Ebay seller sent item with asbestos in it

[loadsmorebargains]

I bought a theatrical lamp from an eBay seller, it has arrived with a power cable fitted that has white asbestos in it.

I can't return it, because that would entail it being posted, which would be against most if not all courier and postal service policies on prohibited items, and I suspect illegal too.

What do I do from here?

[clute21]

Unlikely Asbestos as it is not suitable for cable insulation.
More likely pyro cable.

Qoute from wikiepedia.

Mineral-insulated copper-clad cable is a variety of electrical cable made from copper conductors inside a copper sheath, insulated by inorganic magnesium oxide powder. The name is often abbreviated to MICC or MI cable, and colloquially known as pyro (because the original manufacturer and vendor for this product in the UK was a company called Pyrotenax). A similar product sheathed with metals other than copper is called mineral insulated metal sheathed

[loadsmorebargains]

Thanks for this information.

Sadly, it's not relevant.  Also, it's significantly incorrect.  Asbestos was historically used widely as an electrical insulator for a long period of time due to the fact that it is an excellent insulator, with high heat-resistance.

Theatre lights used a lot of asbestos-clad power cables, and also a lot of the isolating washers in lamps are asbestos compounds too. This unit has the original power cable from manufacture, which DOES contain asbestos. I haven't checked the isolating washer under the lamp plate yet.

So, going back to the original question... what do I do about it?

[papso22]

Perhaps you should have expected it might contain asbestos then? There is also now a question of whether it was actually not as described at all. If you still think it was, you either find a courier who will take it, or persuade eBay that it is dangerous to return. There is something in the MBG about that.