Can I sell a chair without fire safety label on ebay?

[Guest MCO]

Hi, I don't know if this forum is still active but I need some advice about a second hand sofa that I purchased. I assumed that it would have a permanent safety label, as I thought this was a legal requirement. The sofa was reupholstered last year but has no permanent label.

I got in touch with the seller (it was a private sale) and he has supplied a copy of the invoice for the fabric (which is compliant with regulations) and a test certificate for BS5867 Part 2. I have also been able to locate some fire safety information on the well-known fabric manufacturer's website but no sign of being able to get hold of a permanent label.

I wanted to use this sofa in a holiday let and although the documentation is reassuring I still don't feel entirely comfortable without the label.

Should I bin it? The seller is refusing to take it back, but I don't want to use something that could cause problems.

Any advice is very welcome!

 

[green-foam]

The forum is still active.?

As I understand it, as it was a private seller they are NOT covered by the regulations, so it is down to you to check if it has a label, then your decision to buy it or not, but as a landlord you should supply suitable furniture for your property, there is no rule that says  you must supply a sofa.

 

 

 

[Guest CazDeFaz]

Hi, I sew and reupholster in my start up business and I want to start as I mean to go on, by having good fire regulations!
I have quite a few different situations that I would like to clarify please...

Most of my work is furniture supplied by the customer to recover, usually keeping the original foam and adding wadding if necessary...

Does the wadding need to be fire retardant?

I like a wider variety of fabric than what is available as fire retardant so I’m considering a spray or liquid solution to apply...

Would this be enough to pass regulations? Is it a case of checking the spray/solution manufacturer ?

Do I have to follow regulations if the furniture and fabric is supplied by the customer?

Or if the customer chooses a non-retardant fabric ? Could this be a situation where I make it clear that it will not follow regulations or do I treat all fabric with the spray/solution?

Do I need to add fire labels in this situation?

I also have a few pieces that I am going to refurbish and sell myself (not a custom order) so I presume I need to follow regulations and fix labels on?

Again, is a spray or solution enough to meet the regulations?

Thank you in advance to those that advise, this is the most informative site I have found!

Caz ?

 

[Tom Sutton]

Most of your questions are answered on page 19 of Fire safety of furniture and furnishings in the home A Guide to the UK Regulations and anything supplied by you needs to meet the regulations, anything supplied by the client is not subject to the regulations.

If it does not fully meet the regulations you cannot fix labels but you should advise the client in writing of the full details.

Any fire retardant spray or liquid should be certificated in writing and any queries you have, is better answer by them.

Any items manufactured after 1950 then refurbished and sold by you should fully meet the regulations.

[Guest Henry]

Hi. I need help with this, i am an amazon seller with a registered brand name and used the brand name to import office chair into UK and the manufacturer didn't put the fire label on the chair. now what is likely to be the problem i will have selling this items without fire label. a customer bought one already and seems like he is coming up with some troubles on lack of fire label.

[AnthonyB]

If it's for commercial use it won't automatically be labelled, this primarily affects domestic furnishing.

[Guest Themooster]

Hello,

I am looking into buying old chairs, restoring them and then selling them. Would I have to send each chair off to be match tested and get a fire label? 

[Tom Sutton]

No but the upholstery would have to conform to Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988/1989, 1993 and 2010 and check out Guide to the UK Regulations.

[Guest Guest1000]

Hello

Not sure if there’s anything I can actually do about this now as it was a while ago but it’s something I do keep worrying about.

I bought a few bits of second hand furniture about 6 years ago and did some of it up - some involved upholstery. They were just projects I did for fun and I kept most of the furniture but sold a dining table and chairs. If I remember rightly I sold on eBay. There were 6 chairs and I covered the seat pads with fabric (leaving the original fabric and filling intact but just stapling a new piece of material over the seat pad - probably not what the professionals do but the end result looked pretty good.)

I didn’t think too much about fire regs at the time so don’t know if there was correct labelling in place, and would assume the covering fabric wouldn’t have been fire resistant (but everything underneath it SHOULD be). 
 

When selling I just sold as ‘used’ and explained what changes I had made, and didn’t make any mention of fire safety in the listing. 

Much later when I became more aware of fire safety regs I did some research and found that as I wasn’t selling as a business that the regs didn’t apply (of course I know there’s still a moral issue). However after reading this forum I’m now concerned that the rules actually do apply!?

Not sure what I can really do at this point - I can’t even find details of the sale but if I do then maybe I could advise the buyer to use a fire retardant spray on the seats (if they even still own the chairs!) I did have a feeling I may have mentioned such sprays to the buyer when I dropped the furniture off at the time but I can’t be sure as it was a long time ago and as I said I wasn’t giving the regs too much thought. To be honest I was grieving at the time and the furniture projects were a way to take my mind of things (really helped by the way!) So that’s also why a couple of the details are hazy. 

Sorry for the rather long post.

 

[Tom Sutton]

As far as I understand as a private seller you have not requirement to conform to the FFFSR and the responsibility lies with the purchaser for their own safety. In any case by the sound of it there is little you would be able to do to to right the matter by instructing the purchaser of the fire safety situation.

[Guest Guest1000]

10 minutes ago, Tom Sutton said:

As far as I understand as a private seller you have not requirement to conform to the FFFSR and the responsibility lies with the purchaser for their own safety. In any case by the sound of it there is little you would be able to do to to right the matter by instructing the purchaser of the fire safety situation.

Thank you Tom - I guess at this stage I know there’s little I can do and I am a worrier in general and now that I’ve started thinking about this it’s my latest big worry! I was also concerned in case the fire labels were in place (as I said I cannot remember) but then I could have ruined the fire retardancy with the material I added, thus making the labels incorrect. The buyer was aware I had added material and that I’m not a professional upholster though! 

[Guest Karendipity]

Please can someone advice me. I have inherited two 1980s leather designer armchairs origInally from Heals I believe,   They have no fire safely labels. Can I sell them on eBay or an online auction site ?

[AnthonyB]

If they are 1980's then unless they are very late 1980's they are unlikely to be legal and would have coverings and foam that would fail the fire tests as the change in law on furniture wasn't passed until 1988.

[Guest clumsybiker]

Hello, like many others I'm here to try and discover if I'm okay to sell a second-hand sofa on eBay (and if it doesn't sell to furthermore ask whether it's likely to be accepted by a charity shop.

I've attached a photo of the label which is affixed to the base, underneath the cushions. Most of it is care + cleaning, but the extra part speaks of "tested to ensure compliance"... 

Is the labelling I have found acceptable for eBay sale and/or charitable donation please?

I 

[green-foam]

If you are a private seller, then the regulations do not apply to you, it is really down to the buyer if they want to buy it or not, the good news is, the smaller label is a "fire label"

[Guest Rebbie]

I am about to start reupholstering chairs in our church do I have to ensure the material being used complies with B.S fire regulations.

[Guest Martine Emma]

Just wanted to ask, I am an upholstery student (just started) does everything that I do need a label on it ( even if it has been done traditionally with horse hair etc, no foam or anything)

[Mike North]

This may be of interest Furniture.