Buying children's toys – 11 tips from TÜV SÜD


Christmas gifts for children should give pleasure for longer than the festive season. To ensure that the fun and games continue long after Christmas is over, children's toys should be bought with care and consideration. The professionals at TÜV SÜD have assembled 11 useful tips for prospective purchasers.

1.      Check the origins: Does the toy you have chosen show the name of the manufacturer or importer with the full address? If this information is missing, watch out: you may have picked a cheap and even potentially dangerous product from origins which cannot be traced.

2.      Fair exchange is no robbery – it's your right: The best places to buy toys are specialist retailers, reputable online stores or well-known discounters. All these allow you to exchange faulty goods and claim compensation if the worst comes to the worst. Buyers browsing the Internet can check that their chosen source of a product displays the TÜV SÜD "s@fer-shopping" mark as a sign that the purchasing processes used by the site are secure.

3.      Reward performance: When you make your choice, ensure that the value of the material and the price of the toy are in relation to one another. Ultra-low prices are generally the result of compromises over safety and reliability.

4.      Read the signs: The CE mark is the manufacturer's voluntary confirmation that its products comply with the minimum requirements of the applicable European directives. As a 'passport' for free goods trade within Europe, the CE mark is primarily directed at market surveillance authorities and customs officials – not consumers. It does not stand for independent monitoring of products or production facilities by a certification organization. 

5.       Make your mark: To ensure your Christmas is a happy one, it is best to rely on the GS (Tested Safety) Mark. Products bearing this mark have been examined by an approved independent certification body. In addition, the quality seal demonstrates that production sites have also been inspected at least once per year. The GS Mark is protected by law, and is further anchored by Germany's new Product Safety Act which replaced the old Equipment and Product Safety Act on 1 December 2011.

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