Bogus bargain price claims on online marketplaces 'may be breaking the law', Which? reveals
The consumer champion examined how reliable sellers on online marketplaces are when listing RRPs and found a number of examples where reference prices appeared significantly higher than prices charged elsewhere online.
Which? investigated 20 products from each of four marketplaces - Amazon, eBay, Temu and Wayfair – comparing the RRPs listed by sellers with prices offered by other online retailers selling the same items.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says shoppers are likely to understand RRPs as the price at which a product is generally sold across the market. This means consumers may believe they are getting a substantial discount compared with a product’s typical selling price.
Although there is no fixed definition of what counts as a product being “generally sold” at a certain price, advertising an RRP that is higher than the price offered by all other traders and retailers is an indicator that the reference price could be misleading.
For the 15 of the 20 products checked on Temu, Which? could find no other retailer selling the same item at or above the stated RRP.
Similarly, for 12 of the 20 products checked on eBay, Which? found no other retailer selling the products at or above the advertised RRP.
Of the 20 products reviewed on Wayfair, Which? found 10 where no other retailer was selling the item at or above the listed RRP.
Which? also looked at Amazon Marketplace, where the issue was found less frequently among the products reviewed by Which?. Researchers were unable to find another retailer selling at or above the RRP for 1 of the 20 products. Which? understands that the product concerned - a vacuum cleaner - met Amazon’s internal bar for a valid RRP, but the consumer champion is concerned this was not enough to show the RRP was the ‘generally sold’ price.
Which? believes some traders’ uses of RRPs could be in breach of consumer law as they might mislead people about the value of a product and the savings they could make.
Which? believes consumer law should be enforced against traders using misleading pricing practices. The consumer champion also says marketplaces themselves should do more to ensure shoppers are not presented with potentially misleading discounts.
Sue Davies, Which? Head of Consumer Rights Policy, said:
“Dodgy pricing tricks are wrong at any time, but traders using these online marketplaces to try to lure shoppers with potentially misleading claims about bargain purchases is particularly unacceptable when so many people are struggling with the cost of living.
“We’re really concerned about how RRPs are being presented across some online marketplaces. While there should be stricter enforcement against traders who break the law, marketplaces themselves must take greater responsibility to ensure customers are not misled.”
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors:
Khaki jumper on Temu (Deal £10.07, RRP £196.36)
This £10 jumper seemed too good a deal to be true on Temu – priced at just 5% of the Recommended Retail Price (RRP) of £196.36. But perhaps it really was too good to be true – Which? couldn’t find it sold anywhere near that higher price. Of the 12 sellers we found online, the most expensive was £44.95 – a far cry from £196.
Soft play set on eBay (Deal £85.99, RRP £245.90)
This soft play set was being sold on eBay at £85.99 – just 35% of the claimed RRP of £245.90. Which? found 14 other retailers selling this product, but none even close to the RRP. The closest was £132.99.
Swing chair on Wayfair (Deal £141.99, RRP £351.21)
This swing chair was selling on Wayfair for £141.99, less than half the supposed RRP of £351.21. But was that RRP a genuine comparison? None of the 13 other retailers Which? found selling the same chair priced it at that RRP or above. The closest was a couple retailers selling it at £199.99.
VACTech cordless vacuum cleaner on Amazon Marketplace (Deal £69.99, RRP £129.99)
This cordless vacuum cleaner was being sold on Amazon Marketplace at £69.99 with an RRP of £129.99. None of the 11 other retailers Which? found selling this product were selling at RRP or higher. The closest was £105.
Methodology:
Which?’s researchers looked at the pricing of 80 popular products on Amazon, eBay, Temu and Wayfair on various days between November 2025 and January 2026. The products were chosen randomly from their ‘best selling items’ or ‘best deals’ pages.
Checks were conducted twice to ensure that the prices of products being sold by other retailers were not just at discounted or sale prices.
Prices taken on various days between November 2025 and January 2026.
Right of replies:
A spokesperson for eBay said: “eBay has clear policies on pricing practices, including the use of RRP, and requires sellers to ensure price comparisons are accurate, substantiated and not misleading. We are contacting the sellers identified by Which?’s investigation, and will take the appropriate action.”
A spokesperson from Temu said: “RRPs on Temu are set by the manufacturer and used and provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or merchandise partner. Traders are required to comply with applicable laws and regulations when listing products on our platform."
Amazon did not provide a comment.
Wayfair did not provide a comment.
About Which?
Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, empowering people to make confident choices and demand better. Through our research, investigations and product testing, we provide trusted insight and expert recommendations on the issues that matter most to consumers.
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