The convenience and prices offered by online marketplaces can be hard to resist at the best of time, notably more so in the run up to Christmas.
But an investigation by consumer watchdog Which? has found that convenience comes at the expense of safety, with scant regard for safeguards out place to stop dangerous products being sold.
Describing their investigation as "the tip of the iceberg," Which? have identified a number of potentially harmful gifts for sale.
Here are five of the more dangerous products that are best kept out of your online checkout basket this Christmas:
Unsafe toy slime
This Toy slime, found for sale on eBay, contained more than seven times the EU limit for boron.
The EU safety standard specifies that toy slimes must have boron levels that fall below 300mg/kg.
The Teamsterz Slime, found for sale on eBay, was recalled as it was deemed to contain 2,165mg/kg.
Recalled Tyrannosaurus Rex
This T-rex toy was recalled because it was deemed to contain an excessive amount of lead, posing a serious risk to children’s health.
Despite being found on the US Amazon Marketplace, this T-rex toy was reportedly available for shipping to the UK.
According to Which? it was listed with the same brand name, packaging, model number on both Amazon and Rapex.
Amazon has since told Which? that it has stopped the dinosaur from being shipped to the UK
Risky car seats
In their latest investigation, Which? found a loophole and successfully listed a type of car seat dubbed ‘killer’ car seats by Surrey Trading Standards back in 2014 for sale as an unapproved seller.
The car seat they listed is made from fabric, and it’s illegal to use in the UK as it’s not EU approved
Which? say they weren’t asked for any proof of compliance at any stage, and their illegal car seat listing stayed live for two weeks on Amazon until they chose to take it down.
Smoke alarms that don't work
The body also claim to have alerted eBay to hundreds of listings for dangerous smoke alarms, and on multiple occasions regarding CO alarms that have failed Which? testing.
Hazardous children's costume
The Consumer group also say they tested 20 kids’ Halloween fancy dress outfits in October 2018, and found three that failed either the British safety standard or the British Retail Consortium (BRC) code of practice, including one from Amazon and one from eBay.
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