BIS intensifies crackdowns e-comm warehouses, seizes substandard products

Earlier this week, officials conducted a search and seizure operation at the warehouse of Amazon Sellers Pvt Ltd, located in the Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area in Delhi

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has carried out a series of raids at the warehouses of e-commerce players in Delhi, including that of Amazon, and confiscated over 3,500 uncertified products worth around ₹70 lakh.

 

The BIS said in a statement that these raids were part of its ongoing drive to enforce compliance with quality standards for consumer protection.

 

Earlier this week, the national standards body conducted a search and seizure operation at the warehouses of Amazon Sellers Pvt Ltd, located in Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area in Delhi.

 

“The operation lasted over 15 hours and more than 3,500 products, both without an ISI mark and marked with fake ISI labels, were seized,” said a release from the BIS, which comes under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

 

The seized products, which included geysers, food mixers, and other electrical appliances amounted to around ₹70 lakh.

 

In another raid conducted at Instakart Services Pvt Limited, a subsidiary of e-commerce website Flipkart, located in Trinagar, a stock of sports footwear packaged for dispatch without the necessary ISI mark and date of manufacturing was seized.

 

“Approximately 590 pairs of sports footwear, worth around ₹6 lakh, were seized during this operation,” the release added.

 

When contacted, Amazon India said it takes appropriate action against sellers on non-compliance of laws.

 

“Amazon operates a marketplace in India. We require sellers who list and sell products on Amazon to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and Amazon policies. Upon being notified of any non-compliance, we take appropriate action. We are engaged closely with various stakeholders, including regulators, to provide customers with a great shopping experience,” Amazon India said in response to a query from Business Standard. 

 

While a Flipkart spokesperson said, “As a marketplace, we work with local Indian sellers to drive awareness and to comply with all applicable laws. The platform has several processes to review the listings sellers make on the marketplace, and also conducts regular audits to ensure compliance.”

 

In the last one month, BIS has conducted similar raids in various parts of the country including Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Lucknow, and Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu and seized a host of substandard items.

 

During one such raid conducted earlier this month in Lucknow, BIS seized 215 toys and 24 hand blenders lacking mandatory certification from an Amazon warehouse.

 

Last month, at another Amazon warehouse in Gurugram, as many as 58 aluminium foils, 34 metallic water bottles, 25 toys, 20 hand blenders, seven PVC cables, two food mixers and one speaker, all non-certified, were seized.

 

Similarly, in a raid at a Flipkart warehouse in Gurugram, operated by Instakart Services Pvt Ltd, BIS seized 534 stainless steel bottles (vacuum insulated), 134 toys and 41 speakers, that were not certified.

 

Currently, there are 769 products notified for compulsory certification. And their manufacturing, import, distribution, sale, hiring, leasing, storing or exhibiting (for sale) without a valid license or Certificate of Compliance (CoC) from BIS is prohibited.