Government monitoring bodies have called on economic affairs minister Dirk Beljaars to tackle the huge flow of items from mainly Chinese web shops coming into the country.

In 2024 some 1.4 billion packages entered the Netherlands, twice as many as the year before and eight times the 2021 volume, officials say.

Environment inspectorate ILT, product safety watchdog NVWA, digital infrastructure monitor RDI and the customs office say the volume of packages makes it impossible to carry out individual checks for products which may pose a risk to consumers.

The monitoring bodies point to cheap Chinese online outlets such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress as the main cause of the overload. The incessant and increasing flow of parcels is creating “a great social problem” they said.

Some 85% to 95% of the goods bought at these shops do not comply with European safety norms, inspections have shown. The RDI found that just one in 24 checked lighting products or smart plugs complied with the rules and in 60% of cases consumers risked electrocution.

Some 5% of fires in 2023 were caused by faulty batteries and chargers compared to 3% the year before.

The RDI also found goods that breach European privacy rules, saying photos made with cheap cameras are ending up abroad without the owners’ knowledge.

People who buy goods from cheap outlets should be more aware of the dangers, an RDI spokesman told the AD. “They should look for the CE mark and if a product seems too good to be true it probably is,” he said.

Manufacturers themselves are hard to reach. In 85% of cases, the company does not have European representative or they cannot be reached at all, making it impossible for customers to get their money back.

“It is very worrying that Chinese providers in particular are so cavalier about safety, quality and sustainability,” ILT chief Mattheus Wassenaar said.

It is up to market monitoring bodies, customs and lawmakers to tackle the problem, he said, “but consumers and organisations who go for cheap over quality must also take responsibility.”