EBay set to restrict the sale of e-bikes amid a ‘serious risk of fire’ in peoples homes

EBay are set to restrict the sale of e-bikes and e-bike batteries from their UK platform from 31 October to “improve the consumer safety.”

This will reduce the risk of “substandard batteries” in people’s homes as some of the e-bikes and e-batteries do “pose a serious risk of fire.”

An eBay spokeswoman said, “Consumer safety is a top priority for eBay.

“To further improve consumer safety on our marketplace, from 31 October 2024, only eligible business sellers will be able to list e-bikes and e-bike batteries for sale in the UK.

“This policy change is in addition to the CE audits of listings offering e-bike batteries that we started last year, where we check that the products sellers are offering have valid CE documentation.”

An Electrical Safety First spokesman said, “We are encouraged to see eBay take proactive steps in an attempt to reduce the risk of substandard batteries entering people’s homes, as they pose a serious risk of fire if they fail.

“Whilst this voluntary move is welcome, we continue to call for online marketplaces to be legally obligated to take reasonable steps to ensure products sold via their sites are safe and we hope the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill will mandate this.

“This legislation must also be used to prevent battery fires by introducing mandatory third-party certification for e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries to stop poor quality products entering the market. It should also introduce more robust standards for conversion kits and regulations for charging.”

Hannah Davidson, senior underwriting manager at Aviva, said: “For the majority of people, devices powered by lithium-ion batteries such as mobile phones, laptops, power tools, and e-bikes are safe to use. However, these batteries can present a significant fire risk if the battery fails, is faulty, or is charged incorrectly.

“Likewise, with consumers buying lithium-ion batteries and lithium-powered devices from second-hand retailers or sellers, there is increased potential for batteries to be damaged or faulty on purchase, for the battery in the device to be different to the original, or for the charger supplied with the device to be the incorrect charger.”