eBay will clamp down on the sale of e-bikes and e-bike batteries within the UK from 31 October, the BBC has discovered.
The agency says that solely “eligible enterprise sellers” will likely be allowed to checklist them after this date.
It didn’t clarify what the required standards can be.
E-bikes, which have electrically-assisted pedals and are battery-powered, have soared in reputation, however incidents involving battery fires have additionally risen.
The London Hearth Brigade just lately mentioned it recorded 155 e-bike fires in 2023, up by 78% from the earlier 12 months.
The brigade warned e-bike customers to test their batteries after battery packs have been formally classed as “harmful” merchandise by the UK’s regulatory physique.
In June, a coroner additionally referred to as for presidency motion after the dying of a person whose residence caught fireplace when an e-bike battery pack he was charging overheated and ignited.
“Shopper security is a high precedence for eBay,” an eBay spokesperson mentioned on Tuesday.
Earlier this 12 months, it mentioned it might additionally audit sellers to ensure they’d the CE mark for security documentation for listed e-bike merchandise.
A fast have a look at the eBay platform reveals almost 3,000 used e-bikes presently on the market within the UK.
The charity Electrical Security First mentioned it welcomed the agency’s change in coverage.
But it surely instructed that new legal guidelines have been additionally wanted due to the fireplace security dangers posed by the automobiles.
“While this voluntary transfer is welcome, we proceed to name for on-line marketplaces to be legally obligated to take cheap steps to make sure merchandise offered by way of their websites are secure,” mentioned a spokesperson.
The Product Regulation and Metrology Invoice, which is presently making its method by Parliament, might probably implement this in future.
