Consumers urged to take extra care when buying toys and other goods online

Trading standards officers at Derbyshire County Council are urging shoppers to be savvy when buying goods online – especially when doing their Christmas shopping.

During National Consumer Week (16 – 22 November), ahead of two big Christmas shopping days Black Friday and Cyber Monday, trading standards officers are also backing the British Toy and Hobby Association’s (BTHA) call for caution when buying toys online.

It is expected that online shopping will continue to rise, and coronavirus measures will encourage its further growth as shoppers avoid the high street.  Some 86% of toys are already bought online so trading standards, Citizens Advice and the BTHA are seeking to educate the public about how to shop online safely, for example looking for the CE mark*.

Derbyshire Trading Standards advise caution when ordering online, recommend checking where traders are based, using websites of UK-based retailers and looking out for well-known brands of toys. Officers back the BTHA and its members in calling for legally compliant, safe toys for children.

Councillor Carol Hart, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Heath and Communities, said: “It is vital that consumers know their rights when buying products online.  This is even more important as people rely more heavily on the internet to buy the things they need during the pandemic.”

For information on your rights and advice about shopping online safely, and what to do when things go wrong, visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk/NCW20 .  You can also call the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133.

National Consumer Week is run by the Consumer Protection Partnership (CPP). The CPP brings together a number of organisations including Citizens Advice, Government departments, regulators and consumer bodies to tackle consumer problems.

* The CE mark will be replaced by the new UKCA marking from 1 January 2021 but to allow businesses time to adjust, they will be able to use the CE marking until 1 January 2022 in most cases.