Amazon sold light months after being told of fire danger

This ceiling light, bought on Amazon Australia, catches fire during laboratory safety testing, begins to melt, and keeps burning even after the test is over.

It was one of dozens of products Lighting Council Australia (LCA) warned Amazon Australia about in June. 

Yet months later, it was still for sale.

The online retailer removed the listing for the $48 LED oyster ceiling light on Thursday, three hours after receiving questions from the ABC.

The incident highlights a broader concern raised repeatedly by CHOICE, Australia's leading consumer advocacy group: shoppers may assume the law prevents unsafe products being sold on online marketplaces, when it does not.

LCA chief executive Malcolm Richards commissioned the test after purchasing the LED oyster light from Amazon to determine whether it met Australian safety standards.

During one test of its fire-retardant properties, a glow-wire was held to the product for 30 seconds and removed.

Under Australian lighting safety standards, plastic subjected to a flame test must self-extinguish within 10 seconds, without flaming material dripping onto and igniting the tissue paper underneath.

The light continued burning for more than 30 seconds after the flame was removed and molten drops burnt the tissue paper, prompting an automatic failure and raising concerns about fire safety.

Further tests, conducted by Victorian firm Clevertronics, found live wires were accessible within the product, a safety breach Mr Richards described as "dramatic".

"If you unscrew the cover, which a home owner can do, you can touch the 240V as they're not insulated and be killed instantly," he said.

More than 130 lights tested

In June, LCA conducted wider testing on more than 130 lights bought through online retailers including Amazon, Temu, AliExpress, eBay and Kogan.

The peak lighting body found seven in 10 failed to comply with Australian safety standards, and nine in 10 lights purchased from Amazon failed at least one compliance check.

Amazon Australia told the LCA in October it had taken steps to remove the products identified as non-compliant.

But Mr Richards said about half of the Amazon products were still available, and others had re-emerged under a different listing or seller.

The former electrician said Australian businesses could spend $20,000 to $50,000 per product line testing and registering lights to meet local requirements, while some overseas sellers on Amazon were flouting those rules and avoiding the compliance costs.

In a statement, Amazon said it was in the process of removing the non-compliant items and it required all products sold on its platform to adhere to applicable laws.

"We leverage robust seller verification processes, require third-party lab testing to confirm compliance for certain products before they are listed, and employ a variety of additional robust, proactive controls," a spokesperson said.

'Systemic' sale of unsafe products

The problem stretches well beyond lighting.

CHOICE research found 6 per cent of people who purchased products online in the past two years reported an injury or property damage caused by an unsafe product.

It found the sale of unsafe products was "systemic" across major online marketplaces.

Amazon removed the non-compliant products identified by CHOICE in June, but the consumer group has already identified others.

"We urgently need a general safety provision, to ensure dangerous products never reach shelves in the first place," CHOICE senior campaigns and policy adviser, Bea Sherwood said.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said existing product safety laws generally only applied to suppliers who sold their own goods, not online marketplaces.

The ACCC is backing reforms including giving the regulator effective enforcement powers irrespective of the method of purchase, a spokesperson said.

The federal government is currently consulting on product safety reforms, as part of a broader overhaul of the regime.