Electrical products via “dropshipping” may violate EU safety requirements
Stockholm – When the Swedish National Electrical Safety Board reviewed around twenty products from companies that claimed to operate within the EU, all the products turned out to be dangerous to use. All had technical defects that can lead to electric shock or fire.
The review covered 19 different operators that the authority suspects sell electrical products via so-called dropshipping. This means that an operator sells goods that it does not keep in its own stock; instead, when the customer has bought a product, it is delivered from other trading platforms – such as the Chinese Temu, Shein or Ali Express.
“They appeared to be operating within Europe, but when we had the electrical products delivered to us, they were usually from a completely different sender. Mainly Chinese,” says Per Samuelsson, head of department at the Swedish National Electrical Safety Board.
The authority ordered 22 products, of which 18 arrived. None of the products, which ranged from USB chargers to electric shavers and kettles, met the EU’s safety requirements.
The Swedish National Electrical Safety Board is Sweden’s national authority for electrical safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).
(29 December)
