BIS cracks down on uncertified goods from Amazon, Flipkart warehouses

CHENNAI: Next time you shop online, pause for a second before you click buy— that "great online deal" could be hiding some crucial product info or selling you faulty items.

In a major crackdown, Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) officials in Chennai seized thousands of uncertified products from Amazon and Flipkart warehouses in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. They also cautioned shoppers to be alert and verify their products before purchase. From water bottles and toys to ceiling fans and even baby diapers, thousands of items sold on Amazon and Flipkart were found without the mandatory BIS certification, putting unsuspecting customers at risk.

At Amazon’s warehouse in Puduvoyal, officials confiscated 3,376 items including insulated flasks, food containers, metallic potable water bottles, ceiling fans, and toys without BIS standard marks. The seized products are valued at Rs 36 lakh. The raid was led by BIS Joint Directors Gowththam B J and Dhinesh Rajagopalan. The firm was found violating Section 17 of the BIS Act, 2016, by storing and offering uncertified goods for sale on its platform.

In a parallel operation, BIS officials raided Flipkart’s warehouse in Koduvalli and seized baby diapers (286 packs), 36 boxes of casseroles, 26 stainless steel water bottles, and 10 insulated steel bottles without BIS certification. This raid was conducted by a team led by BIS Director Jeevanandam D and Joint Director Sreejith Mohan J.

Speaking to TOI, Chennai branch head of BIS, G Bhavani, said they got a tip-off stating the products did not have the certification mark beneath the ISI logo. "Residents can easily save themselves from counterfeit products sold online. Every product will have an ISI mark. Above the ISI mark, there is a seven-to-ten digit number pertaining to the product. Below the ISI mark, there is a certification mark license (CM_L) followed by a number," she said.

Residents can type this CM_L number in the BIS Care App's verify license number section. "This will throw up the product, manufacturer, operational status, and license status. If the license is revoked or there's no license, they can flag it to BIS. Usually, some companies continue to sell products with expired licenses too," she said.

The BIS warned that violators face imprisonment up to two years or fines starting from Rs 2 lakh, extendable to 10 times the value of the goods, under Section 29 of the BIS Act. Chennai Branch Head G Bhavani urged the public to report misuse of the ISI mark through the BIS Care app or via email at cnbo1@bis.gov.in.

When contacted, an Amazon India spokesperson said: “We require sellers of all products to comply with applicable laws, regulations and Amazon policies. Upon being notified, we take actions, including removing noncompliant products, and outreach to sellers for additional information, when appropriate.”

On her part, a Flipkart spokesperson said: “As a marketplace, we work with 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.”