An investigation by BBC Watchdog found that eight of 25 pieces of jewellery advertised as sterling silver contained illegal levels of cadmium, while only two could be classified as sterling silver. Amazon, Temu and eBay said products or listings were removed; Amazon said customers could seek refunds, and Temu said it had arranged additional testing.
The BBC bought 25 pieces of jewellery priced from £1.55 to £1.99 from the five online platforms. Tests found eight items contained cadmium above the legal limit of 0.01 per cent, with some pieces reaching up to 10 per cent. The UK Health Security Agency classifies cadmium as a category one carcinogen. Of the eight items that breached the limits, three were from Amazon, three from Temu, one from Onbuy, and one from Etsy. One necklace bought on Etsy, advertised as handmade sterling silver, was found to have nickel concentrations as high as 11 per cent in one part of the chain and had irritated its buyer’s neck.
Sterling silver is an alloy made of 92.5 per cent pure silver and 7.5 per cent other metals, usually copper. Before a silver item can be hallmarked in the UK, it must be independently examined by an authorised Assay Office.
Amazon said in a statement: “We take safety extremely seriously, and we immediately removed these products. All sellers on Amazon must comply with our policies and UK law and regulations. We protect every purchase in our store with our A-to-Z Guarantee so that customers can shop with confidence.” The company said it had contacted customers who bought products flagged by the broadcaster and asked them to dispose of the products; customers were told they could seek a refund.
Temu said the products were removed through its ongoing monitoring before it received the original enquiry from the BBC. “We have arranged additional testing by an independent laboratory and are reviewing similar products to identify and address potential risks,” a spokesperson said. “We enforce these requirements through a combination of seller checks, continuous listing monitoring, public feedback and proactive takedowns of non-compliant products.”
eBay said it strictly prohibits misleading listings and requires accurate descriptions. A spokesperson said that anyone who receives an item that does not match its description “may be covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee”. eBay said none of the listings purchased by the BBC on its site contained illegal levels of cadmium, but the listings identified by BBC Watchdog were removed and eBay contacted the sellers to remind them of their responsibility to ensure items were accurately described.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The findings show that consumers cannot trust product claims on major online marketplaces, potentially exposing them to toxic materials.
- It underscores the challenge of regulating third-party sellers on global e-commerce platforms.
- The investigation could prompt stricter enforcement and possibly changes in policy.
Background
Sterling silver is a precious metal alloy typically made of 92.5 per cent silver and 7.5 per cent other metals, usually copper. In the UK, silver items must be independently tested and hallmarked by an authorised Assay Office. Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal strictly limited in jewellery under UK and EU regulations. The BBC Watchdog investigation is part of ongoing consumer safety reporting.
Key Perspectives
Amazon: Emphasises its commitment to safety and customer protection, noting it removed the products and offered refunds.
Temu: States it removed the items before the BBC inquiry and is conducting additional tests to address risks.
eBay: Denies any listings on its site contained illegal cadmium levels and says it prohibits misleading descriptions, with coverage under the Money Back Guarantee.
What to Watch
- Whether Etsy and Onbuy issue responses after being contacted.
- Any follow-up actions by UK trading standards or the Health Security Agency.
- Potential expansion of testing to other product categories or countries.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe BBC investigation found cadmium in jewellery advertised as ‘sterling silver’ on major online marketplaces.The Independent UK: “Jewellery advertised as sterling silver on popular online shopping sites was found to contain toxic chemicals , according to reports. BBC ’s Watchdog on the One Show bought 25 pieces of jewellery”
- SupportedEight of the 25 items tested contained illegal levels of cadmium.The Independent UK: “Experts examined the 25 items and found eight contained illegal levels of cadmium, while only two could be classified as sterling silver, according to the broadcaster.”
- SupportedOnly two of the 25 items could be classified as sterling silver.The Independent UK: “Experts examined the 25 items and found eight contained illegal levels of cadmium, while only two could be classified as sterling silver, according to the broadcaster.”
- SupportedAmazon, Temu and eBay said products or listings were removed and issued statements.The Independent UK: ““We take safety extremely seriously, and we immediately removed these products,” the spokesperson said. … “The products were removed through our ongoing monitoring before we received the original enquiry from the BBC.” … Listings identified by BBC Watchdog were removed”
- SupportedThe legal limit for cadmium is 0.01 per cent.The Independent UK: “While its legal limit is 0.01 per cent, some of the jewellery tested reportedly had up to 10 per cent.”
- SupportedSome tested jewellery had cadmium concentrations of up to 10 per cent.The Independent UK: “some of the jewellery tested reportedly had up to 10 per cent.”
- SupportedOf the eight items that breached the limits, three were from Amazon, three from Temu, one from OnBuy and one from Etsy.The Independent UK: “The BBC found that of the eight items found to have breached the limits, three were purchased from Amazon, three from Temu and one from each of OnBuy and Etsy.”
- SupportedAn Etsy necklace advertised as handmade sterling silver had nickel concentrations as high as 11 per cent in one part of the chain.The Independent UK: “They found the necklace had traces of nickel, but in one part of the chain the concentration was as high as 11 per cent.”
- SupportedAmazon’s quoted statement says it takes safety extremely seriously, immediately removed the products, requires sellers to comply with its policies and UK law, and protects purchases with its A-to-Z Guarantee.The Independent UK: ““We take safety extremely seriously, and we immediately removed these products,” the spokesperson said. “All sellers on Amazon must comply with our policies and UK law and regulations. We protect every purchase in our store with our A-to-Z Guarantee so that customers can shop with confidence.”
- SupportedTemu’s spokesperson said the products were removed before the original BBC enquiry and that Temu had arranged independent testing and was reviewing similar products.The Independent UK: ““The products were removed through our ongoing monitoring before we received the original enquiry from the BBC. We have arranged additional testing by an independent laboratory and are reviewing similar products to identify and address potential risks.””
- SupportedAn eBay spokesperson said buyers whose items do not match their descriptions may be covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee.The Independent UK: ““To ensure buyers can shop with confidence, anyone who receives an item that does not match its description may be covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee, and we encourage them to contact us for support.””
- SupportedeBay said none of the listings the BBC bought on its site contained illegal levels of cadmium.The Independent UK: “The ecommerce platform asserted that none of the listings that the BBC purchased on eBay contained illegal levels of cadmium.”
