Illegal weapons are being sold on AliExpress,Amazon, eBay and Wish. This is because third-party sellers use ingenious methods to evade detection.
Consumer Group Zombie We've found banned items such as knives, knuckle dusters, swords and batons on online marketplaces for as little as 49p.
Under UK law, weapons cannot be sold in the UK, or even owned in private homes.
If you are caught using one of these products, you may be arrested and face jail time.
If you search on Amazon, which one? found over a dozen listings of illegal friction lock batons masquerading as "trekking poles". Part of the
list. We found words that have special characters such as "baton" in the title or are only used in the artwork. Probably to avoid detection by moderators.
on eBay. Various illegal swords, zombie knives and knuckle dusters were found. These included a 23-inch serrated steel zombie knife (27 lbs) and a 27-inch zombie blade (32 lbs) with a red fire design.
One seller offered a set of Karambit blades and 'numbing spray' for £13.99 for him.
Which one?
A simple search for the terms "flick knife," "self-opening knife," and "spring-assisted knife" returned dozens of results each. For under £10, some are even sold for self-defense.
At Wish, investigators found a number of flick knives and at least a dozen of his butterfly knives.
The researchers also found several hidden knives, including several belt-buckle knives priced from £8, a selection of knuckle dusters, and a one-pound knife designed to be hidden in a purse.
One model of friction lock baton for sale is camouflaged in an umbrella and another is being sold for self-defense, with over 30 cases in the UK. There was a review of
on AliExpress. A number of rafts of "self-defense rings" designed to be worn as flick knives, concealed blades and knuckle dusters have been found, one priced at just 49p.
On all four platforms, Which After the initial search for ., additional banned weapons were recommended by the platform's algorithm.
Which one? Sue Davis, head of consumer protection policy, said:
``This puts a big question mark on the checks and oversight being done by these platforms. We clearly need to prevent it from appearing on the site.”
An eBay spokesperson said: The exceptions are letter openers, certain tools and dining cutlery.
"Sellers must comply with applicable laws and regulations as well as our policies when selling knives.
"As an international market, our Policies vary around the world and some of the listings are highlighted in [Which].Allowed under US policies and sold by US registered sellers.
"UK of buyers have been blocked from purchasing these knives, and we are investigating why this was not blocked.''
eBay takes customer safety "very seriously." 'to', and says it uses a block filter algorithm aimed at preventing unsafe products from being listed.
The company's security team also conducts additional checks to identify listings that are not compliant with its policies and takes enforcement action against sellers, the company added.
Alibaba Group, which includes AliExpress, said:
“We have strict guidelines for merchants when it comes to selling knives.
"We are reviewing third-party merchant accounts for possible violations of platform rules, removing items highlighted in Which.'s investigation.
'Thanks Which, for bringing the "self-defense" ring category to my attention. We are investigating this and will continue to monitor it. We regularly evaluate and improve our practices. '
An Amazon spokesperson said: Comply with applicable laws and develop industry-leading tools to prevent non-compliant products from appearing on your store.
"We are disappointed that bad actors circumvent our system and will use these learnings to improve our prevention mechanisms. These products have now been removed from the store." and are taking appropriate action against the bad actors in question."
Wish "condemned" the sale of weapons, saying it violated the terms of the contract, and said it was moral. law.
A spokesperson said Wish has removed the reported listings and is "exploring remedial action against violating merchants."
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