How to Avoid Selling Dangerous Electrical Products on eBay

eBay takes great care to protect buyers from goods that might prove harmful, and will ban sellers who consistently promote potentially dangerous items.  This applies equally to sellers who know their goods are substandard, as to traders who innocently buy and sell products that can cause injury and death.  We’re looking now at electrical items like televisions and refrigerators, and specifically second-hand electrical products that look good on the outside but are dangerously defective inside. 

Selling faulty electrical goods can have serious repercussions, such as death from fire or electrocution for buyers, and a prison sentence for sellers.

Faced with losing their eBay accounts, not to mention imprisonment, sellers might choose to steer clear of electrical goods, or learn how to identify and disregard potentially dangerous items. 

It is not illegal in many countries, including the U.K. to sell electrical items without having them inspected by a qualified electrician.

Here are more tips to stay problem free:

1.  Take a time-served electrician on buying expeditions to identify faults and estimate cost of repairs.  Preferably choose someone qualified to repair and refurbish electrical goods to a professional standard at a reasonable price.

2. Buy from commercial sellers with a good reputation they want to maintain, making it unlikely they’ll sell goods they know are dangerous or beyond repair.  Potentially good buying sources include family firms trading from the same address over several generations with few derogatory remarks made against them. 

Possible bad sources are flea markets and car boot sales populated by sellers you may never see again if their goods prove defective.  The exception is traders at itinerant events who are sometimes obliged to display their trading names and street addresses, as well as offering a cooling off period for buyers to inspect and retain goods or return them for refund.

3.  Have electrical goods tested at point of sale and sold with a guarantee they are in safe working condition.

4.  Avoid buying electrical goods from firms lacking experienced electrical staff, where items returned for refund may be resold without adequate checks for damage or faults.

5.  Study legal rules and regulations covering the sale of electrical goods.  Consumer and safety laws vary worldwide, and sellers must abide by laws applicable to all locations where their goods are offered for sale.

The rules are strict and sometimes complicated, but they’re essential to keeping customers safe.  Additionally, keeping those tips in mind when you buy second-hand electrical goods will help you enjoy maximum profits with minimum hassle.