Thousands of travel adaptors found to pose safety risk

An investigation by consumer safety charity Electrical Safety First revealed that 14 travel adaptors purchased from major platforms like AliExpress, eBay, Amazon Marketplace and TikTok Shop all failed basic safety tests.

The worst offenders posed a risk of serious electric shock or electrocution.

Giuseppe Capanna, product safety engineer at Electrical Safety First, said: “Shopping for your holiday getaway should be an enjoyable experience, not one that puts you at serious risk.

“Shoppers in the UK shouldn’t have to question whether the products they buy might put them at risk, yet our investigation shows that dangerous electrical goods are still finding their way into people’s homes through online marketplaces.”

What travel adaptor issues were identified?

Among the most serious failures were universal travel adaptors that allowed more than one set of plug pins to be exposed and live at the same time.

This design flaw means users could come into contact with up to 240 volts of electricity.

In total, 14 adaptors (eight universal and six basic) were tested, all of which failed.

Several also lacked surge protection despite being labelled as offering it, and all universal adaptors failed mechanical strength tests, meaning pins could snap off in sockets.

Some listings had thousands of reviews and sales, raising concerns that thousands of dangerous devices may already be in UK homes.

One Amazon Marketplace listing had almost 9,000 reviews, with customers reporting overheating and device damage.

Another on AliExpress was reported to have exploded during use.

Mr Capanna said: “What looks like a bargain could come at a much higher cost.

“We urge Brits heading abroad this summer to think before they buy and only purchase travel adaptors from reputable retailers they know and trust, so they can travel with confidence and avoid taking a potentially dangerous device away with them.”

Basic travel adaptors, designed for use in a single region, were also found lacking.

Failures included missing safety shutters, absent fuses, oversized pin holes and lack of earth connections—all of which increase the risk of electric shock or fire.

One Amazon Marketplace adaptor with more than 1,000 reviews was reported to have “fell apart” in a customer’s hands, who said they “could have been electrocuted” if it had broken while in use.

Laboratory flammability tests showed that six adaptors failed to resist ignition and would contribute to spreading a fire.

This investigation follows a similar one by the charity less than a year ago, which found 15 dangerous travel adaptors across multiple major platforms.

Electrical Safety First has repeatedly called for online marketplaces to be legally accountable for the safety of products sold on their platforms—a measure currently under government consideration.

How did online platforms respond?

A spokesman for AliExpress said: “Product safety is our top priority at AliExpress.

“We have removed the three travel adapter listings identified by Electrical Safety First and are contacting affected customers to initiate a recall through our established channels.

“We welcome detailed findings like these and remain committed to tackling product safety issues through our established processes.”

eBay also took action following the investigation.

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A spokesman said: “We have removed the listings identified by Electrical Safety First and we’re carrying out wider checks to find and remove any similar listings.

“At eBay, we combine technology, AI-supported monitoring and specialist teams to help maintain a safe and trusted marketplace.”

Amazon issued a similar response.

A spokesman said: “We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws, regulations and our own policies.

“The products identified have been removed from sale.”

TikTok also removed the identified listings and associated videos, and said it continues to use a mix of technology and manual moderation to enforce its product safety policies.

Have you bought a travel adaptor from an online platform? Let us know in the comments.