Amazon removed two plug-in heater products in December 2022, including one in relation to safety concerns, and said it had proactively removed similar items and introduced measures to prevent new products going on sale1. The statement came in response to a Which? investigation, published on 23 February 2023, which found illegal and dangerous electric heaters on sale on Amazon, eBay and Wish during the energy crisis1.
Which? sent ten mini plug-in heaters, some as cheap as £12, for testing at its product safety lab. All failed safety tests and were illegal to sell in the UK, with four products, three sold on eBay and one on Amazon, presenting a fire risk1. All of the models tested posed a risk of electric shock because they did not meet the Electrical Equipment Safety Regulations1.
One Amazon listing, a Lesvtu Electric Portable Plug in Heater, contained counterfeit fuses in the plug, which Which? said posed a risk of electric shock, fire or even explosion. Half of the one star reviews left for the product on Amazon since 24 November 2022 reported that the plug had melted after short use, some with images of the damage. Amazon Warehouse was also the seller of that product1.
"Two products were removed in December, including one in relation to safety concerns, and we have proactively removed similar items and introduced measures to prevent new products going on sale."
Which? also reported that a search of eBay in early January found the mini heater style had largely disappeared, but a follow-up check on 27 January showed listings selling identical looking models, one showing 389 had been bought1. On one eBay heater Which? bought, the listing had been changed to a super bright LED torch under the same item number, with sale history showing it live since 5 December and 174 items sold1. eBay said it had already removed three of the five listings Which? flagged, and that its block filters stopped 4.8 million listings in 20221. Wish said the listing highlighted by Which? had been removed from its European platform1. Which? said it was unable to find contact details for Lesvtu, and that Cuqoo told it the product bought under its name was an Elpine branded item it had since discontinued1.
Why it matters for households
Plug-in mini heaters became a common way for households to heat one room rather than the whole home as bills rose. The Which? findings indicate that some units sold through large marketplaces did not meet UK electrical safety law, and that failures were internal: melted plastic around heating elements, loose circuit boards and counterfeit fuses1. For a household, the relevant point is that a heater bought to cut running costs can carry a fire or electric shock risk that is not visible from the outside, and that listings can reappear or change product after purchase1. Which? said it was concerned that hundreds of similar-looking products remained on sale1.
What happens next
Which? called on the Office for Product Safety and Standards to publish the result of its review and for the government to legislate so online marketplaces carry greater legal responsibility for unsafe products sold on their sites, and to introduce the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill to tackle fake reviews1. Google had not provided comment at the time of writing, and Elpine had not responded1. No further action by Amazon, eBay or Wish beyond the statements above has been reported.