Marketplace sellers breaking the law on the sale of painkillers

Most mainstream retailers limit customers to two packs of painkillers (usually 32 tablets) due to the known serious risks of overdose, but Which? found online sellers illegally flogging more than 100 tablets in one transaction on online marketplaces.

In our latest snapshot investigation, we ordered aspirin, ibuprofen, and paracetamol from five sellers on eBay and three on OnBuy in quantities exceeding the legal limit of 100 tablets. 

We were able to order a total of 304 tablets of aspirin and paracetamol via sellers on eBay in one go, and 192 ibuprofen in a separate transaction. In addition, we ordered a total of 248 aspirin and paracetamol tablets from sellers on OnBuy, and 128 ibuprofen. We also found sellers on eBay offering promotional multibuy discounts for painkillers, which we believe is against best practice.

Read on to discover the full findings of our investigation, the rules on promotions on medicines, and the action eBay and OnBuy are taking.

eBay and OnBuy sellers breaking the law

It's illegal to sell or supply more than 100 tablets or capsules of paracetamol or aspirin in any one transaction, and larger amounts should be provided with pharmacist guidance.

In reality, if you try to buy painkillers such as paracetamol or aspirin in your local supermarket or pharmacy, you’ll likely be limited to two packs in one transaction. This is based on best practice guidance, which is widely applied in ‘traditional’ retailers.

But, in our investigation, we received 128 paracetamol tablets (500mg, eight packs of 16) from one eBay seller, and were sent 112 aspirin tablets (75mg, four packs of 28) from another. A third seller allowed us to purchase two packs of 96 ibuprofen tablets (400mg). Two eBay sellers didn’t fulfil our orders completely - one sent four packs instead of eight with a note saying they couldn’t supply us with more in one go, and another cancelled the transaction entirely. 

Via OnBuy, we bought 120 aspirin tablets (100mg, four packs of 30 tablets), 128 paracetamol tablets (500mg, eight packs of 16 tablets) and 128 ibuprofen tablets (200mg, eight packs of 16 tablets).

As part of this investigation, we checked other marketplaces, but we didn’t find any painkillers for sale on Temu or Tiktok Shop. On Amazon, the vast majority of painkiller listings are sold and dispatched by Amazon directly. Although you can add multiple packs to your basket, this is limited at the point of checkout. We found the same via Superdrug.

• Find out more: Supplements found for sale in risky doses 

What are the risks of painkillers? 

Paracetamol is often recommended as one of the first treatments for pain or fever, as it's safe for most people to take, and side effects are rare. Aspirin is also a common pain medication, and it’s prescribed by GPs at a higher rate than either paracetamol or ibuprofen (often for another purpose than pain relief, such as blood thinning). 

There are risks associated with taking either medication in excess, whether that is from an intentional overdose or an unintentional staggered overdose (taking more than the recommended dose or for a long period of time). 

According to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) many deaths occur each year from the side effects of overdosing from paracetamol, including liver failure. Aspirin or ibuprofen overdoses can cause serious physical harm, including bleeding in the gut and kidney failure. Restricting the availability of pain relief medicines for purchase and in the home is effective in reducing the number of deaths from accidental or impulsive overdose.

An Oxford University study in 2013 found that deaths from paracetamol overdoses fell by 43% in England and Wales in the 11 years after the law on pack sizes was changed in 1998. The study also found that the number of patients registered for a liver transplant because of a paracetamol overdose had reduced by 61% following the legislation. This was equivalent to 482 fewer registrations over 11 years.

• Find out more: Is aspirin, ibuprofen or paracetamol the best pain killer? 

Promotional offers on medicines

According to MHRA guidance, promotional offers on medicines for pain relief should not directly encourage the purchase of more than one pack - for example, multibuy deals including buy one get one free or buy one get one half price. These are discouraged on the grounds of public safety. 

But we found multiple sellers on eBay offering multibuy discounts on painkillers. One seller was offering a discount for buying four or more packs on a pack of 32 500mg paracetamol tablets. Another seller had multibuy discounts on packs of 96 ibuprofen tablets. Both offers would push the amounts bought above the legal limit. We didn’t buy any tablets from these particular sellers.

• Find out more: How to save on cold and flu medicines 

What the marketplaces said

An eBay spokesperson said: 'Consumer safety is a top priority for eBay. All eBay sellers are required to comply with our policies, as well as UK and international laws. We have reviewed the sellers identified by Which? and have taken the appropriate action. 

'We work closely with authorities such as the MHRA and Trading Standards to keep our platform safe. Our work with the MHRA includes developing cutting-edge AI algorithms to block the sale of any illegal or unsafe medicines in the UK, and ensure these listings meet strict health and safety regulations. In 2024, these algorithms successfully recognised and blocked nearly 2 million violations for unregulated prescription medicines and over-the-counter medicines before they could be offered to the public.'

We checked eBay before publishing this story and were pleased to see we were now unable to purchase above the legal limit of painkillers. When we tried, there was a banner stating 'Please be aware that upon the MHRA’s advice, the purchase of medicines for pain relief (Paracetamol etc.) are limited to single packs of 16 tablets/capsules with a maximum of two packs in one transaction.'

OnBuy told us: 'Customer safety and regulatory compliance are core requirements for trading on OnBuy. Our Seller Terms require all sellers to comply with applicable local laws and regulatory guidance relating to the sale of medicines and healthcare products. 

'OnBuy operates as an online marketplace and does not stock or retail products itself. Responsibility for product listings, pricing, and fulfilment sits with individual sellers, who are expected to ensure that their activity complies with all legal and safety requirements. 

'Based on the information you’ve shared, we are reviewing the specific cases highlighted and will take appropriate action where seller activity is found to fall short of our requirements, in line with our Seller Terms. We take these issues seriously and continue to review our controls to support a safe and compliant marketplace for customers.'

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