How to report an unsafe purchase from China
Stop using the product, preserve the order details and evidence, and report the safety concern to the seller and marketplace. Use the consumer reporting route for your UK nation without waiting for a refund decision. For business sourcing, factory records can be gathered by Cambridge China Bridge.
Stop use without recreating the danger
If a personal purchase from China appears unsafe, stop using it and contact the seller or marketplace. Do not charge, operate or test it again to demonstrate the fault. Keep other people away from it. If there is immediate danger, prioritise getting to safety and seeking emergency help over collecting evidence.
This guide covers personal purchases of non-food household goods, rather than stock bought for resale. For food, medicines, medical devices, vehicles or workplace equipment, describe the product clearly when seeking advice and ask which specialist reporting route to use.
Preserve the product and purchase trail
Save the order confirmation, payment record, listing address, seller profile and messages. Capture the listing description and safety claims before they change. Photograph the product, packaging, model details, batch markings, instructions and visible damage where safe. Record when the problem happened, how the item was being used and any injury or property damage. For advertising complaints, see our guide to reporting misleading China-shopping adverts.
Keep the item and packaging if safe, but do not dismantle, repair or deliberately reproduce the fault. Separate what you observed from what you suspect. Before returning or discarding it, ask the receiving adviser whether it may be needed for examination. For a damaged battery or other hazardous item, ask about safe handling and collection rather than posting it back without advice.
Send a clear marketplace safety report
Use the marketplace's reporting or customer-support channel and explicitly describe a product safety concern. Include the order reference, seller name, listing address, product identifiers and a short incident account. Contact the seller too. Ask the marketplace to pass the report to its product safety team and provide a case reference.
You can write: “I have stopped using this product because it appeared unsafe during normal use. The problem was [describe what happened]. Attached are the order details and photographs. Please investigate the safety concern and advise on safe collection or return.” Request your refund or other remedy separately, and keep copies of both requests.
Use the route for your UK nation
Report through the consumer route below as well as to the marketplace. On the official consumer product safety reporting page named in the sources, use the contact option for where you live. In Northern Ireland, find your council's product safety or environmental health contact. Explain that this was a personal purchase from an overseas seller.
Send the same evidence pack and say whether anyone was harmed, whether the listing remains available and whether the marketplace has replied. Ask for a reference and instructions for supplying further evidence. Report what you know now; do not wait for the factory's explanation or the marketplace's refund decision.
| Where you live | Reporting contact |
|---|---|
| England | Citizens Advice consumer helpline |
| Wales | Citizens Advice consumer helpline |
| Scotland | Advice Direct Scotland consumer helpline |
| Northern Ireland | Your local district council |
Working out your own order? Send us the product on WhatsApp and we reply the same working day: WhatsApp us
Follow up and recognise the business boundary
Search the official product recalls list for the product name and model, then compare identifiers carefully. Follow any applicable recall instructions. Keep a dated record of replies, agreed collection arrangements and unresolved questions. A refund alone does not tell you whether the product safety concern has been investigated, so retain your reporting record.
If you also bought the product for resale, use our business recall guide for stock control and authority notification. For a future factory order, our certification and test document guide explains the evidence to examine. Do not treat a successful personal refund as approval to place a commercial order.
Frequently asked questions
Can I report a product before anyone is injured?
Yes. Stop using it and report the suspected safety problem. Describe what you observed without recreating the danger or waiting for an injury.
Who do I report an unsafe purchase to in Northern Ireland?
Contact your local district council for the product safety concern, as well as the seller and marketplace. Ask for its product safety or environmental health contact.
Should I return the product before reporting it?
Save the purchase records and photographs first. Ask the receiving adviser whether the item is needed for examination and how to arrange a safe return, especially if it contains a damaged battery.
Do I still report it if the marketplace refunds me?
Yes. Keep the safety report separate from the refund request. Tell the receiving adviser about the refund and retain the evidence and case references.