They include Mattel products pulled from general sale after they were found to contain high levels of lead.
A survey by brand consultancy Mark Monitor found that affected toys are being sold on auction sites such as eBay by unscrupulous vendors. After the US, the majority of such goods are shipped from the UK. Recalled toys are also being traded on business-to-business exchanges.
Retailers called for a crackdown on rogue traders and urged consumers to only buy toys from reputable sources.
The Entertainer founder and chairman of the Toy Retailers Association Gary Grant said: “This highlights that the less scrupulous or unbranded retailers cannot be trusted like a household name. People need to find out who they’re trading with.”
A Woolworths spokeswoman said: “We urge customers not to purchase these items from unaffiliated web sites.”
Alerted to the problem by Retail Week, Trading Standards deputy chief executive Paul Ramsden said he would investigate and inform consumer affairs minister Gareth Thomas.
An eBay spokeswoman said: “With an increase in toy recalls in recent months, eBay has taken every opportunity to remind buyers and sellers to check the details of anything they intend to buy and sell.”
Lovells product liability lawyer Rod Freeman said: “Ultimately, consumers buy products at their own risk.”
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