Online chargers: why Amazon, eBay and Temu bargains can be dangerous

Be careful about the chargers you buy online.

Today, e-commerce marketplaces are everywhere. Amazon, AliExpress, eBay, Shein and Temu have become part of everyday consumer life within just a few years. However, some items sold through these platforms may put users at risk. Following a warning issued by UFC-Que Choisir in October 2025, British consumer association Wish? is now alerting shoppers too.

A new study published by Wish? on 10 June 2026 paints an alarming picture: vast numbers of chargers sold online could explode, cause electric shocks or start fires. Shoppers therefore need to be more cautious than ever.

Cheap prices, serious dangers

E-commerce platforms such as Amazon, AliExpress and Temu typically offer products at exceptionally low prices. Unsurprisingly, these highly competitive deals appeal to consumers. Yet genuine hazards can lie behind these cut-price offers. Wish? purchased 15 USB smartphone chargers from the most popular marketplaces. Nine were so poorly made that they posed a genuine electric-shock risk, while eight of the 15 also carried a risk of fire and explosion.

Online chargers sold illegally in the UK and European Union

Beyond the risks posed by the chargers themselves, every one of them was being sold illegally in the UK or, more broadly, in the European Union. All lacked required information on their packaging, on the charger itself or in the accompanying documentation.

Wish? also found a significant number of counterfeit chargers marketed as products made by Apple or Samsung. The consumer association highlighted a 35W Apple USB-C power adaptor listed by an eBay seller as genuine for just £11.99. Although both the box and the charger's appearance suggest it belongs to the Apple brand, it is not an official product and carries an electric-shock risk.

Counterfeit Apple and “Samsung” chargers

The same applies to another “Samsung” charger sold on eBay for only £6.99. Supplied without packaging or an instruction manual, it did not present any clear danger, but it was nevertheless a counterfeit and was therefore being sold illegally.

If you are planning to buy a new charger for your phone, it is essential not to be tempted by ultra-low prices on Amazon, eBay or Temu. To make sure you are buying a safe, harmless charger, check that it carries CE marking. Required for all electronic products sold in the European Union, this confirms that the device complies with current safety standards. Likewise, chargers from major brands offered at prices markedly lower than those on official websites are certainly counterfeits. Saving a few pounds is not worth taking such risks.