Updated 16 July 2020 at 23:17 IST
Amazon India tells sellers to display 'country of origin' tag on products by August 10
In a major development, Amazon India told its sellers to mandatorily attribute the 'country of origin' to products starting July 21 and by August 10.
In a major development, Amazon India told its sellers to mandatorily attribute the 'country of origin' to products starting July 21. In an email, the company informed its sellers to disclose it on both old and new products before August 10, 2020. According to the email, failure to mention the 'country of origin' by sellers will lead to an action by the e-commerce giant, including suspending the listing from their site.
Amazon India in the email wrote, "Starting July 21, 2020, we are introducing country of origin as a mandatory attribute in addition to few optional attributes in our category listing templates in accordance with the Legal Metrology Act of 2009. You will be required to provide information on 'country of origin' mandatorily for all your new and existing listings." Amazon reportedly has around 5 lakh customers in India.
A check on foreign imported goods
The move by Amazon comes a week after the Centre mandated E-commerce platforms to ensure they displayed the 'country of origin' for new listings by August 1 and for old listings by October 1, in the backdrop of keeping a check on foreign imported goods, especially from China. The provision of the declaration of 'country of origin' has been in place since January 2018 for all manufacturers, importers, packers and e-commerce players. While companies in the offline market comply with the declaration, e-commerce platforms haven't been adhering to it strictly, said Consumer Affairs Secretary Leena Nandan.
GeM mandates sellers to display 'country of origin'
Earlier, the Indian government issued an order asking its e-commerce website Government e-Marketplace to mandatorily publicise the country of origin on every new product that it lists on its website. The move came in the backdrop of the nation's resolve to boycott all Chinese products in the country as well as boost its 'Make in India' initiative and adopt the path of 'self-reliance'. By listing the country of origin, customers will be given the free will to decide whether they want to buy a Chinese/foreign product or not. The GeM also asked its sellers to mention the local content percentage in each of its product.
(with inputs from PTI)
Published By : Bhakti Hargunani
Published On: 16 July 2020 at 23:17 IST