Amazon responds to BIS crackdown on non-compliant products; Flipkart stays silent

In response to the government of India's Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) action over non-compliant products, Amazon on Sunday stated the platform takes measures to ensure customer safety, including removing non-compliant items.

"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," Amazon India said in a statement.

“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,” the e-commerce platform added.

While Amazon India issued a statement on Sunday, Flipkart has yet to respond to Fortune India's request for comment.

The BIS, the country’s product certification agency, conducted search and seizure operations at multiple warehouse locations of leading e-commerce platforms, including Amazon and Flipkart, in cities like Lucknow, Gurugram, and Delhi.

The Consumer Affairs Ministry stated that during a raid on March 7 at an Amazon warehouse in Lucknow, the BIS seized 215 toys and 24 hand blenders, all lacking mandatory certification. Acting on this lead, BIS raided two Techvision International facilities in Delhi, uncovering as many as 7,000 electric water heaters, 4,000 electric food mixers, 95 electric room heaters, and 40 gas stoves without BIS certification. Non-certified products from brands like Digismart, Activa, Inalsa, Cello Swift, and Butterfly were among those seized, according to the Consumer Affairs Ministry.

Earlier, in February 2025, a similar operation at an Amazon warehouse in Gurugram led to the seizure of 58 aluminium foils, 34 metallic water bottles, 25 toys, 20 hand blenders, 7 PVC cables, 2 food mixers, and 1 speaker— all found to be non-certified.

Additionally, in a raid at a Flipkart warehouse in Gurugram, operated by Instakart Services, BIS seized 534 uncertified vacuum-insulated stainless-steel bottles, 134 toys, and 41 speakers. Investigations into multiple violations on both Amazon and Flipkart traced non-certified products back to Techvision International.

“During its surveillance activities, BIS has identified that several non-certified products are being sold on e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, Myntra, BigBasket even though BIS certification has been made mandatory for these products,” the government said in a statement.

BIS has already filed two court cases against Techvision International for violations of the 2016 BIS Act, with more cases underway for other seizures.

Under the Section 17 of the 2016 BIS Act, defaulters face a penalty of at least ₹2 lakh, which can extend up to ten times the value of the goods sold or offered for sale.

“BIS has issued notices to all these e-commerce platforms, directing them to ensure that products requiring BIS certification are duly certified before being made available to consumers,” the Centre added.