I found this fluke accident on the net and it resonated with what we do at Trade Me in terms of electrical safety - what's happened is a coin has slipped down in between a phone charger and the wall, resulting in the coin completing a circuit with the mains which resulted in it melting itself and the pins.

It's shocking stuff. There, I said it...

This issue happened in America. Just as well New Zealand has laws that can stop this from happening! But what are those laws?

Since March 2006, all plugs sold in NZ must have insulation on the pins.

A pretty simple rule that's designed to stop children from slipping something like a butter knife between a plug and the wall socket and electrocuting themselves.

Hopefully the insulation would prevent a circuit being made, thus protecting the child.

So what does this mean for selling goods on Trade Me?

Professional sellers need to ensure their electrical goods have the insulation on the pins and MOST importantly, have SDOCs for their wares.

The supply of plugs without insulation or electrical goods without SDOCs is against the law and items found to not having either will be removed from the site.

Buyers can find out more in our guide to electrical safety. Energy Safety has some child safety tips.

If you've spied something that shouldn't be listed on the site, please let us know via the Community Watch function which is always found at the bottom of every listing.

All plugs should have insulation on the pins