BIS Raids Amazon, Flipkart Warehouses For Selling Non-Certified Products

Cracking the whip on online marketplaces for flouting certification norms, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) conducted “search and seizure operations” at multiple warehouses of ecommerce platforms, including Amazon and Flipkart. 

In a release, the BIS said that the searches, which spanned cities like Lucknow, Gurugram and Delhi, were undertaken for the purpose of curbing sale of “non-certified and potentially unsafe products”. 

The bureau also seized thousands of products that lacked mandatory BIS certification, raising concerns over consumer safety. Not just this, the certification body also said that it has initiated legal action under BIS Act, 2016 to “hold the responsible entities accountable”. 

Under the Act, defaulters face a minimum penalty of INR 2 Lakh and this could go all the way up to 10X the value of the goods sold or offered for sale. The offenders also face imprisonment of up to two years.

The BIS noted that it conducted raids at an Amazon warehouse in Lucknow, on 07 March 2025, and seized 215 toys and 24 hand blenders, which lacked mandatory BIS certification. 

It also said that raids at an Amazon warehouse in Gurugram, in February, resulted in the seizure of non-compliant 58 aluminium foils, 34 metallic water bottles, 25 toys, 20 hand blenders, seven PVC cables, two food mixers and one speaker.

Meanwhile, a raid at a Flipkart warehouse in Gurugram, operated by Instakart Services Pvt Ltd, resulted in seizure of 534 stainless steel bottles, 134 toys and 41 speakers that were not certified.  

The bureau noted that its probe into “multiple” violations at Amazon and Flipkart traced non-certified products back to a company called Techvision International Pvt Ltd. Subsequently, it also conducted two raids at two premises linked to Techvision in Delhi. 

The search operation at Techvision uncovered nearly 7,000 electric water heaters, 4,000 electric food mixers, 95 electric room heaters, and 40 gas stoves, which did not have BIS certification. 

Notably, after these seizures, the BIS said that it has filed two court cases against Techvision International for violations under Sections 17(1) and 17(3) of the Act, with additional cases in process. 

The certification body also noted that it is actively conducting market surveillance to ensure that consumer products sold on ecommerce platforms comply with safety and quality standards. 

As part of this, it found that ecommerce players such as Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, Myntra, and BigBasket were selling “several” non-certified products on their platforms, some of which falsely displayed ISI marks or invalid licence numbers.

Noting that non-certified products pose “significant safety risks to consumers, the BIS said that it has issued notices to all these ecommerce platforms to ensure only approved products are listed on their sites. 

“These large-scale seizures highlight the widespread issue of unsafe non-certified products being sold online, underscoring the urgent need for ecommerce platforms to exercise greater due diligence in ensuring that only BIS-certified products are listed for sale… In this regard, BIS has issued notices to all these ecommerce platforms, directing them to ensure that products requiring BIS certification are duly certified before being made available to consumers,” said the national standards body. 

This crackdown follows the Centre’s push for stricter ecommerce regulations. In January 2025, the BIS released the draft guidelines for ecommerce platforms, aimed at ensuring greater accountability among online marketplaces. 

The proposed guidelines mandate stringent know your customer (KYC) norms for third-party sellers, enhanced transparency in listings, and fair business practices. Additionally, they emphasise clear return, refund, and replacement policies.

The move also comes amid concerns raised by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) about marketplace giants allegedly engaging in anti-competitive practices. These organisations have accused platforms of bypassing regulations by using proxy sellers to dominate listings and manipulate prices.

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