Amazon lists some toys for sale on its website weeks before confirming with its sellers that the products are safe, a new report claims.
Toy Sellers To Submit Safety Documents Weeks After Selling On Amazon
While Amazon claims that toys sellers need to be safety compliant to sell on the online marketplace, some of the sellers are not asked to submit safety documents until weeks after their toys have already been posted for sale on the platform.
This means that the online retail company could be selling potentially unsafe products that could endanger children.
CNBC reported on Wednesday that Amazon asked new toy sellers in recent weeks to submit the safety documentation for toys that were already for sale.
A leaked email showed that Amazon required the sellers to submit the documents not later than Sept. 9, which is about two weeks after the sellers have started selling their items on Amazon.
The sellers interviewed by CNBC said they were not asked to submit the documents prior to listing on the site.
WSJ Investigations Found Amazon Sells Thousands Of Unsafe Products
The report comes after a Wall Street Journal investigation found that the online retailer was selling thousands of products that are unsafe, mislabeled, and even banned by federal agencies. These include toys with high lead levels.
In its response to the Journal article, Amazon assured the safety of the toys and other products on its platform. citing it spends millions for product safety.
"We require toys to be tested to relevant safety standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission," Amazon said.
"We have a dedicated global team of compliance specialists that review submitted safety documentation, and we have additional qualification requirements that sellers must meet to offer products."
Senators Richard Blumenthal, Bob Menendez, and Ed Markey already wrote a letter to Jeff Bezos asking the Amazon CEO to conduct an internal investigation into his company's safety policies. It is still unclear if the company has already taken steps to improve consumer safety.
