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3 hours ago
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Unregulated children’s car seats are being sold by leading online retailers in the UK, a Which? investigation has found.
The consumer group discovered products for sale on platforms including eBay, Shein, Wish, Little Dreams and ManoMano that did not carry the orange certification labels showing compliance with regulation. Without these markings, parents cannot be sure the seats have been tested to the legal standard.
Which? said the car seats were putting children’s lives at risk. Many were priced between £12.50 and £40, below the £80 starting price of certified models, leading to fears that families under financial pressure may choose to buy them.
The organisation first exposed flimsy fabric seats in 2014 that collapsed in crash tests, prompting their removal at the time. It says the reappearance of uncertified models shows how unsafe or illegal products can slip back on to the market.
While the latest examples have not been put through formal testing, Which? said the lack of regulatory labels raised doubts about whether they were safe or legal to use.
There were two seats without regulatory labels on sale on the online marketplace ManoMano, four on eBay, two on Wish.com and one on Shein and Little Dreams. Shein, eBay, Wish and Little Dreams removed the listings once they were flagged.
The safety defects in these car seats include a thin seat base and not having one central point of release for the harness. Car seats must raise a child’s height to position the seatbelt correctly across their lap, and multiple buckles on the harness can make it difficult to rescue a child in the event of a crash.
The seats also have a lack of side impact protection, which is needed to stop a child’s head from hitting the inside of the car. This omission leaves children vulnerable to head trauma or death in the event of a side impact, Which? said.
Researchers at the consumer group also found confusing listings that described the items as car seats but included small-print disclaimers advising against their use in vehicles. One read: “Note: it is best not to use it on high-speed cars. We recommend that it be used in non-motorized products such as electric vehicles … Because it is not a child safety seat that complies with traffic.”
The warning comes after the Product Regulation and Metrology Act, which strengthens consumer safety rules, received royal assent earlier this year. Which? is urging the government to introduce secondary regulations giving online marketplaces direct responsibility for ensuring goods sold on their sites meet safety requirements. It also wants stronger enforcement powers for regulators.
Experts advise parents to: check that any seat has an approval label showing it complies with either ECE R44-03, R44-04 or R129 standards; avoid secondhand models that may have hidden crash damage; buy from reputable retailers that can advise on fitting; and be cautious of unusually cheap options.
An eBay spokesperson said they “swiftly removed the listings reported by Which? and notified buyers. We have updated our existing measures accordingly and remain committed to preventing unsafe products from appearing on the site.”
Shein said it took product safety “very seriously”, adding: “This product category is banned across Shein sites globally. In this situation, the seller had undertaken specific and targeted measures to avoid detection, in violation of our code of conduct. Upon being notified of the non-compliant product listing, Shein dealt with the situation immediately and removed the product listing.”
Little Dreams did not provide a comment but told Which? it would review the product in question, remove the listing from its website, and conduct a thorough internal investigation to understand how this occurred.
Wish said “the safety and wellbeing of our users is our foremost priority. We can confirm that all product listings highlighted have been removed.”
ManoMano said it was “committed to the safety” of customers. However, it said products were “sold by the sellers under their sole responsibility … ManoMano acts solely as a technical intermediary … we are deeply committed to the safety of our customers and promptly remove any illegal products once we receive proper notification”.
