Over 60% of Brits now shop from Chinese marketplaces such as Temu and Shein. But that has caused an increase in the number of potentially dangerous creatures such as scorpions and spiders accidentally arriving in UK homes. Parcelhero warns Brits to be on their guard.

In the past few weeks, several cases of stowaway scorpions in packages from China have hit the headlines. After ordering a fashion bargain from Shein, a student in Bristol discovered a sting in the tail when a highly venomous scorpion was found in the box. Similarly, after ordering a treadmill, a couple from Basingstoke found one in their Amazon third-party order from China.

Now the international delivery specialists Parcelhero is warning Brits buying online from overseas sellers to be cautious when opening packages ordered from China, just in case unwelcome creatures have crawled their way inside.

Parcelhero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks M.I.L.T., says: ‘More of us than ever now use online marketplaces to order products direct from China. 43% of Brits who shop online have bought items such as household goods from Temu, 42% have ordered fashion items from Shein, 25% have purchased accessories and other goods from TikTok Shop and 22% products such as electronics from AliExpress.

‘But there might be more than they bargained for inside these innocent-looking packages. An expert told the BBC this week that there appears to have been a “worrying” increase in cases of potentially dangerous creatures lurking inside packages from China, with three venomous scorpions appearing to have been shipped in the last month.

‘Chris Newman, from the National Centre for Reptile Welfare (NCRW), told the BBC: “We’ve had 200 stowaways this year. Twelve have been scorpions and three of those have been within the last month – the same species of scorpion from China.”

‘Of course, thousands of e-commerce parcels arrive daily from China into the UK, so this is proportionately a very small amount. However, the fact that any parcel may potentially contain something a lot scarier than Halloween lights is something online shoppers should keep in mind.

‘Trade with China is accelerating rapidly. For example, in less than two years since its UK launch, Temu has already become a favourite site of online shoppers. However, people should exercise some caution when opening parcels from China and other countries where potentially dangerous creatures, such as scorpions, spiders and snakes, may be found.

‘For example, scorpions have a very slow metabolism and use very little oxygen so they don’t need much ventilation. That means if one of these creatures crawls into a box in China, the chances of it surviving the journey are quite high.

‘If you are at all concerned about a parcel, particularly if you have a pet that seems to be very interested in it, perhaps barking or scratching at the package, it’s best to take precautions:

Never touch a creature you are unfamiliar with by hand
Try to trap the animal under a glass or in a plastic container
Never release any unknown creature in your garden. It is actually an offence, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, to release a non-native creature into the wild
Contact an expert. For example, the National Centre for Reptile Welfare can be found at https://www.ncrw.co.uk/stowaways
If you are confronted by a potentially dangerous animal you can call the RSPCA hotline: 0300 1234 999. The RSPCA has specialist animal collection officers
Finally, as well as an emergency collection service for dangerous animals, the National Centre for Reptile Welfare has 100 drop-off points for animals. Never send a potentially dangerous live animal of any kind by post or general courier
‘Live mammals and reptiles are prohibited from being sent by post or non-specialist courier, as are any creatures or insects classified as dangerous within the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 (including certain venomous spiders).

‘Parcelhero welcomes most shipments, domestically and internationally, but we are fond of our partner couriers so please do not ship any dangerous creatures with us or any other non-specialist carrier! There are a number of dedicated courier services that are able to transport creatures such as scorpions for the pet trade.

‘Any kind of live creature that can be sent legally in the general post must be boxed and packaged to protect the creature, postal staff and customers from harm. The fastest possible service should be selected and items must be clearly marked “URGENT – LIVING CREATURES – HANDLE WITH CARE”.

‘While China is now the UK’s number one market for consumers purchasing goods from overseas sellers, the USA remains the UK’s biggest overall individual trading partner. The US is also Parcelhero’s biggest individual overseas market.