Govt Cracks Down On E-commerce Platforms Selling Unsafe, Non-Certified Products

The Bureau of Indian Standards, which functions under the ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distributions, has issued notices to e-commerce platforms — including Amazon, BigBasket and Flipkart — for violating mandatory certification norms.

The notices were issued after BIS conducted search operations at various warehouses and seized thousands of non-certified products that are considered unsafe for consumers.

On March 7, BIS seized 215 toys and 24 hand blenders from an Amazon warehouse in Lucknow for lacking mandatory BIS certification, according to an official statement. Similar operations in February resulted in the confiscation of 147 non-certified items, such as aluminium foils, food mixers, and water bottles. A raid at a Flipkart warehouse in Gurugram, operated by Instakart Services Pvt. also uncovered over 700 items, including stainless steel bottles and speakers, that were not certified.

An Amazon spokesperson said that the company requires sellers of all products to comply with applicable laws and regulations. "We ensure our selection meets industry-accepted standards, and we develop innovative tools to prevent unsafe products from being listed. We take actions to maintain a safe selection for our customers, including removing noncompliant products, and outreach to sellers, manufacturers, and government agencies for additional information, when appropriate.”

BIS traced many violations of Flipkart and Amazon back to Techvision International Pvt., leading to further raids that uncovered thousands of uncertified electric appliances. These include 7,000 electric water heaters, 4,000 electric food mixers, 95 electric room heaters, and 40 gas stoves.

BIS has also identified several products being sold on platforms such as Meesho and Myntra that don't have mandatory BIS certification.

"These large-scale seizures highlight the widespread issue of unsafe, non-certified products being sold online, underscoring the urgent need for e-commerce platforms to exercise greater due diligence in ensuring that only BIS-certified products are listed for sale, wherever mandated by the central government," according to the statement.

Through the notices, all the e-tailers have been directed to ensure that products requiring BIS certification are duly certified before being made available to consumers.

Non-certified products seized include brands like Digismart, Activa, Inalsa, Cello Swift, Butterfly among others.

Legal action has been initiated against Techvision for violating the BIS Act, 2016, with penalties ranging from Rs 2 lakh to ten times the value of the products sold or offered for sale. Furthermore, offenders may also face imprisonment of up to two years for severe violations.

BIS is actively monitoring the market to ensure compliance with safety and quality standards, particularly for essential consumer goods.

The products under market surveillance include commonly used consumer goods such as domestic pressure cookers, hand-held blenders, food mixers, electric irons, room heaters, PVC cables, gas stoves, toys, two-wheeler helmets, switches, sockets and aluminium foils for food packaging.

Despite mandatory BIS certification, many non-certified products continue to be sold on e-commerce platforms, posing safety risks to consumers.

BIS has also urged consumers to use BIS Care app, that allows them to check product certifications and report issues.