Amazon is in hot water yet again after a group of lawmakers questioned the e-commerce giant over listings that its third-party vendors had made.
The lawmakers stated that Amazon's third-party vendors had been selling preservatives on the site that tied to several cases of suicides.
Amazon's Third-Party Vendors
At least seven members of Congress sent a letter to Amazon's CEO, Andy Jassy. They asked the e-commerce company 15 questions about the sale of the preservatives, including the number of customers that had passed away after the sale.
Lori Trahan, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and David B. McKinley, a Republican from West Virginia, led the group of lawmakers.
Both McKinley and Trahan labeled the issue as concerning, especially since listings for the preservatives are available for all customers, and some sellers even offer overnight delivery. There are also no warnings added to listings for customers to see.
According to CNET, the lawmakers stated in the letter that Amazon is giving suicidal customers fast access to dangerous methods like chemicals, thus increasing the number of deaths. The letter was not published as it contains the names of the chemicals under investigation.
Ongoing Product Problem
This is not the first time that safety issues have been raised about products sold by third-party sellers on the e-commerce site.
In 2019, The Wall Street Journal reported that they'd discovered several dangerous products on Amazon, including those that have been banned by the Food and Drug Administration or FDA.
Counterfeits are also listed on the site, and it causes issues for both buyers that bought items with faulty features and companies that got their trademarks infringed.
Amazon has teamed up with several businesses to sue third-party sellers who posted counterfeit items on the site, but most are from outside the United States.
Even though Congress has specifically called out Amazon over the types of items that are posted on the site, it does not mean that the other e-commerce sites do not have listings of chemicals tied to suicides.
The New York Times reported that the same chemicals had been sold on eBay and Etsy. In November 2020, Etsy announced that they've officially banned the sale of all preservatives.
Meanwhile, eBay did not respond to the accusations, but it was reported by The New York Times that the company eventually banned the preservatives too.
An Amazon spokesperson sent condolences to the loved ones of those who have died by suicide. The spokesperson stated that the chemicals listed on the site are used to preserve foods and also can be used as a reagent in laboratories. Unfortunately, the products were misused.
Amazon's vice president of public policy, Brian Huseman, responded to the letter from Congress and said that all of the preservatives on the site are sold legally, and the listings passed the site's strict guidelines.
The products comply with laws and regulations, and Amazon has a product safety program that ensures the safety of its customers.
The use of chemicals for suicide has been going on since 2017. The concerns of lawmakers stem from the easy availability of the chemicals and the lack of precautions in the listings.
In 2016, Amazon UK was fined for mislabeling and airmailing chemicals, and other dangerous packages.
Last year, Amazon's third-party sellers were exposed for undermining the system and deleting negative comments left by their customers, which makes listings even more unreliable.
Related Article: Amazon Allegedly Exploits Small Businesses Through Hefty Fees! Third-Party Sellers Pay $34 per $100 Sale?
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Sophie Webster
