week to go until the big day, many of us are expected to look to online marketplaces to make our final purchases for loved ones.
However, there are warnings that these sites are often home to third parties which don't always comply with UK safety regulations, meaning toys bought there could pose a huge danger to our children.
What are the risks of buying from online marketplaces?
East Sussex Trading Standards Team Manager Andrew Clooney explains that children who find non-compliant toys under the tree could end up injured.
"Particular toys have strangulation hazards like cords they have choking hazards like small parts, they have ingestion hazards like button batteries which we mentioned.
"Some toys also have sharp points on them if they're not manufactured to the right standards." He continued that the risk isn't just to our kids - but also our bank accounts:
"Online marketplaces, unless they have buyer protection or refund policies as part of the brand and as part of the products, then you may never get your money back.
"So when times are hard at Christmas, your money's tight, you may be attracted by price in particular because you've got a lot of things and a lot of people to buy for.
"But that doesn't necessarily mean you're gonna get the right product. And if it's too good to be true, then it probably is."
We've rounded up the key advice Andrew Clooney has for online shoppers this festive season:
Don't always trust reviews
Andrew first advised that we should "be suspicious" of any new sellers and make sure they "have a footprint" - but at the same time, warns that five star reviews aren't always what they seem:
"If they have got lots of five star reviews, which all sound the same, all give similar feedback and all wrote reviews around the same time, that would probably be fake reviews."
Check for safety markings
He continued that a UK CA/CE should be present on all toys - and if not, they're not safety compliant. "Those markings are a manufacturer's declaration that the product conforms with all the safety standards," he explained.
"Failing to have either one of those marks, you should not use that toy because basically they're saying it hasn't met the safety standards.
"You also need to look out for things like safety instructions and assembly instructions and they should be in English.
"There should be, most importantly, secure fixings so you can't get to batteries."
Avoid buying with a gift card or via bank transfer
Although it may seem tempting to use a gift card for some money off your purchases, Clooney added that it could mean you lose your money completely if you're not happy with a purchase.
He said: "If you are gonna purchase, try and purchase with your credit card or debit card because there's protections using those particular formats. "Never buy via gift card or be persuaded to try and buy via bank transfer because the likelihood is you'll never ever get your money back in those instances and the money will disappear with the trader."