PFD report

Alice Dearden · Prevention of Future Deaths report

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Issued 29 Apr 2026•Wiltshire and Swindon

Report record

Published report and response evidence

This page connects the concerns raised in this report with statements found in recipients’ published responses. A link shows a clear evidence connection; it does not assign responsibility.

View original report
Concerns
2

Raised in this report

Recipients
1

Named on the report

Responses found
1

Of 1 recipient

Stated actions
2

Described in responses

Recipients and published responses

Source document

Full report text

This is the full text from the original published report.

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Concerns and recipient responses

Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

Concerns raised2

  1. Failure to include concentrated reportable poisons in prohibited-item lists
  2. Inability of mail order businesses to make suspicious-transaction checks
Responses linked to these concerns

Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.

Actions described in response An action is something a recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to a concern raised.2

  1. Action

    Update the Hazardous Materials Policy to explicitly prohibit reportable poisons.

    Stated by Ebay (UK) LimitedStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 2 July 2026.
  2. Action

    Strengthen enforcement using block-filter algorithms, AI-supported monitoring and action against sellers listing prohibited items.

    Stated by Ebay (UK) LimitedStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 2 July 2026.

Respondent positions A position is what a recipient says about a concern when it does not describe a specific action.1

  1. Position

    Reportable poisons were already covered by the existing prohibition, although their explicit inclusion was not sufficiently clear.

    Stated by Ebay (UK) LimitedDisputes the concernThe respondent disagreed with part of the concern or the basis for it.

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Failure to include concentrated reportable poisons in prohibited-item lists

Wider context from the report

“████████ is a reportable substance under the Poisons Act 1972. A supplier of the substance has a statutory duty to report any suspicious transaction. The statute goes on to give guidance so as to determine what might be a suspicious transaction. Section 3C (4) reads “In deciding whether there are reasonable grounds for suspecting such a thing, regard must be had to all the circumstances of the case, including in particular where the prospective customer— (a)appears unclear about the intended use of the substance, (b)appears unfamiliar with the intended use of the substance or cannot explain it plausibly, (c)intends to buy substances in quantities, combinations or concentrations uncommon for private use, (d)is unwilling to provide proof of identity or place of residence, or (e)insists on using unusual methods of payment, including large amounts of cash.” Evidence at the inquest suggested that it would not be possible for a mail order business to make such checks. Reference during the inquest was made to eBay’s Hazardous Materials Policy and it was seen that Reportable Poisons in concentrated form were not included in the list of prohibited items. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

No recurring-concern membership is currently published.

Open source report

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Inability of mail order businesses to make suspicious-transaction checks

Wider context from the report

“████████ is a reportable substance under the Poisons Act 1972. A supplier of the substance has a statutory duty to report any suspicious transaction. The statute goes on to give guidance so as to determine what might be a suspicious transaction. Section 3C (4) reads “In deciding whether there are reasonable grounds for suspecting such a thing, regard must be had to all the circumstances of the case, including in particular where the prospective customer— (a)appears unclear about the intended use of the substance, (b)appears unfamiliar with the intended use of the substance or cannot explain it plausibly, (c)intends to buy substances in quantities, combinations or concentrations uncommon for private use, (d)is unwilling to provide proof of identity or place of residence, or (e)insists on using unusual methods of payment, including large amounts of cash.” Evidence at the inquest suggested that it would not be possible for a mail order business to make such checks. Reference during the inquest was made to eBay’s Hazardous Materials Policy and it was seen that Reportable Poisons in concentrated form were not included in the list of prohibited items. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

No recurring-concern membership is currently published.

Open source report

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Update the Hazardous Materials Policy to explicitly prohibit reportable poisons.

Verbatim wording from the response

“This prohibition encompasses all poisons, including those classified as a 'reportable poison'. This includes ████████ in its pure form, as well as other dangerous items. Further information is also provided to users via a link to the Home Office site towards the end of the policy. We acknowledge however that the explicit inclusion of 'reportable poison' within our policy's general prohibition on poisons may not have been clear, despite them being prohibited on the site. In order to drive clarity, we have updated our policy to now explicitly refer to reportable poisons as being prohibited. This update has already been made and is visible in the policy linked to above. For ease of reference, it now states:”

Source location

Response from Ebay
Page 1 · response
Published 2 July 2026

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Strengthen enforcement using block-filter algorithms, AI-supported monitoring and action against sellers listing prohibited items.

Verbatim wording from the response

“Enforcement The prohibition of ████████ in its pure form is not a new addition. It has been prohibited on eBay, in the UK and in other countries where eBay operates, for several years. eBay has proactive measures, including advanced block filter algorithms and AI-supported monitoring, dedicated to identifying and removing unsafe listings. In 2025 for example, 98.2% of prohibited listings globally (which encompasses a wide variety of prohibited items) were blocked at the point of listing creation and did not appear on the eBay marketplace.”

Source location

Response from Ebay
Page 2 · response
Published 2 July 2026

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent position was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Reportable poisons were already covered by the existing prohibition, although their explicit inclusion was not sufficiently clear.

Verbatim wording from the response

“eBay's Hazardous Materials Policy explicitly prohibits the sale of poisons. It states at the start:”

Source location

Response from Ebay
Page 1 · response
Published 2 July 2026

Open published response
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Information checked against the published report and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations

Data last updated 7 September 2026