Bun­desnet­za­gen­tur again iden­ti­fies a large num­ber of pro­hib­it­ed prod­ucts in 2021

Year of issue 2022
Date of issue 2022.01.28

The Bundesnetzagentur banned nearly 23 million prohibited product items in 2021. The products could cause radio interference or they had significant formal defects.

"The Bundesnetzagentur takes resolute action against non-compliant products and prevents them from remaining available in the German marketplace," said Jochen Homann, Bundesnetzagentur President. "That is an important part of the Bundesnetzagentur's role in consumer protection. We advise consumers about what to pay particular attention to when ordering electronic products online."

Working together with customs authorities and by making test purchases, the Bundesnetzagentur identifies prohibited products in online and retail trade.

In 2020 bans by the Bundesnetzagentur affected more than 21 million product items.

Market surveillance of e-commerce

Platform operators deleted 1,936 product offerings that were identified by e-commerce market surveillance as non-compliant. This affected a total of 21.4 million product items.

Wireless headphones topped the list of the most non-compliant product types, with more than 7.7 million of them available for sale in the marketplace. These wireless headphones use radio frequencies that are solely for use by security-related services such as the police or the fire brigade. This use is prohibited. Many wireless headphone products had significant formal defects, for example the absence of operating manuals in German or technical documents containing errors.

Second on the list was extremely cheap measuring equipment from non-EU countries (around 3.7 million product items), followed by remote-controlled flying drones (around 3.3 million product items). Both of these types of products had multiple formal defects such as not bearing a CE marking or identification feature and not including contact details of an economic operator.

Surveillance in the German retail market

In 2021 the coronavirus pandemic again played a part in the Bundesnetzagentur's market surveillance. Field service work could be carried out occasionally where compliance with hygiene and distancing rules could be ensured.
The Bundesnetzagentur tested 3,554 product types in the German retail market in 2021. The agency issued a total of 23 sales bans and 1,059 deficiency letters requiring the correction of formal defects in non-compliant products. More than one million product items were affected.

Of note were also many non-compliant LED lights and power supply units that can cause interference and sometimes present a high risk.

Cooperation with customs authorities

The Bundesnetzagentur works closely with the customs authorities to stop non-compliant products at the external border of the European Union.

In 2021 customs authorities notified the Bundesnetzagentur of nearly 6,500 suspicious imports. In around 91% of cases the Bundesnetzagentur did not clear the products for the German market because it identified clear defects. At total of around 320,000 products were affected.

Test purchases help market surveillance

Overall 61 test purchases were carried out in 2021 to gain an overview of the conformity of products sold online. Market-restricting measures were issued for products purchased by the Bundesnetzagentur and identified as non-compliant.

Impact of the Market Surveillance Act

The Market Surveillance Act has been in effect in Germany since 16 July 2021 in conjunction with the new European Market Surveillance Regulation, also effective as of the same date. Under the Act, electrical and radio equipment must show the contact details of an economic operator located in the European Union. Consumers can turn to this contact if there are any product defects. If these contact details are missing, the product may not be sold or imported into Germany.

Tips for consumers when ordering online

• Order online through reputable, well-known sources. Obtain information beforehand about the trader, for example from a consumer centre.
• Check if there is an EU address where you can contact the trader or the trader's partner. The address must be on the product or its packaging, on the parcel or in an accompanying document.
• Ensure that there are General Terms and Conditions (GTCs) as well as cancellation and return policies/instructions.
• Check the product description thoroughly. Pay particular attention to whether German instructions are mentioned.
• The price should be reasonable in comparison with those of competitors.
• If you are unsure, ask the trader questions about the product. Reputable sellers respond to questions quickly and clearly.
• When purchasing technical products, make sure a proper plug for use in Germany is included.

Further information and the Bundesnetzagentur's annual market surveillance statistics are available here (in German): www.bundesnetzagentur.de/marktueberwachungprodukte.

Press release (pdf / 194 KB)