Unsafe or dangerous product
Report a product that could harm someone, caused injury or damage, or was involved in a serious near miss. Record the exact product, seller and suspected hazard.
Official UK reporting routes
How to report a product to Trading Standards
Choose the correct consumer route for your UK nation, preserve the product and seller evidence, and understand the difference between an official report and a FOLO-UP signal.
Start with the concern
What are you reporting?
Trading Standards can use consumer information about unsafe products and illegal or unfair trading. The correct first route depends on where you live and whether the issue is product safety, an ordinary consumer dispute or a workplace concern.
Faulty or defective goods
Use the seller and consumer-rights route for an ordinary fault. Treat it as a safety concern when the failure involved heat, fire, shock, choking, injury, damage or another credible hazard.
Fake goods or seller conduct
Preserve the business or seller details, listing, order record and evidence. The official service can advise whether the information should be passed to Trading Standards.
Choose your nation
Where to make the official report
England and Wales
Contact the Citizens Advice consumer service. Product-safety concerns and other relevant consumer reports may be referred to the appropriate local Trading Standards Service.
Report through Citizens Advice ↗
Scotland
Contact Advice Direct Scotland for the official consumer route.
Contact Advice Direct Scotland ↗
Northern Ireland
Contact the environmental health service at the relevant local district council.
Prepare useful evidence
What to include when reporting a product or business
Identify the item
Keep the product name, brand, model, barcode, batch or serial number, labels, instructions and photographs.
Identify the trader
Record the business, shop, retailer, marketplace, seller name, listing address, order number and purchase date.
Describe what happened
Explain the fault, suspected hazard, injury, damage or near miss factually and preserve relevant screenshots or records safely.
Common questions
Reporting products, shops and businesses to Trading Standards
How do I report a product to Trading Standards?
For an unsafe consumer product in England or Wales, use the Citizens Advice consumer service. In Scotland, use Advice Direct Scotland. In Northern Ireland, contact the relevant local district council. The information may be referred to the appropriate Trading Standards Service or Environmental Health Service.
What can I report to Trading Standards?
Relevant concerns can include unsafe or dangerous products, fake goods, products that are not as described, illegal sales activity and businesses that obstruct consumer rights. Product-safety reports should identify the exact product, seller, suspected hazard and supporting evidence.
Can I report faulty goods to Trading Standards?
An ordinary fault is usually handled with the seller through the appropriate repair, replacement or refund route. Report the matter as a product-safety concern when the fault could harm someone, caused an injury or damage, or involved an unsafe near miss.
Can I report fake goods to Trading Standards?
Citizens Advice lists fake goods among the matters that can be reported to Trading Standards. Preserve the seller, listing, order information, product identifiers, packaging and photographs, and use the official consumer route for your UK nation.
How do I report a company, retailer or shop to Trading Standards?
Record the business name, trading address or online listing, what was sold, when it happened and why the conduct or product is a concern. Consumers should use the official route for their UK nation rather than assuming that a direct message to a local office is the correct reporting channel.
Does Trading Standards investigate every report?
No. The relevant service uses the information supplied to decide whether action or further enquiries are appropriate. A reporter may only be contacted when more information is needed, but the evidence can still contribute to intelligence about a business or product.
Does a FOLO-UP report notify Trading Standards?
No. A FOLO-UP report records a signal and evidence for controlled human review. It does not automatically notify Trading Standards, OPSS, the marketplace, seller or manufacturer, and it is not a confirmed safety finding.