Coroner writes to eBay after teenager died from poison bought online
Alice Dearden, 19, took her own life in 2020 after a long battle with mental health issues including anorexia and emotionally unstable personality disorder
A coroner has written to eBay after a teenager died after taking a poison she bought on the online marketplace.
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Alice Dearden, from Wiltshire, died in February 2020 after a long battle with mental health issues, including anorexia and emotionally unstable personality disorder.
The 19-year-old had a history of self-harm and had purchased the poisonous substance online several weeks ahead of her death, an inquest into her death in April 2026 found.
A spokesperson for eBay said that the substance Dearden purchased had been banned from sale in the UK and other marketplaces for years prior to the incident.
The inquest at Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner’s Court heard of the difficulties Dearden had faced transitioning from child to adult mental health services after turning 18.
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Nicholas Rheinberg, the assistant coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon, concluded she had taken her own life.
The poison the 19-year-old had purchased was a "reportable substance" under the Poisons Act, and the court heard that the seller had a statutory duty to report any suspicious transaction.
Rheinberg added that he was worried about the power that postal businesses such as eBay had to make the checks required under the law and had written to the marketplace website, emphasising this.
"Evidence at the inquest suggested that it would not be possible for a mail order business to make such checks," he said.
"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.
"In my opinion, action should be taken to prevent future deaths, and I believe your organisation has the power to take such action."
The 19-year-old’s family have said they hope no other families would have to endure what they have been through.
Speaking after the inquest concluded in April, the Dearden family expressed their hopes that no one else would have to go through a similar experience.
"Alice's mental health difficulties were treatable. She had recently turned 19 when she died, and was very vulnerable," they said.
"We call on online marketplaces, such as eBay, to ensure that sellers of harmful substances carry out all required checks before any sale is completed, so that the law is upheld and vulnerable people are protected."
A spokesperson for eBay has emphasised that the sale of poisons, such as that used by Dearden, is “prohibited” on their site.
In a statement, they said: "The sale of all poisons, including the substance in question, are prohibited under our hazardous materials policy, and have been for many years.
"We use a number of measures, including block filter algorithms and AI-supported monitoring, to help prevent their sale.
"We remain absolutely committed to preventing the sale of dangerous substances on our platform and will continue working closely with regulators to strengthen our efforts in this area."
The impact of suicide reaches far and wide. Call Samaritans for free on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit samaritans.org for more information.