A seller of used electrical items can be fined up to £5,000 and/or be imprisoned for 6 months if they sell a product which is unsafe or incorrectly labelled - this law even applies to items sold at carboot sales, by auction AND on ebay so beware!

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FACT:  One-in-four second hand electrical appliances being sold in the UK fails basic safety checks a recent survey has found.

FACT: Over 2,500 people are being killed or injured every year by electrical fires.

FACT: As many as one-in-five household fires are started by faulty electrical equipment.

IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING SELLING A USED ELECTRICAL ITEM ON EBAY (HOWEVER LITTLE USE IT MAY HAVE HAD), OR INDEED IF YOU ARE INTENDING TO MAKE A PURCHASE OF A SECOND HAND APPLIANCE PLEASE CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

Trading Standards stress that anybody wanting to sell a used electrical product is advised to get the item checked by an expert before sale as if the product is deemed unsafe or the goods cause injury you are liable to face prosecution and may have to pay compensation.

All electrical items sold in the UK must comply with the British Standard or in some cases European Standard basic safety requirements which cover the following:

* The item itself must be correctly labelled with the appropriate BS (British Standard) number and also include the relevant information relating to construction, design and manufacturer - usually by way of the product's original instruction manual.

* Safe and up-to-date insulation of wiring and earthing (read below for information on plugs & sockets)

* Protection from electric shocks

* Adequate guards for radiant heating equipment

* Preventing the generation of toxic fumes or excessive radiation and heat

* Manufacturer's safe usage instructions MUST be included

PLUGS & SOCKETS

* All distributors of electrical goods including second hand and those sold by auction are required to ensure that the product is fitted with an approved plug that has sleeved neutral and live pins and contains the correct fuse. Trading Standards therefore recommend that you fit a new plug that meets the latest safety specifications to any item being sold and dispose of the old one.

* All plugs are required to carry the approval name and reference number - usually BSA or ASTA.

* A plug does not have to be moulded on but must be fused correctly.

* There are some appliances that are permitted to be sold without a plug if intended for permanent connection to mains electrical wiring such as ceiling lights.

* You MUST also provide clear instructions for rewiring if the plug fitted is of the rewirable type normally by way of manufacturer's card fitted over the plug pins.

* All sockets offered for sale eg. extension leads and adaptors must comply with the British Standard.

WIRING

 A three-core mains flexible lead is normally coloured as follows:

Earth - Green & Yellow

Neutral - Blue

Live - Brown

Products that carry the older Red, Black & Green wiring are now considered undesirable as they may make the item unsafe and therefore illegal.

ELECTRICAL HEATERS & FIRES

* Electrical fires and heaters offered for sale that are intended for use in the home must have a fireguard which complies with British Standard safety requirements or the European equivalent.

* The fire guard is considered satisfactory if any vertical bars are less than 5mm apart

OR

* If the horizontal bars are less than 12mm apart the vertical bars must not be more than 125mm apart

OR

* If the horizontal bars are less than 20mm apart the vertical bars must not be more than 50mm apart.

ELECTRIC BLANKETS

Although currently legal, it is not advisable to purchase or indeed sell electric blankets second hand as their condition and usage history cannot honestly be known.

Please feel free to conduct your own internet search regarding the sale of second hand electrical items as there are many websites offering the latest up-to-date information as outlined by Trading Standards. I will attempt to update this guide on a regular basis to include any relevant/new changes.

SELLERS - PLEASE TAKE NOTE:

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TAKING REASONABLE PRECAUTIONS MEANS THAT IF SELLING AN ELECTRICAL ITEM YOU MUST TAKE POSITIVE STEPS TO ENSURE THAT YOU COMPLY WITH THE LAW. IN MOST CASES THIS INVOLVES HAVING THE APPLIANCE CHECKED BY A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN AND BEING ABLE TO PROVE IT TO YOUR CUSTOMER.

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REMEMBER, AS ALREADY MENTIONED IN THIS GUIDE, THE SALE OF FAULTY ELECTRICAL GOODS THAT COULD CAUSE HARM OR DAMAGE OR OFFERING FOR SALE APPLIANCES THAT ARE NOT CORRECTLY LABELLED TO THE REQUIRED BRITISH SAFETY STANDARD CAN LEAD TO PROSECUTION OF THE SELLER WHO MAY BE FINED UP TO £5,000 AND/OR FACE UP TO 6 MONTHS INPRISONMENT. HE MAY ALSO BE REQUIRED TO PAY COMPENSATION TO HIS CUSTOMER.

BUYERS - A WORD OF ADVICE:

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If you are considering buying a second hand/used electrical appliance it is suggested that you ask the seller the following questions before you make your purchase:

* Does the product carry either  the CE  mark, the BEAB mark or BS safety mark?

* What safety checks have been carried out on the item before it was offered for sale?

* Were the checks carried out by a qualified person?

* Does the plug on the appliance comply with British Standard BS 1363?

* Are the original manufacturer's safety instructions included with the item?

IF THE SELLER CANNOT PROVIDE YOU WITH PROOF OF THIS INFORMATION THEN YOU ARE TAKING A RISK IF YOU PURCHASE THE APPLIANCE AND THE SELLER COULD POSSIBLY BE BREAKING THE LAW.  

I hope that you have enjoyed reading my guide and that it was of interest to you. If you found the information helpful I would appreciate it if you would click on the 'yes' button below.