Crackdown on E-commerce: Raids on Amazon and Flipkart Uncover Substandard Goods
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has launched a nationwide initiative to ensure compliance with quality standards and protect consumers, conducting raids on major e-commerce warehouses across India. Recent operations targeted Amazon and Flipkart warehouses, resulting in the seizure of thousands of substandard products lacking the mandatory ISI (Indian Standards Institute) mark.
In a significant 15-hour-plus raid at a warehouse of Amazon Sellers Pvt Ltd in Delhi’s Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area, the BIS team confiscated over 3,500 items. These included geysers, food mixers, and various electrical appliances. Many of the products either lacked the necessary ISI mark or bore counterfeit labels. The estimated value of the seized goods from this raid alone was approximately Rs 70 lakh.
In a separate operation, BIS officials targeted Instakart Services Pvt Limited, a Flipkart subsidiary located in Trinagar, Delhi. This raid uncovered a stockpile of sports footwear that did not meet ISI standards and lacked proper manufacturing date information. Around 590 pairs of footwear, worth approximately Rs 6 lakh, were seized.
These raids are part of a broader effort by the BIS to enforce quality control measures across the country. Over the past month, similar operations have taken place in various locations, including Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Lucknow, and Sriperumbudur, leading to the seizure of a wide range of substandard products.
The Bureau of Indian Standards mandates compulsory certification for 769 products. The manufacturing, import, distribution, sale, hire, lease, storage, or exhibition for sale of these products without a valid license or Certificate of Compliance (CoC) from BIS is strictly prohibited. Last week, BIS also raided Amazon and Flipkart warehouses in the Tiruvallur district, seizing a large number of products not meeting the required standards.
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 were valued at Rs 36 lakh.
BIS continues its efforts to ensure that products sold in the Indian market meet the required quality standards, safeguarding consumer interests and preventing the sale of potentially unsafe goods.
