Consumer advocacy group Choice filed a 'super' complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on Tuesday, urging immediate action against online retailers selling banned and unsafe products. The complaint detailed the purchase of permanently prohibited items—including toy-shaped lighters, fake cigarettes, and sky lanterns—from major online marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon, AliExpress, and Shein.
All of the products acquired by Choice are banned in Australia due to serious risks: novelty lighters resembling children’s toys pose fire and ingestion hazards, fake cigarettes may encourage youth smoking, and sky lanterns present fire dangers. Choice also identified fake tongue piercings on AliExpress and eBay, which could cause choking if swallowed, though those listings had been removed by Tuesday. The group opted not to order other hazardous items it found—including flick knives, butterfly knives, and gel blasters—to avoid potential legal issues.
Under current law, Choice’s 'super' complaint compels the ACCC to issue a formal response within 90 days. The group simultaneously called for a comprehensive review of Australia’s product safety laws, which it argues fail to hold online marketplaces accountable. “Online marketplaces are one of the biggest gaps in the law where they can act as an intermediary and essentially they get away with selling these non-compliant and unsafe products because the law basically doesn’t apply to them,” said Andy Thomas, campaigns director at Choice.
Thomas added that the organization has long advocated for stronger safety regulations, noting, “We’ve been shouting from the rooftops about Australia’s lax product safety laws since the 60s really. Consumers are still being put at risk and far too many people are still being harmed.”
An ACCC spokesperson confirmed the regulator will “carefully review Choice’s complaint and issue a public response in due course.” Unsafe consumer goods in digital markets remain one of the ACCC’s top enforcement priorities for the second consecutive year. Recent federal budget measures allocated funding to strengthen the national product safety framework, including mandatory safety obligations for online platforms and higher penalties for violators. “Businesses that put consumers at risk will face real consequences,” said Andrew Leigh, assistant minister responsible for competition and consumer affairs.