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MPs are calling on Amazon and eBay to tighten controls on the sale of ebikes and chargers after it emerged the online marketplaces are selling unsafe items that can exceed legal power or speed limits.
This week Amazon and eBay were selling bikes and chargers from the Chinese brand Ridstar that are identical to, or very similar to, three items that were last week identified by the UK government’s Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) as posing a serious fire risk because of substandard electrical components and charging equipment.
The bikes were available to UK shoppers despite the government warning they had been prohibited from sale in the UK after some products had been intercepted by border officials.
MPs called on Amazon and eBay to withdraw the bikes from sale, overhaul seller and product verification processes to prevent the listing of dangerous or illegal items; and endorse a national quality-assurance Kitemark to distinguish legal and fire-tested ebikes.
“It is highly likely that the identical Ridstar bike, and similar Ridstar bikes, for sale on Amazon.co.uk will feature the same product safety issues and could pose an immediate fire risk to those purchasing and charging the items from Amazon,” wrote the MPs Fabian Hamilton and Olly Glover, the chair and vice-chair of the all party parliamentary group for cycling and walking, to the online marketplace’s UK boss, John Boumphrey.
In a separate letter, Hamilton and Glover urged eBay to “urgently withdraw from sale all ebike products that do not meet appropriate safety certification or exceed the speed and power limits permitted for electrically assisted pedal cycles under UK law”.
They asked for a “detailed update” on how eBay was implementing a pledge to better control the sale of ebikes in the UK. The MPs said, for example, they had found more than 1,400 secondhand ebikes for sale by private sellers despite an apparent ban by the marketplace. Ebay has not confirmed this number.
The letters to Amazon and eBay come after MPs on the committee called on the government to urgently act to stop the sale of illegal and potentially lethal electric bikes that it said were “a crisis hiding in plain sight”.
After being approached by the Guardian, Amazon said the Ridstar bike flagged by the OPSS had been removed from sale.
A spokesperson said: “We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws and regulations, and we monitor for product safety concerns.
“We also go further by requiring sellers of e-mobility products to provide documented testing certification carried out by an accredited lab.”
The spokesperson added: “Safety is a top priority at Amazon and we have partnered with the London fire brigade to provide customers with easy-to-understand expert tips on how to use and store ebikes and e-scooters safely.”
After being contacted by the Guardian, eBay said it had removed “a number of listings” for ebikes flagged by the OPSS and was “working on identifying and removing any further items as quickly as possible”.
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The company said: “Whenever we identify an unsafe item on our platform, we remove it and alert any buyers.
“Consumer safety is a top priority at eBay. We take this issue seriously and ensure only eligible business sellers can list ebikes and ebike batteries for sale in the UK. Used ebike batteries are prohibited.
“In addition, we have begun CE audits of ebike battery listings to confirm all products have valid CE documentation. We also use block filter algorithms and AI-supported monitoring by our in-house specialists, aimed at preventing unsafe or otherwise prohibited listings.”
Under UK law, ebikes are only allowed to use electric assist to power the machine up to 15.5mph when the rider is pedalling, with a maximum power output of 250w, but more powerful bikes are readily available online.
Ridstar did not respond to a request for comment.
