Amazon India says it removes non-compliant products after BIS searches

NEW DELHI: Faced with the Bureau of Indian Standards’ action over the distribution of non-compliant products, Amazon on Sunday said it takes action to maintain a safe selection for its customers, including removing non-compliant products.

“We require sellers of all products to comply with applicable laws, regulations and Amazon policies. 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,” Amazon India said in a statement.

The Bureau of Indian Standards, the country’s top product certification agency, has carried out search and seizure operations at multiple warehouse locations of leading e-commerce platforms, including Amazon and Flipkart.

The Consumer Affairs Ministry said in a statement that to curb the distribution of non-compliant products through e-commerce platforms, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) conducted search and seizure operations in cities like Lucknow, Gurugram, and Delhi.

The government said that in the raid conducted on March 7 at an Amazon warehouse in Lucknow, the certification agency BIS seized 215 toys and 24 hand blenders, all of which lacked mandatory BIS certification.

Earlier, in February 2025, a similar operation at an Amazon warehouse in Gurugram resulted in the seizure of 58 aluminium foils, 34 metallic water bottles, 25 toys, 20 hand blenders, 7 PVC cables, two food mixers and one speaker – all found to be non-certified, the ministry’s statement said on Saturday evening.

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 uncertified speakers.

“BIS’s investigations into multiple violations on both Amazon and Flipkart traced non-certified products back to Techvision International Pvt Ltd,” said the ministry.

Acting on this lead, BIS conducted raids at two different Techvision International facilities in Delhi, uncovering approximately 7,000 electric water heaters, 4,000 electric food mixers, 95 electric room heaters, and 40 gas stoves without BIS certification.

Non-certified products seized include brands like Digismart, Activa, Inalsa, Cello Swift, and Butterfly, among others, the ministry’s statement said. (ANI)