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Machetes, knives and swords for sale online for as low as £1.17

Machetes, samurai swords and zombie-style knives have been listed on retail websites such as eBay, Amazon and Etsy, i can reveal.

A wide range of knives, blades, and swords are listed on eBay, Amazon, while Etsy advertised prohibited weapons, including Samurai swords and zombie-style knives and machetes.

One listing on AliExpress, a retail site based in China, advertised a machete with a serrated edge for just £1.17, available to order to the UK, alongside a disclaimer saying the buyer “must comply with applicable laws and regulations in your jurisdiction”.

This comes as an amnesty to hand in zombie-style knives and machetes begins on 26 August ahead of a complete ban on 24 September.

Swords with a curved blade over 50 centimetres long were banned in 2008, while “zombie knives”, defined as blades with a cutting edge and a serrated edge featuring words or images indicating they will be used “for the purpose of violence”, were banned in 2016.

Next month’s ban will broaden the range of legally prohibited blades to include “zombie-style” knives and machetes, which bear all features of zombie knives but do not necessarily feature violent words or images.

Listing on AliExpress advertising a discounted weapon for £1.17 (Photo: AliExpress)
Listing on AliExpress advertising a discounted weapon for £6.88 (Photo: AliExpress)

AliExpress said that customer safety is its “highest priority”, adding that the company has “strict guidelines for merchants regarding the sale of knives” and will ensure to be “compliant with the new legislation on knives when it comes into force”.

Listings on eBay advertised samurai swords and machetes for as low as £16 from sellers claiming they were able to ship the weapons “worldwide”, including to the UK.

An eBay spokesperson told i that the company “takes the safety of our customers very seriously”.

They added: “We use various measures to prevent UK based customers from buying illegal knives through eBay, including blocking buyers with UK addresses from buying these items.”

While eBay seeks to prohibit UK-based customers from buying offensive weapons through its website, the company cannot prevent customers from contacting sellers willing to ship offensive weapons to the UK to arrange a transaction off the platform.

Two machetes advertised on eBay for a total of $41.99 (£32.10)

Listings on Amazon appeared to advertise weapons prohibited in the UK, including machetes with serrated edges and a 27-inch steel sword, while multiple Samurai swords, machetes and a “battle cleaver” were advertised on Etsy.

Etsy and Amazon removed listings advertising offensive weapons from its website after i brought them to the company’s attention.

An Amazon spokesperson said that the company takes its “responsibility in relation to the sale of all age-restricted items – including bladed products, extremely seriously.

“We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws, regulations and Amazon policies”, the spokesperson said, adding that the company has measures in place to prevent products from being shipped to countries where they are prohibited.

John Howey, senior solicitor at JFH Law, told i: “The major issue with international websites is enforcement.

“The general rule is that acts committed outside the jurisdiction are outside the ambit of English criminal law, unless there is a statute saying otherwise.

“If something is legal in the host country, that country would not extradite anyone to stand trial here.”

A knife with a serrated edge advertised for £35 on Etsy

Umar Zeb, senior partner at JD Spicer Zeb Solicitors, told i: “There have been several legislative attempts to try and reduce access to knives and weapons through international websites.

“For instance, it is an offence contrary to section 38 of the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 for a bladed product to be delivered to a residential premises, and section 39 prohibits the delivery of bladed products to persons under the age of 18.

“The new Online Safety Act 2023 also places a legal duty on many tech companies such as Google to prevent illegal activity, which includes the sale of weapons.

“However, as with many criminal offences, the internet makes it far easier to acquire zombie knives and other weapons. The issue is that, despite how much is done to limit the online sale of weapons, much will still be accessible through the dark web.”

Amazon listing advertising a 26.62 inch sword (Photo: Amazon)

Samurai swords with a curved blade over 50 centimetres long were banned in the UK in 2008, making it illegal to sell, hire, lend or posses the weapon in private. Antique swords, those made in Japan before 1954 and those forged using traditional methods are exempt from the ban.

While zombie knives were legally banned in 2016, Mr Zeb said that the upcoming ban will broaden the range of prohibited weapons to include “zombie-style” knives and machetes which do not feature violent images and words.

He told i that the requirement for violent text or images “has effectively been used as a loophole whereby many of the exact same weapons could be kept and sold by simply removing pictures and words relating to violence”.

He added: “The knife crime epidemic in the UK is an extreme problem. Victims are from all walks of life and gender not just teenage boys.

“Having worked in cases involving violence caused by zombie knives, and knowing clients and families who have been victim of zombie knife attacks themselves, including knowing local teenagers who have died, we are delighted to see the Government expanding the definition of ‘zombie knife’ to close the loophole exploited by those who continued to own and manufacture similar dangerous knives without writing or imagery relating to violence.”

What is a “zombie-style knife and machete”?

The “zombie-style knives and machetes” that will be banned next month are bladed articles with:

  • (i) a plain cutting edge;
  • (ii) a sharp pointed end; and
  • (iii) a blade of over eight inches in length (the length of the blade being the straight-line distance from the top of the handle to the tip of the blade).

The weapons will also have one or more of the following features:

  • (a) a serrated cutting edge (other than a serrated cutting edge of up to two inches next to the handle);
  • (b) more than one hole in the blade;
  • (c) spikes;
  • (d) more than two sharp points in the blade other than (1) a sharp point where the angle between the edges which create the point is an angle of at least 90 degrees (where there is a curved edge, the angle will be measured by reference to the tangent of the curve); or (2) a sharp point on the cutting edge of the blade near the handle.

The Government has called on anyone who possesses a zombie-style knife or machete to hand it in to the police between 26 August and 23 September.

Those who hand in weapons may be eligible for compensation if they are able to provide “acceptable evidence of the value of the item” such as a purchase receipt.

The standard compensation amount for each surrendered weapon will be £10, while claims for items worth over £10 need to include “acceptable evidence of the value of the item”, such as a purchase receipt.

Compensation will only be provided to those who surrender weapons with a total value above £30.

Knife-enabled crime increased by 4 per cent, with 50,510 offences recorded in the year to March 2024 when compared to the year to March 2023.

While this figure is 3 per cent lower than pre-pandemic levels, it is nearly twice as high as the number of offences (27,401) recorded in 2015.

AliExpress said: “The safety of our customers is our highest priority. We have strict guidelines for merchants regarding the sale of knives.

“We respect and endeavour to comply with all applicable rules and regulations in the markets we operate in, including any relevant pending regulations once they take effect. AliExpress will be compliant with the new legislation on knives when it comes into force.”

An Amazon spokesperson said: “We take our responsibility in relation to the sale of all age-restricted items – including bladed products, extremely seriously.

“We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws, regulations and Amazon policies.

“And we have proactive measures in place to prevent certain products from being shipped to customers in different countries where they are prohibited.

“Both the bladed products highlighted are ineligible to be shipped to customers in the UK.”

i has contacted Etsy for a comment.

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