Sellers warned after 259,000 counterfeit toys seized in 2025

The Government’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has revealed that hundreds of thousands of fake toys have been seized at UK borders; and is warning ecommerce businesses to be ultra careful about their sources.

The warning is particularly pertinent for dropshipping ventures as they do not see the actual products that they sell, instead trusting manufacturing, customer fulfilment and delivery processes to a third party.

However, the IPO office has issued a warning that businesses selling fake toys could not only risk financial and legal consequences; but could be endangering children’ s lives.

The scale of the problem

The Government has now launched the Fake Toys, Real Harms campaign after a staggering 259,000 counterfeit toys worth £3.5m were seized at UK borders from January to August this year alone.

The report from the IPO details that 90% of the toys seized – 236,000 items – were counterfeit Labubu dolls.

It adds that 75% of seized counterfeit toys failed safety tests with both banned chemicals and choking hazards found. Of the customers that did receive the counterfeit toys, 46% “experienced serious safety issues”. These included the toys breaking instantly, unsafe labelling, toxic smells and “even reports of illness in children”, says the report.

The campaign is aiming to educate both ecommerce business owners but also customers. It is hoped that facing the reality that these toys might actually endanger children might counter the appeal of low costs.

The IPO team reports that seven in ten toy buyers are motivated by cost, and only 27% citing safety as a purchase consideration.

This campaign is pushing safety to the top of this list; and putting more onus on ecommerce business owners to stay compliant and therefore prevent these products reaching the UK.

How to spot fakes

The IPO has created a website with the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG) with advice for both businesses and consumers.

It offers advice for buyers and dropshippers, including warning them to stick to trusted retailers or official brand websites and be cautious with third-party sellers on marketplaces.

Highlighting the importance of customer feedback, the guidance also recommends buyers check the reviews carefully, and be wary of prices that look “too good to be true” as counterfeits are often much cheaper.

The advice also encourages customers to be cautious when a toy arrives. It urges them to look for a UKCA or CE safety mark and a UK contact address on the packaging; check the packaging for age warnings, and make sure that there are no loose small parts, stuffing, or unsecured batteries.

Customers with any concerns are encouraged to return the toy, leave a review to warn other customers, and also report the seller and contact Trading Standards.

Stay compliant to protect your customers

For ecommerce firms, compliance is the key to ensuring that the products they sell meet Trading Standards. This means using trusted suppliers, which can prove that their products meet the safety standards set by the UK Authorities and that these standards are clearly displayed on products.

Technology including Blockchain, QR codes, and holograms can also help ensure authenticity and transparency for customers.

This means maintaining a rigorous relationship with vendors; constantly reviewing the supply chain and, for dropshipping businesses, making sure that the third-party supplier is working to the same standards as their own venture.

For a business that does fall foul of a counterfeit scam, the best course of action is to immediately share information with the relevant Trading Standards authority and work with them to both protect affected customers and stop more products entering the country.

For businesses in this space, the impact of counterfeit toys reaching their customers go beyond the legal or the financial into social responsibility.