Electric heaters sold on TikTok and Temu could explode, cause electric shocks or start a fire
Cheap electric heaters from TikTok and Temu could explode, result in an electric shock or even cause a fire, with new Which? research revealing that thousands of these dangerous items have potentially been sold.
With the coldest months of the year upon us, you might think a portable electric heater is a good solution – particularly if you've been tempted by videos from TikTok influencers or low prices on Temu. But we've found many of the products being offered for sale on these platforms are likely to be dangerous.
Three of the five heaters we bought through TikTok were unsafe and the instructions for the others were lacking key safety warnings. All three heaters bought through Temu presented a danger to anyone using them. Find out more about the heaters to avoid and why these models should be removed from sale.
Update – 22/2/24: When we originally reported on the Kingavon FH204 and FH200 heaters, we incorrectly stated that they would not be legal to sell in the UK because safety information provided in the manuals didn’t meet the requirements of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016. In fact, the information provided for both heaters we tested did meet the requirements of the regulations at the time we purchased them and they could be sold in the UK legally.
Find out how to shop safely online and avoid dangerous products
Unbranded heaters from Temu could start a fire
With hundreds of millions of Temu app downloads since the platform was launched in September 2022, Temu is the next big thing when it comes to online marketplaces. But our research shows that it’s affected by the same problems we’ve seen on other similar platforms, where unsafe products can be easily found.
All three of the heaters we bought from Temu sellers were electrically unsafe and can’t be sold legally in the UK.
X7 Portable space heater, £14.99
This dangerous heater hadn’t been properly assembled and the live parts were easy to access, running the risk of electric shock. The seller we bought from had sold 353 of these dangerous heaters, but we found two more sellers listing identical products and claiming 8,900 sales between them.
We checked two samples and they both had the same problem. The internal circuitry and wiring was very poor and the heater came with an illegal plug and a fake fuse. It’s so badly made that it also presents a fire and explosion hazard. The manual, product markings and packaging were all missing required information, such as who imported the product and how to use it safely.
Portable space heater, £16.98
Everything about this heater is concerning. It’s far too easy to prise open and gain access to the working parts inside, the electrical connections were poor and key components were missing the required approval markings.
The plug wasn’t compliant with design standards and neither was the power cable. On the Temu listing for the seller we bought from, it stated that 2,100 of these dangerous heaters had been sold. When we looked for other Temu based sellers we found another claiming 6,700 sales. It could give you an electric shock, cause a fire or explode. And we found its doppelganger, the XH-1201, being sold through TikTok, which was every bit as dangerous.
ML-9001 electric heater, £19.47
This dangerous heater bought from a seller on Temu had poor-quality soldering, dodgy wiring and key components missing accreditation marks. And when we checked the plug we discovered what we believe to be more fake fuses that will do nothing to break the circuit safely.
There was no sign of the importer’s name on the heater, a requirement by law, and the manual was lacking some of the required usage and safety information. Our assessment is that this heater presents a risk of electric shock, explosion and fire.
Video: Dangerous heaters on Temu and Tiktok
See why you need to be wary when buying electrical products from online marketplaces.
Three in five heaters bought from TikTok marketplace were dangerous
After most of the heaters bought from TikTok failed our tests, we checked how many people are promoting these dangerous products through the platform.
Diving into the world of TikTok, we found 26 sellers listing products identical to those that failed our tests, with some sellers advertising their ‘paid partnership’ with TikTok or that they’re paid commission. And there were dozens of videos and listings in the TikTok shop for equally dangerous heaters we tested in 2023. Find out which heaters bought on TikTok to avoid.
XH-1201 1200W portable electric heater, £7.20
Just like similar unsafe model being sold through Temu, this heater is one to avoid. It brings together the unholy trinity of being a potential cause of electric shocks, a fire hazard and also posing an explosion threat.
It's been assembled so badly that anyone can quickly crack it open and touch the live parts of the circuit. The wiring and connections are poor and where component approval markings are required, none were found. The plug and the cable are dodgy and the fuse is fake. We found 16 sellers listing this dangerous heater on TikTok when we checked, quoting 223 sales.
Elpine Halogen 31227c, £17.95
When this heater was picked up, it fell off of the base due to loose screws. And when we checked the manual we found key safety and usage warnings missing. Because of all this, it doesn’t meet the requirements of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016.
We found 10 listings on TikTok for seemingly identical heaters with a variety of brand names.
NFJ004 Portable electric heater, £15.99
The NJJ004 heater was made so badly that it could give you an electric shock, catch fire or explode. Internal connections are poor and accreditation markings are missing from key components, such as the control switch and the thermostat.
It came with a European plug and a travel adaptor, but neither met the requirements of the plugs standard. The product and packaging are missing information about the UK importer, CE or UKCA marks and the WEEE disposal logo. And the manual was missing numerous required safety warnings.
Emerging marketplaces pose new risks for consumers
Whether it's smoke alarms that don’t sound, teeth whiteners that damage your teeth or phone chargers that could burn your house down, Which? investigations have revealed harm in abundance through online marketplaces. And with new players in town, online shopping is evolving.
You might not think about TikTok Shop as a marketplace, but around 2.8 million UK consumers made a purchase through the platform in 2023.*
TikTok works differently to other platforms, with videos helping to drive users through to the TikTok Shop, where purchases can be made and video creators able to earn through commission and paid partnerships for their promotional product videos.
On a quick search of the first 100 videos presented to us after searching for ‘electric heaters’ on TikTok, we were presented with five videos promoting a heater we bought from both TikTok and Temu, and found to be electrically unsafe. The five videos had been viewed 115,537 times in total.
Temu finds novel ways to get people to use its platform and does this successfully, with 8.2 million UK consumers buying through its site since it launched in the UK in April 2023.*
Users are encouraged to promote Temu by sharing content and referring friends to the platform, which earns credits to be redeemed on Temu. You’ll also find influencers offering discount codes and users can also earn credits through using the app daily and taking part in competitions and games. Read more about Temu and how it works.
As marketplaces such as Temu and TikTok become ever more socially-driven, this brings with it the potential to significantly increase the harm caused by unsafe products, as customers are tempted by low or subsidised prices and influencer recommendations.
Our survey into consumer perceptions of safety shows that generally, consumers overestimate the level of product safety protection they have when making purchases through online marketplaces. 70% of those who made a purchase in the last 2 years said they are confident the marketplace will ensure products sold through their platforms are safe to use.*
Sadly, years of research and investigations have shown that far more needs to be done to ensure that unsafe products sold on these platforms don't make their way into UK homes. The proliferation of new online marketplaces – and safety issues we have found – shows the government cannot delay any longer. It needs to put in place new regulations that put consumer safety first, requiring online marketplaces to take greater responsibility for ensuring the safety of products that they list and enabling tough enforcement action against them when they allow dangerous and illegal products to infiltrate their platforms.
Sue Davies, Which? Head of Consumer Protection Policy, said:
'Cheap electric heaters are a tempting purchase for consumers struggling during the cold winter months, but our latest tests have revealed that models sold on TikTok and Temu are a serious safety risk and must be avoided at all costs.
'It’s vital that the government urgently gives greater legal responsibility to online marketplaces for unsafe products so that they are forced to take action to prevent dangerous products ending up in people’s homes.'
We have provided the findings of our investigation to the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS).
How to stay safe buying electrical products online
If you own one of the heaters featured here that failed electrical safety tests, or any of those that failed our tests in 2023, stop using it now, unplug it and contact the marketplace seller you bought it from to claim a refund.
When it comes to safeguarding yourself from dangerous products online, it can be a bit of a minefield. Our advice is to avoid unbranded electrical items sold though online marketplaces, and that includes brands that don't appear to exist outside of the marketplace,or where you have reason to believe they are not reputable. Our research and testing has continually shown that these types of unbranded and usually very cheap items may be unsafe, and for something that include electrical components, it's not worth the risk
Customer reviews can be a useful way of finding out if others have had issues – check the one-star reviews to see if there are concerns around safety. You could also check to see if you can find reviews of the product outside of the marketplace from websites such as Which?.
Take our safe online shopping quiz to see how well prepared you are about how to avoid buying dangerous products
What Temu and TikTok told us
We reported our findings to Temu and TikTok, identifying 34 listings for heaters that we bought, tested and failed our tests, or that were identical to those that failed our tests. As we went to press, both Temu and TikTok have removed all seven heaters that failed our tests along with 27 listings for identical dangerous heaters.
Temu told us that it 'deeply regrets any concern or inconvenience caused by the safety issues we identified', and stressed that the safety of its customers is its highest priority. It also said that proactive monitoring systems had detected and removed two heaters in December, and others were removed when notified. It has suspended the sale of similar products pending a review, and said that its third-party sellers must adhere to strict compliance and legal standards before listing their products. Temu said customers with any concerns can contact it through 24/7 customer service channels.
TikTok said it has removed the products for violating its policies on Electricals and Electronics, which are in place to protect customers and promote a trustworthy shopping experience. It said it uses a combination of technology and manual moderation to enforce these policies for TikTok Shop, and removes merchants or products that violate them.
How we tested the electric heaters
We tested the build quality of each heater to see how robust they were externally and how electrically safe they were internally. We also assessed each plug and cable, checking the fuse, measuring the pins and other dimensions. We also checked the packaging, product markings and the user manual to see whether the products came with all of the information they are required to by law.
We were looking for contact information for the UK importers, CE or UKCA markings, safety information covering how to safely use the heaters and WEEE guidance on recycling. Electrical safety tests were taken from BS EN 60335-2-30:2009+A11:2012 Household and similar electrical appliances. The instructions were assessed against the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 and the requirements of the Low Voltage Directive. Plugs were checked using the BS1363-1 plug guage and to the UK Plugs and Sockets Regulations (1994).
*Research conducted in December 2023 with 1,803 respondents who purchased an item from an online marketplace in the last 2 years. Population estimates are made using latest population data from ONS
