Is it safe to shop on online marketplaces?

More and more consumers order products through online marketplaces, most of which are shipped directly to them from outside the EU. While online shopping is convenient, increases choice and can financially be attractive, it also comes with new risks for consumers. Even though consumers have undisputed rights to safety and consumer protection, research and testing shows that many of these products are unsafe and are illegally sold to EU consumers. Consumers therefore unfortunately do not have the same level of safety when purchasing online as they do when buying in traditional brick and mortar stores. Moreover, a range of other consumer rights is regularly being violated, such as the right to return products and to benefit from legal guarantees when things go wrong.