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<\/p>\nCHINESE mega-store Temu has been accused of selling dangerous and 'illegal' weapons without age checks, according to a Which? investigation. <\/p>\n
Consumer organisation Which? allegedly found axes, switchblades disguised as key rings and knives marketed as "road rage self-defence" weapons on the platform. <\/p>\n
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Nine dangerous items that Which? looked at are thought to have been sold over 120,000 times collectively. <\/p>\n
Which? believes some of these weapons are illegal, including the batons and folding knives. <\/p>\n
In the UK, it is illegal carry any knife in public without good reason, unless it has a manual folding blade less than 3 inches long.<\/p>\n
Anyone who is carrying a knife with the intention of using it as a weapon \u2013 even in self-defence – can be arrested, go to court and receive a police record or prison sentence of up to four years.<\/p>\n
Age-restricted items like axes and knives were also being sold with no age checks, the organisation said. <\/p>\n Much like Temu's other products, some of these items were incredibly cheap. <\/p>\n Prices for potentially lethal weapons began at just \u00a34.48, Which?'s investigation found. <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Temu, which launched last September, has quickly become people's number one retail destination in the UK and the US, with the promise of letting customers 'shop like a billionaire on a budget'.<\/p>\n It was this year's most downloaded app in the UK, an achievement that was almost certainly buoyed by its popularity on TikTok. <\/p>\n You can buy anything from kitchen\u00a0gadgets,\u00a0electronics\u00a0and outdoor furniture to makeup, baby clothes and power tools on the site. <\/p>\n Most of it is up for sale for\u00a0less than \u00a310.<\/p>\n Which? believes the lack of controls to prevent minors purchasing age-restricted items and 'illegal' weapons is concerning given how widely advertised the marketplace is on TikTok.<\/p>\n \u201cTemu has topped the app download charts and is heavily advertised on TikTok\u00a0which is used by many young people. We are concerned\u00a0they may be exposed to adverts for these weapons and based on our research, able to buy them," Sue Davies, Which? Head of Consumer Protection Policy, told The Sun.<\/p>\n \u201cSales appear to be worryingly high – with listings suggesting 120,000 purchases made by shoppers on just nine of the items we looked at.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTemu needs to step up and show it can be a responsible online marketplace. <\/p>\n "Our findings are a reminder that we desperately need new laws to tackle unsafe products on online marketplaces – with tough penalties when tech firms fall short of what's needed to keep people safe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n A Temu spokesperson said:\u00a0\u201cTemu is committed to complying fully with relevant rules and regulations in all of the markets that we operate in, and we take all reports of violations very seriously.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter receiving a complaint of a person under 18 purchasing a bladed article from our platform, we immediately removed all related product listings. <\/p>\n "We also initiated a comprehensive investigation and review of our processes to further strengthen our safeguards and prevent similar cases from occurring again.\u201d<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/VP-COMP-TEMU-1.jpg\")
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