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Five-point-nine billion parcels: why customs cannot inspect its way out of the online product-safety problem
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Low-value e-commerce has changed the scale of border enforcement. The EU now receives billions of small consignments each year while the proportion physically controlled continues to fall.
- 5.9bn low-value items entered the EU in 2025
- 97%+ of incoming shipments were e-commerce parcels
- 65 customs controls per million imported items
- 387,588 customs controls were recorded in 2025
- 20,040 toys and small electronics were checked in the first 2025 control phase
Known to be dangerous, still for sale: why marketplaces miss unsafe infant products
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A July 2026 Which? investigation identified 150 potentially dangerous infant products across major marketplaces, including designs covered by public safety alerts.
Removed, relisted, resold: why deleting one unsafe listing is not enough
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An OPSS report said listings for a serious-risk 500W plug-in heater had been removed from five marketplaces in December 2022. In June 2026, a Commons committee member said he found nine apparently identical heaters on eBay and bought four. The case exposes the gap between deleting a URL and suppressing a dangerous product.
Why the EU fined AliExpress €550 million
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The European Commission says AliExpress failed to assess and reduce systemic risks connected with illegal, unsafe and counterfeit products—not merely that individual listings were removed too slowly.
Squishy toys and asbestos: what families need to know
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Seven sand-filled sensory toy lines were recalled because their filling may be contaminated with a small quantity of asbestos. Check the OPSS references, models and barcodes through FOLO-UP before following the official return and disposal advice.
The hidden risks behind a £12 counterfeit football shirt
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More than 220,000 items of counterfeit football merchandise valued at over £18 million were seized across the UK during the World Cup. The saving can be tempting, but unregulated shirts may be highly flammable, contain harmful dyes and support criminal supply chains.
Have your say on fireworks and pyrotechnics in the UK
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The Office for Product Safety and Standards is seeking views on possible changes to fireworks regulations, including noise, prohibited products and how lower-risk products should be treated.
