May contain affiliate links. All electrical goods – including sex toys – sold in the UK have to meet very stringent safety checks to comply with British regulations. However, often people buying cheap sex toys from online market places like eBay and Amazon may not realise that they’re actually produced and shipped from China, where goods aren’t subject to the same checks.
At best, they might waste money on a disappointing knock-off which will fail to get you off at all; at worst, they could be extremely dangerous.
Why Fake Sex Toys Online Are a Problem
Around one in three people in the UK have been conned into buying fake electrical goods – and that includes cheap sex toys – online at some point.
But why does it matter? Well, aside from not working as expected, and potentially not being made from body safe materials, you could potentially get an electric shock from a counterfeit electrical product, or it could overheat and cause a fire. No one wants to have to explain that to the fireman…
How to Spot Fake Sex Toys Online
If you just want the short version, these are the biggest warning signs to look for before buying a cheap sex toy online.
Red Flag | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
Price is far lower than everywhere else | Could be a counterfeit, unsafe or poor-quality product |
Seller is based overseas with long delivery times | May not be subject to UK safety standards |
Reviews look fake or overly glowing | Counterfeit listings often use manipulated reviews |
Description is badly written or overuses words like “genuine” or “authentic” | Can be a sign the listing is not legitimate |
Packaging looks flimsy or badly printed | Fake products often have poor-quality packaging |
No clear safety marks or instructions | A major warning sign for electrical sex toys |
Materials are unclear | You may be buying something porous or unsafe |
Charger or plug looks wrong for the UK | Potential electrical safety risk |
Although Amazon do what they can to remove reported listings, anyone can set up a new account and use dropshipping from outside of the UK to fulfil orders. So how do you spot them so you can avoid them?
They’re too good to be true
You know the old saying ‘if it’s too good to be true, it probably is’? If something is available for much cheaper than you’d usually pay on the high street, and it isn’t a specific sale item or offer then it may well be fake. If it’s got suspicious social media ads all over Facebook claiming all sorts of miracles, but you can’t see the comments section – it’s probably fake.
The reviews are suspect
When buying cheap sex toys online, reading the reviews is really important. Overly glowing reviews or reviews from unverified purchasers might be fake. Read them, rather than taking them at face value.
There are all sorts of tricks that dodgy sellers can pull. Some simply pay for fake reviews, although these are often easy to spot. On platforms like Amazon or eBay where the reviews are a large part of the buying process, some sellers will offer refunds or payments to duped customers to remove negative reviews, leaving only the 4- and 5-star ones. Sometimes sellers will switch the product from a legitimate one to a dodgy replica – or even something entirely different! – and it’s only when you read the reviews themselves you realise they’re not even talking about the product you’re about to buy.
You can report this type of behaviour, as review manipulation is against the TOS.
Reverse image searching shows up a lot
One useful trick when researching suspiciously cheap sex toys online is reverse image searching the product photos.
You can use tools like Google Lens to upload or search an image directly, and Alibaba even has its own visual image search feature. Often, you’ll discover the exact same stock photos appearing across dozens of websites under completely different brand names.
Sometimes this simply means the toy is being white labelled or dropshipped. Other times it can reveal cloned listings, misleading branding, or sellers massively inflating prices for generic products.
This doesn’t automatically mean a toy is unsafe, but it does tell you to slow down and do a bit more research before sticking an unknown electrical device anywhere near your genitals.
If you want to understand more about why so many sex toys online appear identical, I’ve written a full post explaining white label sex toys, OEM manufacturing, and why the same vibrator can appear on multiple websites with wildly different prices.
The supplier isn’t UK-based
Many fake cheap sex toys sold online in the UK are actually manufactured overseas, where they aren’t safety tested and are produced as quickly and cheaply as possible. Check the contact address is a real place and not just a PO Box. Unfortunately a ‘co.uk’ website address doesn’t guarantee that the website or their supplier is actually in the UK. As many companies use dropshipping to fulfil orders, check how long it will take to fulfil your order. Any longer than a few days and it’s probably coming from abroad.
My preference for sex toys and other more expensive electrical items is to buy from the brand directly, or use a reputable retailer (eg. Lovehoney) or high street store.
The description seems a bit dodgy
If a description on Amazon or eBay is at pains to tell you it’s real, authentic, genuine etc then it might not be; most companies don’t usually need to tell you that.
How to Tell if a Sex Toy Is Fake After It Arrive
The packaging is flimsy, badly printed or has mistakes
If the packaging looks ‘off’, it could well be fake. If the instructions are poorly translated, this is also a sign that it may not be legitimate (although in the case of the Satisfyer Pro 2, which is the real deal, it might mean they just need a better translator!).
If there are no instructions at all then this is a red flag!
Check the plug
Firstly, the plug should have the BSi kitemark or CE mark on it. If you’ve purchased your product from a UK retailer, look to see whether the appliance has a three-pin UK plug or charger and make sure that it fits in the plug socket easily. The UK domestic voltage is 230V/50Hz; don’t use it if it isn’t!
Check for safety marks
Genuine electrical products have one or more safety certifications on their label so if the certification mark is present only on the packaging, but not on the product itself, it’s probable you have a fake.
Use your gut feeling
If you are still uncertain about your cheap sex toys for any reason then there’s probably a reason and you shouldn’t use them. In general, you can take electrical products in to a high street store to compare it to genuine stock to satisfy your curiosity, although this is probably less advisable when the product is sex toys!
What To Do If You Suspect Your Sex Toy Is Fake
Don’t use them!
Seems fairly obvious, but don’t use or charge it unless you know it’s safe.
Ask for a refund
For this reason, it’s advisable to pay for any cheap sex toys and other products online via PayPal or a credit card as you can apply directly to these companies for a refund.
If you are not able to settle the dispute yourself, contact the retailer that manages the marketplace (such as Amazon) as they are able to intervene on your behalf.
If they are unable to help, and you are adamant you want your money back then contact Citizens Advice who might be able to assist you further.
Leave feedback
If you’ve bought sex toys online via a marketplace such as Amazon or eBay and they aren’t what you expected they’d be, then be sure to leave feedback in a review to warn others. Don’t make any untrue claims as the seller could have it removed; be factual and present any evidence you have.
Report it
Report fake products to Trading Standards so that they can take action against the seller; selling fake products is illegal and puts people’s lives at risk.
Are Cheap Sex Toys Always Bad?
Cheap sex toys are not always a bad idea, and more expensive sex toys aren’t always better, but fake or unsafe toys should be avoided. If a product seems suspicious, the materials are unclear, the seller is vague, or the listing looks off, trust your instincts and walk away.
If you want to save money without taking risks, stick to reputable retailers, check the materials carefully, and read our guides to body-safe sex toy materials and buying cheap sex toys safely.
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