Are toys from Amazon, Temu and eBay safe? UK data

Which marketplaces show up in UK toy alerts

We counted every alert that names a marketplace, either in its title or in the official action ("listing removed by the online marketplace"). It's not a ranking of which site is most dangerous: the sites that sell the most toys will show up most, and Amazon listings carry an ID number that makes them easy to name.

Fewer alerts name marketplaces. That doesn't mean safer.

Since 2023, fewer alerts end with a marketplace removing a listing, and more end with the toy being stopped at the border. The alerts record where enforcement happened, not how many unsafe toys are on sale.

What independent testing found

The British Toy & Hobby Association, which represents toy makers, has bought toys from marketplace third-party sellers and lab-tested them every year since 2018. In its June 2026 report, 80 of 89 toys (90%) failed UK toy safety rules. 86% were unsafe, and a further 4% failed on legal labelling.

Samples are small (9 to 15 toys per site), so treat any single site's figure with care. Other findings worth knowing:

• 65% of the unsafe toys had a CE and/or UKCA mark. The mark doesn't prove anything.
• 51% of all the toys had missing or wrong GB address details.
• 10 toys were near-identical to ones already recalled or on the UK product safety database. All 10 failed again.
• Every electrical toy tested failed the electrical safety standard, and 71% of those had button batteries children could get at.
• Listings kept using babies and toddlers to advertise toys labelled 3+.

The hazards in marketplace toy alerts

Across the 424 alerts that name a marketplace, the most common headline hazards were choking (143), suffocation (73), magnets (62), strangulation (46), toxic chemicals (34) and button batteries (26).

How to buy toys online more safely

Based on the BTHA's advice and what the alerts show:

1. Check the seller, not the site. Who's actually selling it, what country they're in, and is there a UK address?
2. Branded toy? Compare it with the brand's own website. Fakes copy the look, not the safety testing.
3. Suspiciously cheap usually means something's been skipped.
4. Read the listing for mismatches, like a baby in the photos and "3+" on the box.
5. When it arrives, check for small parts that come loose, battery covers without a screw, and magnets that fall out.
6. Search our toy recall checker by name, brand or barcode.
7. Something wrong? Report it to the marketplace and to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer service.

Will the law change?

The BTHA says online marketplaces have no legal responsibility for the safety of toys sold by their third-party sellers. The Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 gives the government powers to put product safety duties on online marketplaces. The detailed rules (secondary legislation) haven't been made yet. We'll update this page when they are.

Are toys from Amazon safe?

Be most careful with third-party sellers. Amazon is the marketplace named most often in UK toy alerts (229 of 759 since 2021), and in the BTHA's June 2026 tests all 15 toys bought from Amazon third-party sellers failed UK toy safety rules. Check who the seller is before you buy.

Are toys from Temu safe?

Temu appears in only one UK toy alert in our data, and it did best in the BTHA's June 2026 tests, with 4 of 12 toys failing. That's still a third, from a small sample. Use the same checks as anywhere else.

Does a CE or UKCA mark mean a toy is safe?

No. In the BTHA's June 2026 tests, 65% of the unsafe toys carried a CE mark, a UKCA mark or both. A mark is a claim by the seller, not proof.

Who is responsible if a marketplace sells an unsafe toy?

Right now, the seller. The BTHA says online marketplaces have no legal responsibility for the safety of third-party sellers' toys. The Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 gives the government powers to change that, but the detailed rules haven't been made yet.