The Central Consumer Protection Authority has imposed a penalty of Rs 5,00,000 on Ace Vector Ltd, the parent company of e-commerce platform Snapdeal, for selling toys that do not meet mandatory Bureau of Indian Standards requirements.
The BIS standards ensure the safety, quality, and reliability of products sold in the market. This includes toys, electronics and other products. For toys specifically, compliance with BIS standards is mandatory under the Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020.
The CCPA, led by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra, in its order dated Feb. 16, held that Snapdeal engaged in unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements by facilitating the sale of non-BIS-compliant toys on its platform.
The action follows a suo-moto investigation by the CCPA, which found that despite claims of removing non-compliant products, unsafe toys continued to be sold on Snapdeal as recently as December 2025. Investigators also found that Snapdeal earned fees of Rs 41,032 from two sellers, Stallion Trading Company and Thriftcart, for the sale of these toys.
The apex consumer protection body noted several lapses on the platform, including missing manufacturer details, absent BIS certification numbers and reliance on seller self-declarations without independent verification.
Snapdeal responded that it operates like a physical shopping mall and is not directly responsible for individual listings. The CCPA rejected this, saying the platform exercises significant control over promotions, product labelling, logistics, refunds and replacement schemes.
As per the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the responsibility for ensuring product safety lies with both sellers and the e-commerce platform. The CCPA said that the e-commerce platform remains 'vicariously liable' for any deficiency or defect in goods sold through its platform.
"The shift from caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) to caveat venditor (let the seller beware) places the burden of ensuring product safety squarely on both the seller and the facilitating platform. Consequently, the onus is on the platform to ensure that every listed product meets the safety and quality standards, such as the BIS certification for toys," the CCPA order said.
Toys that fail to meet compulsory BIS standards are considered 'defective' under the law, making their sale a misleading advertisement and unfair trade practice.
For future compliance, CCPA directed Snapdeal to guarantee that no non-BIS-compliant toys are listed, hosted, or advertised on its platform. The e-commerce platform was also asked to display contact numbers, email addresses and Grievance Officer details to enable consumer redressal.
The CCPA reiterated its commitment to consumer safety and called on all e-commerce platforms to strictly verify compliance and provide accurate product information.
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