We've had some big wins in our fight to tackle online scams and fake reviews - now we’re focusing our efforts on preventing the sale of dangerous goods online.

Online shopping is more popular than ever, but UK laws have failed to keep pace. The result? Popular online marketplaces have become a gateway for unsafe products to find their way into UK households - and they aren’t being held accountable.

The government has published a Product Regulation and Metrology Bill that presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make this right. But it must be strengthened to ensure that these new laws give online marketplaces clear legal responsibilities for keeping dangerous products off their sites, backed up by tough enforcement, including heavy fines, when businesses fall short.

And this is where you can help. We need you to show your support for our calls - sign the petition to tell the government it must Protect Online Shoppers. 

Over 20 million of us make purchases on online marketplaces each month, so it’s vital that we’re able to shop online with the same protections as we have shopping from retailers on the high street. But that’s not the case. These platforms still don’t have the same responsibilities for the items sold on their marketplaces that high street retailers have had for years.

Online marketplaces aren't doing enough to stop dodgy sellers stocking their sites with unsafe products – and all too often, they’re getting off scot-free. Time after time, Which? has tested and reported dangerous products on marketplaces to get them taken down, in what feels like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. From hazardous toys to defective smoke detectors, we’ve seen it all, over and over again.

Watch this video to see just how simple it was for us to go undercover and list an illegal product ourselves on some of the biggest online marketplaces.

As some of the biggest companies in the world, many online marketplaces surely have the resources to do far more to prevent unsafe products appearing on their sites. But our investigations suggest they won’t do so unless they face clear legal consequences.

And while online marketplaces may still profit when cheap products that don't meet UK safety standards are sold on their platforms, businesses that follow the rules miss out.

Without stronger responsibilities, these online marketplaces will continue to have the upper hand. Agree it's past time that online marketplaces were held responsible? Sign the petition. 

It's easy to be tempted by cheaper products from online marketplaces, but our safety investigations have shown that you need to shop carefully to avoid putting yourself and your home at risk.

Check out our Shop safely online guide to discover how to avoid dangerous products.